“This stuff is what matters most.”
It struck me when chatting with one of our Partner Principals last week that I may have already heard my most important sentence of 2021.
I’m so proud of what we do at Real Schools, I’m so affirmed that 2020 left so many knowing that our collaboration is what counts and I’m excited to introduce some new team members to you shortly too.
If you’d like a chat about how we can help your school to focus on the stuff that matters most then just click this link to book a time for us to catch up for a chat about your school and what you’re prioritising in 2021. That’s how it starts. Let’s just talk.
GIFTS
Teacher Wellbeing has never mattered more than it does right now.
Amy Green’s work on this subject is groundbreaking and I’m delighted to call her a colleague. There are two major provocations that she points to:
1.Teacher Wellbeing can’t be one person’s job. It’s time to switch to a model of collective commitment.
2.That event-based acts of care (as yummy as Friday morning hot chips may be) don’t resolve the root causes of what’s keeping our teachers from their optimal state of wellbeing.
Click here if you’d like a free read of Amy’s e-book “Teacher Wellbeing – A Matter Of Urgency”. It’s a gamechanger.
OPPORTUNITIES
The Inner Circle still has some 2021 Registrations available.
This is a high-level Mentoring Program for School Leaders charged with implementing Restorative Practices. It doesn’t matter if you’re beginning the RP journey or if you’ve been walking the path for a while.
The tools, collegiality and support you’re going to receive are going to make an enormous difference. Just like it did for Kelly Roberts at Bayswater PS.
I know that you won’t regret stepping into The Inner Circle in 2021.
THOUGHTS by Simon Dewar
The Summer break is a great time to set a couple of little personal goals for the year ahead.
Maybe it’s on the back of a New Year’s resolution where you set out to change an undesired behaviour or accomplish a personal goal. Maybe it’s a great idea that come when you were daydreaming and relaxing on the beach.
Whatever you aim for, make sure that your goals are about you and not just about your school, your colleagues or your team. Leave that for when school returns.
The challenge is to try and make sure that your goals are not plain vanilla. Nothing against vanilla, as I actually enjoy the flavour, but it’s safe and a little boring. Go for something ‘out there’ that no one expected. Go for something inspiring and challenging.
EPIPHANIES by Amy Green
My partner and I have the same phone. It has just updated to include predictive replies for text messages. This should make our lives a little easier and replying to messages quicker and more convenient. It doesn’t.
Choosing the predicted reply instead of replying with what you mean has proven to cause more pain and take more time than it should. Because the predicted replies aren’t in his usual writing style, I have found myself a little confused or questioning the replies coming my way. This usually requires a few messages back and forward to clarify, and in one instance, a phone call.
Whilst this feature is great, it is a reminder that saying what you mean, and saying it how you would say it, is far more effective than choosing something in the middle. Being clear when communicating is key.
Letting something or someone else choose for you is perhaps not a good idea, especially when your initial response has to be cleared up with a second reply that states ‘Oh Okay is an automatic response’.
Warm regards,
