I visit a lot of schools in Term 4. And at each I fall into the great Australian colloquial greeting and query “How you goin’?”.
Almost to a man/woman I’m returned the equally automatic and stereotypical “Busy as mate. Running on empty. I’m really hanging out for a break.”
There’s a reality to this. All good work, of which school leadership and teaching are, is taxing. Doing it for an extended period is always going to drain our energy somewhat. It’s good to grow a little weary in pursuit of something as awesome as a better future for the next generation.
But there’s a perception at play here too. Somehow, we’ve convinced ourselves that unless we can decry our exhaustion, our pain and our frustration to anyone who asks, that we somehow are not deploying our roles to the highest possible degree.
Like all perceptions, they are somewhat self-fulfilling.
So what would be the flip of the “busy and tired” mantra when we’re asked how we’re tracking? Laughably, it might be something like “Fighting fit! Wish there was an extra few weeks in the term!”.
It’s true this might not be a reality for many of us. But it might cause a moment of reflection about what stress relieving tactics you could use to move the needle a little – away from “busy/tired” and even marginally towards “fighting fit”.
Teacher stress research tells us that student behaviour, workload and issues with parents are the three major reasons that teachers resign. So what little things, done in these spaces, could move the needle a fraction in your school in 2017?
It’s worth a thought over your well-earned summer break.
Free WEBINAR – The Stress Free School
Teacher performance is at the core of every school’s and system’s improvement agenda. And when we look at alarming statistics telling us that 30-50% of our teachers are leaving the profession within 5 years of commencing their careers – it’s clearly time that we looked at why?
This honest and practical webinar is designed for School/System Leaders and Teachers to get a handle on the three things that are most significantly stressing our teachers:
1) Student Behaviour
2) Workload
3) Issues with Parents
But more important than just knowing these issues (after all – you can know them just by reading this summary!) this webinar is all about ROI – Return On Investment. We want you to have at your disposable the simple and practical tactics you can deploy in each of these spaces that provide the best “bang for your buck” in terms of time, effort and resource.
This webinar is about School Culture – and creating one in 2017 that gives your staff, your students, your community and your programs the chance to flourish.
The Stress Free School is NOT a whimsical and idealistic pipedream. The investment of one hour of your time this January is all you need do to make inroads on this appealing reality. As Gough Whitlam said “It’s time”.
This Real Schools Webinar is aimed at School Leaders, Administrators and Teachers of all phases of learning.