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Resilience

3/11/2018

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Rightfully so, mental health and well being appear to be a high priority focus in many professions at the moment. It's likely a case that our national neglect of this basic facet of healthy living has been ignored for far too long; admission of difficulty has been too easily seen as weakness, thus encouraging people to bottle up and seek further unhealthy vices.

Fortunately, we are lucky enough at school to have an SMSC lead and PE team working tirelessly to find strategies and ideas to help support the mental and physical wellbeing of our staff and children. Growth mindset workshops and frequent exercise programmes have been presented to all members of our school community, and we are beginning to build an impressive artillery through which to promote a healthy mind and body.

Of all the amazing opportunities we have had so far, one thing still stays with me: the resilience questionnaire. At one of our initial Well Being Workshops, the presenter had this tucked away 'in our packs' (a staple CPD phrase). It was never referred to, nor were we asked to complete it, but its existence has popped in and out of my mind on a frequent basis.

"How resilient are you?"
Such an interesting set of statements raising questions such as:
  • Can you adapt quickly to new situations?
  • Are you curious? Do you ask questions?
  • Can you calm yourself down in a chaotic situation?
  • Do you find the humour in rough circumstances?
  • Can you bounce back from difficulty?
It struck me, when reading these, that resilience is one of the key factors in promoting good mental strength. If failures are a process in learning, and appropriate levels of struggle are a natural part of the journey, how do we promote resilience as a coping mechanism for dealing with suitable levels of natural emotions?
Practise being optimistic.
Even if you don't fully believe it just yet, try making your thoughts benefit you, rather than creating further barriers. If there is trouble brewing, you know that making a conscious choice to make it worse isn't going to help. Practise optimism so that it will eventually become habit; make a choice that seeks to improve a situation. At first, it might not remove the barrier, but at least it won't add an extra one! 

Celebrate your success.
In a game of balance, it's vital that you celebrate what you do well! Keep realistic goals and do a little something each day to help you towards them. Celebrate each step you take! Each little action will add a sense of control amongst the chaos that is our lives. Enjoy the positive relationships you are lucky to have and use the support network you have around you.

Embrace failure.
As part of a healthy mind, know that ups come with downs. In fact, it's the downs that make you appreciate the ups! Without them, would we even feel joy in the first place? Use challenges as an opportunity to achieve yet another thing! Don't seek drama because this life is stressful enough as it is. Aim to learn the difference between a destructive reaction and a mindful response; they often have entirely opposite outcomes.

Many emotions are perfectly natural responses, but it's only through open lines of communication that we are going to learn about which emotions come to us all, and hopefully generate a general consensus about 'how much is too much?', enabling us to identify when we need more targeted support using the growing range of resources available. Good luck, friends: you've got this!
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Mental Strength

20/10/2018

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It's a mere week away from my relatively regular monthly Well Being Diary. However, put simply, posting one this month would be a total lie; I've not looked after myself in the slightest. Transparency is important at teachmrn.com, so I'm going to continue this trend by giving you a transparent version of my October. 

This month, both personally and professionally, I've come across hurdles that have shaken my need to control every aspect of my realm, and I haven't coped with that well. 

I felt myself crumbling. Then, in this descent into darkness, I actively took further decisions that made things worse: by remaining in a mood, I wouldn't drag myself from bed to complete my morning run. In turn, this meant I wasn't downing my 2 pints of water pre and post exercise; I wasn't focussed on that immediate morning win that came from completing a 5K. My Miracle Morning was in pieces. As a result, my day was starting poorly, having not woken my body up. General motivation was down, which was even more irritating when I considered that I was up at my regular time, yet still achieving nothing. 

