Resilience – Page 12 – Happy Schools

5 Ways to Combat Teacher Stress

August 23, 2018

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…

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…

Life Balance: Myth or Possibility?

July 26, 2018

Stevef

Resilience

Stress is a fact of life, but it doesn’t have to be a way of life! How long have we talked about needing life balance and at that same time BEEN doing everything we can to go faster and to do more! At work and at home, people expect to do more with less and in less time. Families are LIVING in the ‘nightmare of the two career couple,’ where both partners are working, bringing up children and probably looking after their aging parents. More single parents exist than ever before. Change is constantly swirling around us – at work, at home and in society. In short, life is chaotic and lived at laser track speed! As life continues to…

Helping Others Boosts Your Mood

July 12, 2018

Stevef

Resilience

We know that doing something to help others can make us feel good. Engaging in acts of kindness is one of the more reliable ways of boosting our mood. This is no surprise. But the science of positive psychology has furthered our understanding with these research findings on the impact of acts of kindness on the person who performs them. Choosing to do things for the benefit of others, activates pleasure centres in the brain. The release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter released in response to other pleasurable activities including sex, eating or receiving money is also released when being kind to people. Other altruistic acts with similar effect might include donating blood, visiting a friend in hospital, providing someone with a…

10 Keys to Happier Living

July 5, 2018

Stevef

Resilience

Working in schools can sometimes feel as though we are running on a never-ending treadmill, constantly in pursuit of the lifestyle we aspire to. At times it can feel like our work is not appreciated. The website ActionForHappiness.org provides the following guidance on 10 keys to happier living. Awareness – Taking time to switch off autopilot and be “in the moment” is important to combat stress. Pay attention to your senses – what can you see, hear or feel around you? Choose a regular point in the day to reflect Emotions – Positive emotions can build up a buffer against stress and even lead to lasting changes in the brain to help maintain well-being. Take time to notice what you…

Look After Your Health

June 28, 2018

Stevef

Resilience

Working in schools can be demanding for a number of reasons. Working with people can be stressful because at times they can be unpredictable. We never quite know what is going on in somebody else’s world. Whether we work in the school office, tuckshop, library, classroom or other area of the school, we can at times be at the forefront of some busy, frustrated and stressed parents or carers. We are trusted with the care, well-being and education of most parents’ highest priority – their children. Often we are called upon to provide stable and consistent responses and support to families who are struggling and under duress. It is therefore vital that we look after ourselves and ensure that we…

4 Stress Busting Tools

April 19, 2018

Stevef

Resilience

What’s Important? We all lead busy lives and despite our character traits, our dominant brain hemisphere’s and our ability to handle pressure, we ALL suffer stress in some form or other at different times. If you feel as though you are becoming overwhelmed from a work perspective – STOP! No, we don’t expect you to down tools and walk out – just stop for a little while when you can and take some time to prioritise your workload. What is really important? What needs doing first, second, third? Get into a habit each afternoon before leaving school to run through the jobs of the day and what needs to be done on the morrow. These become your Urgent To Do’s for the next morning.…

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…

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…