Working in schools can feel like riding a rollercoaster—rewarding one minute and overwhelming the next. With so many demands, personalities and unpredictable moments, strong emotional self-regulation isn’t just helpful…it’s essential. The ability to stay calm, respond thoughtfully and manage our internal state, directly affects our relationships, decision-making and our well-being.
Teaching has always been a rewarding profession but it has also become increasingly demanding. While every school is different, the biggest sources of teacher stress are remarkably consistent. The good news? Small changes in how we work and think can make a big difference. Here are five common stressors and some practical tips to help manage them
Staff in schools feel like they are constantly juggling competing priorities—planning, marking, meetings, managing behaviour, dealing with parents and the never-ending to-do list. It can feel overwhelming at times. In her bestselling book, Get Your Sh*t Together, Sarah Knight offers a refreshingly straightforward
The best book I have ever read on developing people skills is “The Speed of Trust” by Stephen MR Covey. In the book Covey says, “We judge ourselves according to our intentions but we judge other people according to their behaviour and make assumptions about their intentions.”
In many schools, the staff car park is a busy place immediately after meetings. Colleagues often congregate in small groups, in the staff car park, to reflect on the meeting and share, what they were going to say or should have said! at the meeting.
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.