March 2018 – Happy Schools

Make The Relevance Clear

March 29, 2018

Student misbehaviour can certainly sabotage our teaching and increase our stress level. Students are far more likely to misbehave when they don’t see the relevance of the school work they are being asked to do. Some of the most common questions older students ask are, “Why are we doing this?”, “Why are we learning this?”, “How am I going to use this in my life?” and “What’s the point of doing this?” It’s tempting for a busy teacher to brush off these types of questions. But they are questions that are worth taking the time to answer. Explaining why you have planned a particular activity and making it relevant to the students helps to engage them. These explanations help make…

Are You Envious of Tilers? (or other tradies)

March 22, 2018

Stevef

Resilience

Before I start, I have a confession to make….I am a reality TV junkie! Married At First Sight, Seven Year Switch, My Kitchen Rules etc. I watch them religiously…but only for “research” purposes. My favourite TV show is “The Block”. I never miss an episode. Through this ‘research’, I have come to the conclusion that I am envious of tilers (and other tradies). Each Monday on “The Block”, the tiler turns up to the job site and is confronted by the skeleton of a bathroom. By the end of Monday’s episode, they have sheeted the walls and worked into the night to complete the waterproofing in preparation for the following day. On Tuesday they ‘rough in’ the plumbing and start…

Habits and Individual Time Wasters

March 15, 2018

Stevef

Efficiency

What is the first thing you do every morning? Many people grab their mobile device to check emails and social media before they even roll out of bed. Is this a helpful habit? Only you know the truth to that. Time wasters are a type of habit. They are activities that get in the way of your productivity, minimising achievement and success. They contribute to procrastination, and they can be subconsciously driven. Self-awareness is your most fundamental requirement for success! Reflecting on your behaviour and auditing your behaviour, routines and habits helps you identify and reduce individual time wasters. There are two types of time wasters. External time wasters are those activities that impact you but you cannot always control:…

Implementing The No Complaining Rule – phase 2

March 8, 2018

Stevef

Resilience

This article is 2/2. Click here for the first article. … For many people complaining has become a habit. The “No Complaining Rule” is not intended to eliminate all complaining, just mindless, chronic complaining. An even greater aim is to turn justified complaints into positive solutions. In last week’s Happy School article, it was suggested to start with a personal “No Complaining Fast”. In phase 2 we look at strategies for changing bad habits. It is important to be aware of the difference between justified complaints and habitual complaining about things we have no control over. Mindless complaining focuses on problems whereas justified complaining focuses on solutions. Some teams find it useful to brainstorm current issues or complaints and then…

The No Complaining Rule – phase 1

March 1, 2018

Stevef

Resilience

This article is 1/2. Click here for the second article. … Negativity affects the morale, performance and productivity of our teams. Complaining and negativity are a kind of cancer in an organisation. It grows hidden beneath the surface, if not caught it eventually spreads. According to author Jon Gordon there are two main reasons why people complain: (1) because they were fearful and helpless and (2) because it has become a habit. An effective strategy for addressing negativity and overcoming this habit is to introduce the no complaining rule. The aim of this strategy is not to eliminate all complaining, just mindless, chronic complaining. An even greater goal is to turn justified complaints into positive solutions. Every complaint represents an…