August 2018 – Happy Schools

Helping Children Cope With Loss

August 30, 2018

The death of a parent, family member, friend or even a pet can be devastating to a child. Parental separation, divorce, relocation, illness or accident may be traumatic as well. Yet, there are actions teachers and school counselors can take to help children cope with loss. When working with hurting children, remember, they do not “get over” a significant loss, instead they learn how to live with it. How can you help? Acknowledge a child’s grief through kind words, gentle actions and unconditional support. Whenever possible, coordinate with the family so that the child receives consistent messages. Help the parent see that protecting the child from the truth can have negative consequences like increasing confusion, fear and resentment. Together, help…

5 Ways to Combat Teacher Stress

August 23, 2018

Stevef

Resilience

Humour / Laughter I am a huge believer in bringing fun to my lessons and this is the major reason I don’t ‘stress out’ in my classroom. I believe that laughter is the best medicine – it always makes me feel better and a happy classroom reduces my stress! Research shows that laughter releases natural feel good chemicals from the brain. There is, however, a fine line between adding laughter and losing control. Always ensure you bring your students back to focus quickly. Give it a go! Believe in what you do and stay positive Having a strong belief in your own abilities and believe that what you are doing is making a difference! Even the worst lesson (in your mind), could…

Small Acts Create Big Ripples

August 16, 2018

Stevef

Resilience

Everyone in life needs help from time to time. Many people are afraid to ask for help. Some are too proud. Others have had experiences resulting in them placing a negative meaning on asking for help. However, asking for help can be beneficial for both parties – the helper and the beneficiary. Many people, do small acts of kindness for others and never realise the true power of their act. Think of the smile you gave or received from a stranger, the dollar you gave a homeless person, the chat with your elderly neighbour, or the hug you gave a friend. It’s the small acts that really count. It has been proven scientifically that, due to the holographic nature of…

6 Things Productive People Do Every Day

August 9, 2018

Stevef

Efficiency

Schools can be crazy busy places. The most common response you hear when you ask someone who works in a school, how they are, is busy! However, there is a fine line between being busy and being productive. Here are six tips from international best-selling author Tim Ferriss. Establish Your Morning Routine Research shows how you start the day has an enormous effect on your productivity. If you start the day calmly, you are in a better position to focus and get the right things done. A hectic start to the day, where you are frantic and constantly feeling that you are playing ‘catch up’ puts us behind the 8 ball from the very outset. At times the hectic start…

Getting Feedback From Your Students

August 2, 2018

Stevef

Resilience

Getting feedback from your students can help identify where you should focus your attention to improve your practice. If what you are doing in the classroom is not working from the student’s perspective, then making some changes is likely to be beneficial (for them AND for you). If students are disengaged, for whatever reason, they have an impact on our stress levels. Their disengagement may present as poor behaviour that disrupts the learning of others and demands our attention OR withdrawal that also causes us stress, by challenging us to find a way of reconnecting with them. Whilst students should be at the centre of what we do, you as the teacher are the person with the most impact in…