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Why Would You Want to Work in Schools?

During my career, the status of the teaching profession has declined. A generation or two ago parents generally were more supportive of teachers. In times gone by, when issues arose parents were more likely to back and support teachers than immediately jump to the defense of their children and ‘attack’ or question the teacher’s judgement. The cartoon depicting an angry parent questioning a teacher about a student’s grades, that is found in many staffrooms, is an illustration of this shift. There are many factors contributing to this change in status. These include increased stress levels of parents, the competitive nature of an aspirational society and how busy and time poor most people feel. People under stress are quick to blame…

Worry Less – Smile More

August 15, 2024

In the fast-paced school environment, we can often find ourselves overwhelmed with concerns. From staff and resource shortages; curriculum changes; unrealistic expectations of some parents; leadership issues; struggling students; to poor behaviour, it’s easy to fall into a cycle of worry. Will Billy have a meltdown today? Will that cranky parent complain about me? Will this lesson work? Will my students engage and behave? Will my hours get cut? Will the wifi crash? Our days can be filled with worrying. However, most of the things we worry about, never actually happen. Worrying is a natural human response to uncertainty and potential threats. However, research shows that a significant portion of our worries are unfounded. A study by the University of…

7 Ways to End Your Day Feeling Happy and Satisfied

August 8, 2024

1.Reflect on what you achieved One of the challenges of working in schools is we can’t necessarily see what we have achieved each day. Take a few moments to review how you used your time today. Clean up for a fresh start tomorrow Clutter, physical and virtual, takes a surprising toll on your energy. Tidy your desk at the end of each day — after saving your open work — close all of your computer’s unneeded windows and browser tabs. Cleaning up today, gives you a fresh start tomorrow. Prepare tomorrow’s to-do list in order of priority Doing this has two benefits. First of all, it gives you a sense of completion when you hand off tasks to another day.…

Serotonin Seeker

August 1, 2024

What you eat and when you eat it, the amount of exercise you take and the amount of sleep you get are among the key factors that affect the production of neurotransmitters. This means that by controlling these factors you can control your internal ecology to maintain abundant supplies of your feel- good chemical, serotonin. Humans appear to have a survival instinct to eat fat. Fat is OK – you need some fat on your body to function. But if you’re carrying excess weight you’ll feel low because you’re placing extra load on all your physical systems. Losing unwanted fat is a crucial step in achieving and maintaining a natural high but the worst message you can send an overweight…

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