I was recently chatting with some school leaders who shared how important it was to them that not only do they set up an environment and culture that supports and improves Staff and Teacher Wellbeing but one that also enables to staff speak up when they are not OK.
They want to build a culture where it’s OK not to be OK. A culture where teachers can share when they are overwhelmed, when paperwork is piling up on their desk or when something is happening at home that they need to attend to so they can be the teacher they need to be.
I think this is a pretty important element of culture, especially regarding wellbeing.
For this to happen though, 2 key things need to occur:
1 – Old beliefs, stories and ways of being need to be challenged, broken down and rebuilt.
2 – Psychological Safety needs exist.
It is OK not to be OK sometimes. It is OK to admit like you don’t have it all together, it’s OK to ask for help, it’s OK to share that some things aren’t running as smoothly as you would like them to.
It’s also OK to have a culture that supports teachers and staff to say I’m not OK.
