Are Parents Adding To Your Stress?
I know most teachers will answer the above question with a resounding “Yes!” We have all had parents who add to our stress. You know that parent, who when you see them coming along the path towards you, your tension levels start to rise and that internal dialogue starts inside your head, “I hope they aren’t coming to see me! What am I meant to have done now? What else has happened?” We all know that research says that having parents engaged in their child’s education is beneficial, however, some parents can be ‘high maintenance’ and their engagement adds to our stress. Let’s look at what we can do to build partnerships with parents. Studies suggest that many parents feel…
Report Writing and the 80/20 Rule
The 80 / 20 rule from the Italian mathematician, Pareto is relevant and applies to report writing. Pareto says it is important to identify the critical few and the trivial many. 80% of our time will be spent carefully writing and editing the reports on 20% of our students Some reports take longer to write than others. Make a list of the reports that are going to need the most care in writing, draft them first and then revisit them again at the end. Ask a colleague or your partner to re-read your comments. Report cards should be a concise, commonsense report of student progress and achievement that all parents can easily understand. The challenge is to provide all…
7 Habits of Effective People
Best selling author Dr Stephen Covey’s book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, provides staff in schools with habits worth developing. Covey advised that, “Real greatness was the result of the slow development of character over time; it is our daily habits of thinking and acting that are the ground on which that greatness is built.” Here is a brief overview of Covey’s famous 7 Habits: Habit 1: Be Proactive: Proactive people use their resourcefulness and initiative to find solutions rather than just reporting problems and waiting for other people to solve them. Once we decide to be proactive, exactly where we decide to focus our efforts becomes important. Habit 2: Begin With The End in Mind: Develop a personal…
4 Stress Busting Tools
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.…
Effective Student Reporting
Reports on student progress and achievement should be clear, concise and jargon-free. They need to be written in language all parents can easily understand. The challenge is to provide all the relevant detail about students’ progress and ensure that the information on the report is both clear and concise. It is important that the report is coherent and there are logical links between the achievement of the student, areas for improvement and actions the school and parents might take. Student reports should provide the following key information: Clear information on what the student has achieved – focus on each student’s progress on the basis of assessment evidence that has been gathered. Suggestions for areas of improvement that the student should…
Applying Growth Mindsets Through Praise
– This article is adapted from an article written by Sal Khan (Khan Academy) Researchers have known for some time that the brain is like a muscle; that the more you use it, the more it grows. They’ve found that neural connections form and deepen most when we make mistakes doing difficult tasks rather than repeatedly having success with easy ones. What this means is that our intelligence is not fixed and the best way that we can grow our intelligence is to embrace tasks where we might struggle and fail. Dr. Carol Dweck of Stanford University has been studying people’s mindsets towards learning for decades. She has found that most people adhere to one of two mindsets: fixed or…
Make The Relevance Clear
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)
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
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
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
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…
Preparing For Parent – Teacher Conferences
Successful parent – teacher conferences are important in establishing good relationships with parents and carers. Well planned and conducted parent – teacher conferences establish a solid foundation for a partnership that is in the student’s best interests and prevent further problems developing. Preparation is vital for effective meetings with parents. The intended outcome of meetings with parents should be building a partnership – the school and family working together to optimise the student’s learning. Therefore, the aim for both parents and teachers should be an increased knowledge and a shared understanding of how well the student is currently achieving and what are the next steps to help them. In preparing for the conference try to think in a ‘we’re in…