WHAT I DO
I work with teachers from pastoral care leaders to general staff to improve their pastoral care:
Training them in approaches to pastoral care scenarios, these are road tested, research based and reflect current thinking in these areas.
Helping them to be confident to be proactive but to know when to seek support.
Through interactive exercises, I build their awareness of themselves and others so they 'hit the nail on the head' more often in pastoral situations with both students and parents.
MY APPROACH
Pastoral care is essentially excellent human interaction with students, their parents and other educators. My approach is to help teachers become accomplished in these interactions through:
Developing professional pastoral care practice, backed by research.
Growing reflective practice that helps them continuously improve their pastoral skills.
Skill building. Setting up ‘on the floor’ practice through coaching, group work and peer tasks.
This combination builds sustainable practice, self-care and efficiency that allows pastoral care staff to build a career in this area and results in increasing trust between students, parents and staff. Participants will also become sensitive to what undermines trust in these settings.
This training can be offered in different ways to suit the needs of a setting; however, longer term involvement with multiple learning opportunities increases the likelihood of long-term change.
WHO AM I
I am passionate about seeing young people grow to become more authentically themselves. I assist them, and their respective 'villages,' on this journey through support and challenge. This has been my fundamental driver. Whether teaching Science, Music, Physical Education or Faith Studies, across K-12, this ethos drives my leadership practice, and particularly my pastoral care leadership.
In the last decade I've had a growing desire to pass on what I have learned to other educators, and this has led me to do this for small and large groups of teachers, pastoral care specialists, and university lecturers.
I grew up in Malaysia and Hong Kong and came ‘home’ to Australia in Year 12. It was a formative upbringing filled with great opportunities and my share of challenges. I learned from both. As a Phys Edder, I continued to deepen my learning—formally and informally—across diverse fields, including education, pastoral care, music, theology, ontological practice, and philosophy. From all these threads a practice has emerged which contains these touchstones:
I believe in the legitimacy of each person. Our young people know more and see more, if we are willing to listen. Assumptions can get in the way.
We live in a demanding and broken world, and it is also wonderful. I am committed to looking for the good in it, and in each other.
There are solutions that we have not discovered. There is always a gem waiting around the corner. I want to be creative and invite those possibilities.
I am committed to justice and restorative practice. I consistently see them produce growth, and they require listening and curiosity. Busyness makes this tricky.
I am drawn to mystery. St Paul said, 'we can only see in part' and so acknowledging what we don't know is important for all of our journeys.
I seek to grow in compassion and empathy. I believe there is more for me to learn, and it will change me in the best of ways.
All of this, some rich friendships, plus my wife and two young adult daughters, inform my practice today.
Phill Timms
01
'Thanks Phil, appreciate your expertise and experience. Your stories were entertaining and highlighted the complexities that come along with the job! Appreciate your professionalism and flexibility to cater for our circumstances.'
02
'Great connection with the participants. Excellent resources and frameworks!'
03
'Excellent! I actually used some of your strategies on a sneaky trip back to school!'
04
'Thank you, I learned a lot and have some firm strategies in my head!'
05
'You have a great way of getting the best out of people and help them to always become solution oriented.'
06
'Well taught, clear and helpful! It will pay off for people in the long term!'
07
'A fantastic session, excellent! Phil you have been a blessing this week. I am so grateful for your investment and energy!'
08
'Your personal anecdotes helped to bring more meaning as well as helped shape future practices. It also made me feel like I was 'normal.''