July 2016 – Happy Schools

Play to YOUR Strengths!

July 28, 2016

We all have strengths, even people who seem to have more than their fair share of personal flaws. But there is a negativity bias that most people have where we tend to be more aware of our own and others’ weaknesses. It has been suggested that this bias towards noticing what is wrong has helped our evolution by avoiding possible dangers. But some people become stuck in focusing too much on the negatives. When people do this in personal relationships, it tends to attract negative responses in return. When people focus too much on the negatives at work, it also drains motivation, affects performance and at its worst, can create a toxic workplace culture. While there is a time to…

Is Stress a Necessary Evil?

July 21, 2016

Stevef

Resilience

Working in schools just seems to get busier! Quiet times in schools no longer exist (I’m not sure they ever really did!) There are always a lot of things to be done, new initiatives and procedures to implement and demands on limited time and resources. It therefore isn’t surprising that staff in schools commonly experience ‘stress’. Whilst we usually use the term with negative connotations, Hans Selye (one of the founding fathers of stress research) observed “stress is not necessarily something bad – it all depends on how you take it. The stress of exhilarating, creative, successful work is beneficial, while that of failure, humiliation or infection is detrimental”. Today a more commonly held definition of stress is “a condition…

Less Stress Behaviour Management

July 14, 2016

Stevef

Effectiveness

Student behaviour can add a layer of complexity to the school environment. At times students can be unpredictable, even irrational. It is this unpredictable nature that adds to our stress levels. If only they’d behave the way that we want them to! Ultimately we can’t control anybody else’s behaviour, only our own. Behaviour management plans and policies are designed to encourage students to make better decisions and to take responsibility for the decisions they do make. Poor choices lead to consequences that are less attractive to the student. Consequences of unacceptable behaviour need to be fair, appropriate and consistent. Whilst they need to be stern enough to act as a deterrent, they also need to be realistic and relevant. Thinking…

Why are relationships so important?

July 7, 2016

Stevef

Teamwork

Relationships serve our survival: There is no doubt that human beings are social animals. Our ability to support and provide for each other has ensured our survival as a species. In families that function well, they protect and help children become the best they can be and provide and support for each other. Even at the friendship level, we tend to look out for each other. Relationships meet a basic human need: Psychiatrist, William Glasser, says that all human beings have a psychological need for connection – for closeness with family and friends, to be heard and understood, for touch and to fit in and belong. Glasser says that while all human beings have this need, some people have a very…