Engagement

The six aspects of our lives that help us achieve balance are depicted in this wheel. Imagine that this wheel is, in fact, a life raft. The idea is to keep air in all six compartments because if any one were to get spiked and lose its air, the other five would keep you floating. If, on the other hand, you had all the air in one compartment only, like ‘work’ and that compartment got punctured, you and your life raft would rapidly deflate and sink. A  great way to check your ‘spread of air’ is to place this symbol of the life raft into your calendar dates for the next two weeks, with the aim each day of ticking…

Working in schools can be frustrating. There is always so much to do. Our ‘To Do’ list is never finished and our IN box will always have unanswered emails. However, it is important and beneficial to stop and reflect on both the satisfaction that we gain through working in schools, as well as some of the funny things that occur. Think about some of the funny things that have happened during your career.  This week, share a story with a colleague.  Here is mine! Early in my career I was the teaching Principal at a one teacher school. This is a particularly busy and demanding role. I was teaching a multi-age class of 18 students from Year 1 to 7.…

One small, thoughtful gesture can make someone else’s day. Print out this list of kindness acts and check off as many as you can this week! Do something special for the staff in the front office at your school. Praise a fellow staff member – be specific about exactly what they did, that you liked and tell them how that made you FEEL. Put a little note in your child or partner’s lunch box, telling them how much you love them. Say “Good morning” to every stranger you see this morning. Write a letter to a child who could use some extra attention. Kids love getting mail. Offer to do duty for a colleague who needs a break. Say “I…

Working in schools can be demanding. More is expected of us than ever before. Increases in accountability, the accelerating pace of change, high expectations from busy, stressed parents and the challenges of working with people all add to the melting pot that is a busy school. It is therefore not surprising that staff morale can suffer. This leads to a lower sense of job satisfaction. However, according to Herzberg in the Harvard Business Review, “The factors that lead to producing job satisfaction (and motivation) are separate and distinct from the factors that lead to job dissatisfaction.” According to Herzberg the opposite of job satisfaction is NOT job dissatisfaction but rather, NO job satisfaction. This resonated as one of the main…

In the dynamic and demanding field of education, staff who work in schools are often confronted with various challenges and obstacles that can distract them from their main focus. It is not uncommon for teachers (and other staff who work in schools) to find themselves immersed in the problems and struggles of their colleagues and this inadvertently impacting on them and their own well-being. Whilst schools are filled with caring staff who want to help others, focusing too much on the issues that others are having can be counter-productive. There are numerous benefits to ‘staying in your own lane’ by shifting the focus inward and prioritising one’s own workload over the problems of others. Getting the balance right is important.…