Young Woman and the Sea - what a movie!

I just watched Young Woman and the Sea (2024), and found Gertrude Ederle’s story incredibly inspiring. As the first woman to swim across the English Channel in 1926, she didn’t just complete the grueling 21-mile journey—she shattered expectations. Battling strong currents and freezing waters, Ederle finished the swim in 14 hours and 34 minutes, beating the existing men’s record by nearly two hours. At just 20 years old, she proved not only that a woman could do it, but that she could do it better, making her a trailblazer in both sport and history.

New York Parade in honour of her

Gavin's new book is complete and ready for launch

Very exciting !!

School can be tough, but so are kids. Trailblazing teacher Gavin McCormack offers a brand-new approach to how we equip the next generation with the skills they need to become capable, confident and compassionate human beings.

Is your child struggling in the classroom, facing mental health or social challenges, or feeling discouraged? Do they dread going to school? Award-winning teacher and principal Gavin McCormack offers a long-awaited solution for concerned parents and educators seeking effective ways to support kids during these challenging times. He believes when children are given independence, the right tools, and the encouragement to build on their strengths, their potential is limitless. His 7-step guide redefines what it means to receive a `good education’ by highlighting the power of modelling positive behaviour and prioritising essential life skills over academic scores. Drawing on the latest neuroscience of learning and years of teaching experience in mainstream and Montessori schools, he offers practical strategies that will help children navigate life's challenges, learn with passion and grow into well-rounded, resilient individuals.

Celebrating Gavin's 7 day fast with only water

Gavin was still on a high from his fast and I must say he looks pretty good for someone who didn't eat for so long. We visited the Glebe market after a lovely lunch at a local cafe.

Gavin's amazing course: Write a book to change the world

Gavin has created so many amazing courses on Upschool but the one that has captured my imagination the most is his "Write a book" course where he teaches kids to create a book using Canva. He organised with Canva, the great online design site that Jo loves so much, to give away free Canva subscriptions to every Upschool student. So many sublime, creative books have been created by children throughout the world, available to be viewed and ordered via the Upschool Library . The course has been so successful that Canva even made a very generous offer to buy Upschool! 

 

Mary-Anne's sublime art

Mary-Anne has suddenly become  a prolific and sublime artist. It's incredible how much stunning work has flowed through her in just months. Her art fills me with nostalgia and appreciation for the beauty of South Africa.  I feel very inspired and proud to know her.

Her work is available from Etsy.

AI Podcast about Life Trove

I've just discovered the wonders of Notebook LM, an AI resource powered by Google's Gemini.

I gave it the URL of Life Trove and it created a wonderful, interactive podcast that provides some profound reflections on it. It's so wonderful, it had me close to tears at times. 

I particularly liked how it described my life as a combination of external adventure and internal introspection and how these two activities can create a virtuous circle. I'd never thought of it that way before but it resonates as beautifully true.

Listen to Podcast here

I love this post from Gavin. So blessed to have such an inspiring friend.

It’s amazing how much you can get done in 12 months when you love the work you do! 

This year I have been lucky enough to travel the whole world. Shooting lessons in Antartica, finding polar bears in the North Pole, searching for sloths in Costa Rica, visiting the largest trees in earth in California and Bangalore and chasing rhinos through the jungle in Chitwan. 

Building schools and libraries in Nepal, climbing Everest for charity, speaking at conferences in Bali, India and Dubai. Opening our third Montessori training centre in Kalanky Nepal with Aand Devkota. 

In reflection, I can’t believe that I have squeezed all this in to one calendar year, but that’s thanks to the amazing team I work alongside each day and the kindness and generosity of the people out there in the world who have welcomed me into their lives. 

This work is designed to make the world better. To leave ripples of change in the universe that will last forever, and in the midst of war and famine, we must work collectively to put good positive energy out there into the world to let our children know that the future is not all bad. 

From darkness to light there is always hope and that hope is you!! 

I'm blown away by this amazing wall art by Elna

 

Gavin helps start a school in Nepal