The hoopooh blog

Field notes from the classroom.

Stories, opinions, and the occasional rant — written by directors, teachers, and the hoopooh team. Short reads, long reflections, no SEO bait.

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Director's diary · 8 min

The week I stopped writing observations.

For four years I scribbled Post-its in my apron pocket and typed them up after bedtime. One Tuesday in March I tried something else — I talked, in the room, like a colleague. By Friday I'd given my Sundays back. Here's what happened.

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Practice · 5 min

What 'auto-tag' actually means

Plain English on how hoopooh links a spoken sentence to EYFS or Montessori milestones — and why it shows you its working.

2 days ago
Opinion · 4 min

Against the 12-step onboarding plan

Why the 'implementation partner' is a smell. If your software needs one, your software is too hard.

1 week ago
From the team · 6 min

What we shipped in April

Better photo attach, Arabic transcription, the new Finances tab — and the one thing we pulled because three teachers told us it felt creepy.

2 weeks ago
Practice · 7 min

The 30-second voice note ritual

How one Cairo kindergarten built voice observations into snack-time without anyone noticing it became a workflow.

3 weeks ago
Director's diary · 9 min

What to do when a parent says 'where's the report?'

Three director-tested replies — and the script we wish we'd had on our first parent evening.

1 month ago
Practice · 6 min

Substitute teachers, on day one

How a shared roster + 5-minute live brief turned 'who is this kid?' into 'I've got it.'

1 month ago