March 2015 – Happy Schools

Alternatives to Collective Punishment

March 26, 2015

I suspect many teachers have had an experience like this: A paper airplane, ball of paper, or pencil flies through the air, or somebody makes an obnoxious noise. The object is probably aimed at another student, and it may or may not hit the intended target. The noise is just meant to be funny. You can tell the general area it came from, but you don’t really know who the culprit is. It’s frustrating because that kind of behaviour does not contribute to a learning community. What do you do? It’s not uncommon for teachers to first yell something like, “Who threw it?” No one admits to it, and then the teacher will punish the entire group. Here’s a definition…

Which temperament are you?

March 18, 2015

Stevef

Teamwork

Understanding your personality and therefore how you respond to situations can help you to manage things like stress levels. People differ from each other in exciting, fundamental ways. That is a given. We hold different beliefs, are moved by different things, perceive “facts” differently and generally behave in ways not always in sync’ with those around us. Unfortunately, it is sometimes hard to reconcile these differences. We may feel bad about the way we do things or conclude that others are strange, wrong, or just don’t care about us. Instead of seeing the differences in human behaviour as a gift of natural diversity, we often judge people and desire to make them more like us, or try to make ourselves…

Watch For SPEED BUMPS

March 18, 2015

Steve Francis

Resilience

Things rarely go according to plan. Nearly everything you do is vulnerable to interruptions, unforeseeable changes or problems that can disrupt time frames, budgets or resources. However, these ‘speed bumps’ can actually assist in getting through your day more efficiently and effectively if embraced the right way. I am an optimistic person by nature but at times a series of events on a particular day can seem to be too well punctuated with disasters. At one point I asked myself if ‘anything else could go wrong’? Well, you know what they say…’be careful what you wish for’, sure enough more things went wrong. I began to wonder if there was someone out there secretly testing if I could apply the…

Use Encouraging Language

March 18, 2015

Steve Francis

Communication

November is undoubtedly a busy month in schools. End of year events and accumulated fatigue can lead to short fuses and an even shorter supply of patience. This can lead to short, sharp responses that damage relationships. Making a concerted eﬀort to use encouraging language can make a signiﬁcant diﬀerence to the school climate. Encouragement builds wellbeing. It expects the best for the other person. The language of encouragement is open to all. It is easy to learn. You can start right away. Give a compliment – You “look, are, give, make __ ” fill-in your own word to give a sincere compliment to those you work with everyday. Praise an action – Praise you earn is powerful, crammed full…

Time Management Reminders

March 18, 2015

Steve Francis

Efficiency

One of the scarcest commodities in schools these days is time. Each of us only has 24 hours per day and 7 days per week. It’s been like that forever! These tips for time management aren’t new. Their effectiveness is governed by how disciplined we are in applying them. They are listed here as reminders. Keep Your Desk Clean – The surface of your desk needs to be uncluttered and should only house the current items you need. Treat desk space like valuable real estate. Use a TO-DO list – it’s a major time saver if you use it well to prioritise. Take time at the end of each day to write out your list for the following day in…

The Big Question of Student Behaviour

March 17, 2015

Stevef

Effectiveness

We all know that there are demands associated with teaching – writing reports, programming, marking student work and managing grumpy bosses (I’m one of them so I can admit it!) just to name a handful. But even so, all of the worldwide research tells us that the number one factor influencing teacher stress is student behaviour. More than this, it’s often the aspect of our work that we spend the most time dealing with. Conversely, we also have a habit of spending the least time planning to handle it. After all, planning is for teaching and learning … right? This is our first moment to pause and ask ourselves a big question. Can great learning occur in a toxic culture,…

Teaching is 9 to 3!?!

March 17, 2015

Steve Francis

Engagement

Sadly many in the community only see the “9 to 3” part of the day in which teachers (and other staff in schools) work. They don’t see the myriad of other commitments that school staff make. Everyone thinks they know what teachers and staff in schools do – after all everybody went to school, as a student! However we all know working in schools is far more than 9 to 3! Working in schools means waking in the middle of the night and worrying about the real reason ‘Billy was upset today!’ Working in schools means staying late to coach a team Working in schools means going on camp and sleeping with one eye open waiting for someone who needs…

School Staff Stress – the Facts

March 17, 2015

Steve Francis

Engagement

The stress of working in schools is widely recognised. Numerous studies in Australia and overseas have addressed its causes. Teachers are leaving our profession in increasing numbers and a high proportion of those who remain in the job freely admit their dissatisfaction and distress. This not only causes concern for the well being of the teachers themselves but also the educational well being of students. Why is working in schools so stressful? Jobs that bear a large amount of responsibility for the welfare of others are more stressful Staff in schools deal with a wide array of personalities and cater for a wide range of educational and human needs Students often rely on staff in schools for stability and support…

Positive Worry Builds Resilience

March 17, 2015

Steve Francis

Resilience

Schools become less productive when staff stew over problems that they can’t change and dwell on the hardships and difficulties in the problems that they can change. Worry, self pity and pessimism create a septic tank of negative energy that drains energy, enthusiasm and initiative. The solution requires people to flip their worry into positive expectations. Pronoia (defined as “the opposite state of mind to paranoia”), is the philosophy where you have the sense that there is a conspiracy that the world is set up to secretly help you. In other words, that others are conspiring behind your back to help you. The principle was coined by Fred H. Goldner in 1982 and has since been published in Psychology Today…

Mineral Rights A Fierce Conversations Model

March 16, 2015

Steve Francis

Communication

The Mineral Rights conversation model is one of four approaches advocated in the Fierce Conversations program. Using this model allows you to engage in rich conversations and dig deep to the heart of important matters, one conversation at a time. Identify the issue or need – “What is the most important thing we should be talking about?” Your mission is to understand what matters most to the person you are trying to help. Don’t be quick to assume. Try to identify the need or the problem they are trying to solve or the result they are trying to achieve. Remember that what they might identify as the solution isn’t always what is needed. Resist the temptation to give solutions or…

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