Yale Mercieca is an experienced teacher who has taught in both primary and secondary sectors. She believes a sense of belonging and positive relationships form the foundation of meaningful learning in the classroom. Prior to beginning her teaching career, Yale completed a degree in psychology. For her Honours thesis, she researched the impact of leading questions on false testimonies, and trained police officers in effective questioning techniques for young children. While formally moving away from psychology soon after, the lessons learnt through this experience shaped her as an educator, author and mother. Over the past decade, Yale has authored various educational texts. She co-authored for the Nelson Maths and PM Handwriting series, as well as creating teaching resources for numerous children’s books. Yale is also a 5th dan black belt in Taekwondo, with 25 years of experience in marital arts. She incorporates principles of martial arts into her everyday teaching and has created a number of programs to teach primary-aged students to stand tall and promote self-esteem, resilience and respect.