Struggling to be the joyful, effective educator you want to be?

I can help

Teaching Mentor

Hi, I’m Amy

I help primary and early childhood teachers and educators spend less time surviving and more time delighting in working with children.

Strategies, language and skills for

Less overwhelm, more joy

Drowning in programming, lesson plans, assessments, individual education plans, standards, student data?

Feeling overwhelmed with children’s behaviours every day?

Wondering how much longer you can stay in this profession?

I can help.

Reclaim your time, focus on what matters and level up your teaching practice.

Let's chat

Peer observation

Honest feedback from an experienced teacher who knows what high-quality early learning looks like.
Coaching & mentoring

We'll build on the skills and knowledge you already have, and I'll give you straight-up advice when you need it.
Affirmation

You'll feel affirmed, supported and motivated as we reduce the overwhelm.
Online or on-site

Can be a mix of online and on-site if your location is within 1 hour of Woolgoolga, New South Wales, or fully online.

How I help

Mentoring can be completely tailored to your needs. Here are few key areas I often work on with teachers and educators.

Review or create routines for every part of the day to reduce your workload and set children up for success. Provide consistency and emotional safety for you and the children.

Rhythms & routines

Behaviour guidance

Learn how to teach appropriate behaviour so every child is safe and learning. Implement strategies for high expectations and high support.

Lesson structure

Explore how to structure the children’s day for minimal prep and maximum learning. Build assessment into your daily structures to understand what your learners need.

Resources

Choose resources that will best support you and your learners, or build your understanding of the resources your service uses.

Let's chat

Mentoring Magic: What’s included?

You tell me about what's working in your classroom, what's not and what you want to be different.
We set some goals for our work together, and make a plan for what I'm going to focus on in my observations.
I observe in your classroom at the times we've agreed. I notice what the students are doing, what the adults are doing and what's happening in the physical space.
Depending on how the session flows, I might do some mentoring in this time (e.g. model a strategy).
If you're not within an hour of Woolgoolga, New South Wales, peer observation can still be done online. You can video your class and send it to me, or set up a live stream. I'll give you instructions on how to do it.
We talk about what I observed in relation to your goals.
I help you understand what’s happening now and how to make changes that will maximise learning and minimise overwhelm.
I might provide resources, strategies or suggestions for further professional learning to help you meet your goals.
I spend time in your classroom supporting you to implement the resources or strategies we’ve agreed on.
Depending on your needs and goals, this might mean co-teaching with you, modelling particular strategies or giving you real-time feedback as you lead the lesson.
If I can't be physically in your classroom, we’ll spend this time online to model and practice strategies, or spend more time co-planning your lessons.
This is your chance to reflect on the changes you made and celebrate your success.
You can ask further questions and we can plan for your next steps.

I can help you if:

you feel overwhelmed with your workload
you’re spending a lot of time outside of work planning or making resources
you’re a trainee, graduate or experienced teacher or educator
you’re a high performing teacher or educator but want to get your life back or really level up your practice

Now isn’t the right time if:

you want to keep trying to figure it out on your own
you have personal issues in your life that are interfering with your ability to teach (you need to begin managing these first - talk to a counsellor, health professional, Lifeline 13 11 14, or

Why work with me?

I know my stuff

Over 15 years experience teaching and leading in primary schools and early childhood services, including as a Deputy Principal, Teaching Coach, Early Childhood Mentor, Playgroup Leader and Preschool Teacher.
ACECQA-approved Early Childhood Teacher, NESA-accredited and NSW Department of Education Approval to Teach Infants and Primary.
I have specialist knowledge

I love supporting people with English as an Additional Language, play & inquiry pedagogies, literacy, trauma-informed practices and working with remote Aboriginal and multicultural communities.
I’ve completed postgraduate study in early childhood, EAL/D, Indigenous perspectives, training and assessment.
I get you

As a mum of two with many interests, I choose not to let work overtake my life anymore.
I care about keeping great teachers and educators in the profession by supporting you to cut through the overwhelm and re-focus on what really matters: your interactions with children every day.

Your investment options

All prices are GST inclusive

Mentoring Mini

$147

1 x 1 hour session

Tell me what’s happening and I’ll help you make an action plan for less overwhelm, more meaningful learning and more joy.

Buy now

Mentoring Bundle

$547

4 hours within 4 weeks

Completely tailored to your needs. Use the time all at once or spread however you like over four weeks.

Buy now

Mentoring Magic

$897

5 hours of tailored support

Focussed observation, mentoring and coaching from an experienced teacher. The support you need to really level up your practice.

Buy now

What's it like working with me?

"The hour we'd get after the observation is the most effective, because all the questions I had, Amy could answer so it would help me the very next week or the next day"

(Another) Amy, mentee
"Amy is non-judgemental and offers good advice, with no pressure. She listens...and then we just come out with the solutions to things!"

Bianca, mentee
"When I was really struggling, you built me up and made me feel I might even have something special to give."

Miriam, co-teacher

FAQs

1. You choose your mentoring package and complete the checkout process
2. I contact you to book your session or sessions. I might ask you some questions to structure our initial session.
3. I send you a meeting invite to confirm the day, time and location.
4. We meet on-site or via video call, depending on what we've arranged.
It's up to you to talk to your Principal or Centre Director and make sure I'm approved to come into your service. You can let them know I'm a NESA-approved infants and primary teacher and ACECQA-approved Early Childhood Teacher with police clearance and NSW Working with Children Check. If your Principal or Director wants a quick chat or email confirmation, please email me with their name, phone number and email. Or they can contact me on 0423 383 854 and info@amyjo.com.au.
This is completely up to you. I'm happy for your teaching assistant or teaching partner to join us in the sessions. It can be great for you both to be involved in the discussion and ask questions. Being on the same page as the other adults in your room is a winning strategy.
Another option is to meet with me on your own then share the content with your colleagues.
Possibly, depending on your location. The observation time can possibly be split throughout the day or over a few days, depending on your goals or what you’re focussing on. For example I might be able to:
- observe a one hour block each day
- observe the morning session then another session later in the day
I introduce myself to your class and explain why I'm there. I let them know that you’re learning to be even better at teaching, just like they're learning new things every day.
Then you teach your class as you normally would. I mostly observe and take notes without interfering. I respond to children if they engage with me. I might ask some children questions about what they're doing to get some more insight to feed back to.
The purpose of the observation is to gather data related to your goals or areas of concern, so I can feed this back to you and help you unpack what's happening. I notice what the children are doing, what you’re doing, and how everyone moves around the physical space.
Yes, it does. I send you a certificate to confirm the total hours and type of professional learning you've participated in.

Imagine feeling motivated, joyful and effective every day