Every staff member in a school has unique strengths. Yet many of us spend far more time worrying about what we can’t do than recognising what we do well. Our brains have a natural negativity bias. We notice mistakes, weaknesses and
Working in schools is challenging. The staffroom should be a place of support, camaraderie and shared purpose—but in some schools, it becomes a space clouded by negativity. Sadly, many early career teachers are told, the one place in the school to avoid…is the staffroom. They are told that is where misery congregates to share how terrible their lives are.
Independence is defined as freedom from dependence; exemption from reliance on, or control by others; being in charge or direction of one’s own affairs without interference. Sounds great doesn’t it? Liberating even? You know the saying belted out by every motivational coach, “There is no I in Team”. Well I don’t agree, in fact I see the “I” so important that it needs to go first. Maybe even a new word, iTEAM. Modern day workplace culture is based on the importance of teamwork, of collaboration and consultation. Don’t get me wrong, I agree these are important but we first need to focus on getting our own self together and having freedom to be creative if we are to be a…
“A worthy building cannot be erected on a weak foundation” I recently read this quote and it made me think about the importance of taking the time and effort to connect with people. Whether you want to build a relationship with a child, a parent, a colleague, a partner or a friend, building the foundations to connect with the other person will ensure relationships are starting from a stable base. Taking the time to build relationships now, makes it much easier to resolve any differences that may arise in the future. In today’s society we are short on time and resources. As a result, relationships are being built on agendas with the goal to achieve successful outcomes. Whilst I acknowledge…
One of the challenges of working in schools is that we work with people. Each of us has people who we find difficult to deal with, whether they are fellow staff members, parents or students. Often they frustrate or annoy us! By identifying what makes their behaviour challenging, we can implement strategies to assist us in responding. Seven types of difficult people have been outlined with suggestions on how to respond to their typical traits. You may find you recognise elements of your difficult person’s behaviour in one or more types. After reflecting on this information try to identify specific strategies to deal with the people you find difficult. However, it is important to remember you cannot change anybody else’s…
Working in schools can be challenging, especially for new graduates. I recently came across a brilliant article by Jenn Gonzalez on her website Cult of Pedagogy titled, Find Your Marigold: The One Essential Rule For New Teachers. The article, highlights the importance of surrounding yourself with good people. By finding the positive, supportive, energetic teachers in your school and sticking close to them, you can improve your job satisfaction more than with any other strategy and your chances of excelling in this field will skyrocket. Just like a young seedling growing in a garden, thriving in your first year depends largely on who you plant yourself next to. THE MARIGOLD EFFECT Many experienced gardeners follow a concept called companion planting:…
Working in schools is almost always crazy busy. There is always a lot to be done and it never seems like there is enough time to do it. It is essential that we use the time we have available effectively and efficiently. Increasing our focus and reducing our distractions is one of the keys to getting more done. Often we are distracted without even realising it, for example, glancing at your phone, quickly checking your email or being aware of a conversation that is going on around you. Often we give in to these distractions out of habit. Distractions inhibit your ability to totally immerse yourself in the task and reach the highly productive state known as ‘flow’. The Pomodoro…
The moods and demeanours of our colleagues can have a huge impact on our own moods, our productivity, our overall work satisfaction and even our general well-being. Let’s face it, we can’t work in a bubble and our recent experiences with covid and social distancing have shown us that most people prefer to be around others rather than working alone, at least for some of the time (sorry introverts!). Unfortunately, while the majority of people enjoy connecting and collaborating with others, some individuals behave in ways that bring teams down rather than lifting them up – there’s even a term for these people: drain. Most of us have come across someone we would call a draining presence in the workplace…
Helpful attitudes: Behind every helpful behaviour in teams lies a helpful thought or attitude. If we can get the right attitudes to be practised, the necessary behaviours tend to follow. Some of the great attitudes I see in resilient teams are listed left. When such attitudes are evident in teams, you see behaviours like people stepping outside of their role to help out other team members, thinking more creatively and embracing change rather than resisting it. Yes, we are all allowed to have a whinge from time to time, but we need to limit the amount of time we spend doing so and appreciate the impact continued negativity can have on those around us. What attitudes are you personally modelling?…
There is no doubt that many workplaces go through periods of significant and ongoing stress. Your school might be in the middle of major stress at present. Yes, there are the day-to-day challenges – high workloads, challenging students, and difficult personalities. But there are also major challenges like restructures, major changes initiated by Central Office or school boards, new computer systems and the pressure of people being expected to do more work with less staff and resources. In some teams, I see the pressures coming out in very human ways – increased sick leave, staff becoming quite sensitive and less tolerant, people taking shortcuts with how they speak to each other and some people withdrawing into their work. I also…