Roxanie Hibbins – Happy Schools

Finding Your Happy Self Again

November 2, 2023

At some point everyone experiences days which feel like they’ve got black clouds overhead and the outlook is gloomy. On those days it can feel like you’ll never be happy again, that there’s no hope and solutions seem far, far away. Most people are acutely aware of how much attitude can affect how we behave and experience our world. If we go into a lesson (or a meeting) feeling grumpy, chances are we will have unpleasant experiences, people will seem really irritating and things just ‘go wrong’. Attitude is huge and contagious. It’s vital to have some strategies up your sleeve for when the doldrums descend, so that you can climb your way out. Teach and model these skills to…

Letting off Steam the Safe Way

October 12, 2023

Stevef

Resilience

Anger gets a bad rap and sure enough, can cause a lot of damage if it’s not contained or used in a healthy way, but it is a normal and helpful emotion when used appropriately. Anger has a very definite purpose or else we wouldn’t experience it. Anger can be very informative and knowing how to work with it effectively is an essential life skill. When you embrace anger and learn from it, you’ll find yourself feeling empowered, setting healthy boundaries and building respect. Anger is a protective mechanism. It occurs when one of a few things happen: basic boundaries are violated and you’re under threat, feelings are being frequently suppressed instead of expressed, a need is not being met…

Perfectionism – What’s it costing you?

June 1, 2023

Stevef

Resilience

A large number of staff who work in schools are parents. Working parents today (especially mums) feel enormous pressure to achieve: happy and contented children ✓ amazing relationships ✓ well-nourished family ✓ clean and tidy home ✓ well cared for extended family ✓ ‘Awesome’ kids’ parties ✓ fit, healthy, vibrant and immaculately dressed ✓ gorgeous home ✓ financial security ✓ and the list is endless. Trying to keep all these balls in the air ‘perfectly’ all the time is contributing to the epidemic of stress, anxiety and depression in high functioning parents. What’s so great about being ‘perfect’? It hides the fear. Fear of uncertainty. Brene Brown says that we perfect ourselves and our children to avoid shame or blame,…

Outcomes That Count

February 23, 2023

Stevef

Engagement

Feeling pressured by expectations placed on you in the classroom? It’s not just you! We’re in the midst of a stress epidemic and it’s showing up everywhere. So how do we minimise it? It could come down to the questions you ask. Questions worth asking are: ‘How do I sustain myself?’ and then, ‘How do I work towards outcomes that are sustainable and satisfying for my students?’. Both of these can be answered by focusing on outcomes that count in the long run. Can you remember your own school years? Which teachers do you remember? What was it that you remember most about them? Was it the score you received for a particular assessment? Probably not. Was it the type…