As a knock-on, my productivity throughout the day lessened. The effects of this were two-fold. Firstly, it meant there was no sense of satisfaction. Secondly, the work just built. Next, I'd leave work, having not achieved half of what I was used to, and would therefore search for a quick fix: junk food. 
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Whatever it was, it was always a share bag and not good for my body or mind. To counteract the less proactive day, I'd find myself working late into the night (when I should have been recharging), likely surrounded by crisp packets. Obviously, this meant I'd eventually get to bed well into the early hours, with a poor sleep because my body is trying to handle the rubbish it had just consumed, under the foolish assumption it would make me feel better. Body clock would wake me at regular running time (4.45am), which I wouldn't get up and do (after a mix of poor sleep and poor fuel the night before) and the cycle would start again.

With a general lack of pride in myself, home living became more difficult. Simple tasks such as doing my laundry and the washing up weren't completed, which meant I started to live in a space that was just as messy as my negative mindset. Stepping around piles of clothes and looking at an ever increasing stack of dirty kitchen bits were constant reminders of the failures I was quickly notching up, neatly adding to the exercise I wasn't doing and the to-do list I wasn't ticking off.

With the poor food and no exercise came physical changes. Now, there's a chance that these were concocted in my imagination as a way to feel worse, but they were there nevertheless. Fatigue and poor skin made self-confidence decrease to an all-time-low. There were also emotional changes as I found myself being over-sensitive, self-doubting and introvert. Personally and professionally, I was static.

Sinking. A feeling of worthlessness set in.

What was I playing at?
I've worked tirelessly to get where I am professionally. Why am I dragging myself down?
I've worked tirelessly to get where I am personally. Why am I suddenly choosing to believe that I'm not good enough?
I've worked tirelessly to get where I am physically. Why am I now consciously making poor choices to undo my hard work?
I've worked tirelessly to get where I am mentally. Why am I self-sabotaging, choosing weakness over strength?


Tuesday morning hit and I knew I needed to make a change. It wasn't a 5K. Just a walk - 2 laps - around the park. I posted to my Twitter. It's always been a great tool to hold me accountable. I spoke to special colleagues, friends and family; such a fantastic resource that I'm lucky to have. We are most definitely on the up.

For those that saved me, thank you so much. You'll never know what you've done for me. Regular service will resume shortly.
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#WBDSeptember

29/9/2018

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September is coming to a close, so it's time for the first Well Being Diary of the new year! But first, how was your summer? Did you take time for yourself?

Every year I really struggle with the length of summer. I know that sounds ridiculous, but I don't cope with the lack of structure, especially when you still have so much to get done. Having said that, it was a great time! 

So let's begin! Let's return to the #Teacher5ADay steps:

#Connect
At the beginning of July, 2 friends and I took ourselves to Madrid Pride for the weekend. It was a classic story of racing to the airport on a Friday evening, unheard of on a usual week, and returning Sunday night, after a hectic 48 hours of colour and music. While waiting to come home, feeling adventurous, I tweeted about wanting to meet new people over the summer. A couple of polls later, with some dates thrown about, IT HAPPENED! #TeacherSocial took place over 2 consecutive Wednesday lunchtimes, before our return to school, and I'm not ashamed to proclaim how much I absolutely loved it! To the lovely people who came to join me in Leicester Square, London, I'm so grateful for the time you took to travel to come and say hello! I know it was a strange thing to do, but I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know you, hearing your stories, and connecting in a way that was more personable than just over Twitter.
#Exercise
Over the summer there were several days where I literally didn't get up from the sofa until about 7pm. As above, I find it hard to organise my own day when so many hours are undecided for you. Perhaps I'm conditioned by such a strict timetable of the working day, that I just don't know what to do without one. I much prefer holiday-days with different errands in different places, because then I can slot jobs and tasks amongst the structure that is already forming for me. Having said that, my return to school has started with a great return to running in the mornings. Thank you for everyone encouraging me. I know the photos are annoying everyday at 5am, but they hold me accountable, and your support means the world.

#Notice
The #TeachingHero team is growing, and I would like to encourage you to read their posts from the weeks gone by! There are still some weeks left, and if you want to have a post all of your own, get in touch! I think it's important we promote those spreading positive messages, rather than listening to complainers constantly. Negativity is equally contagious, and we just can't afford the effect.

#Learn
I'm back to trying to read as much as possible. At the moment, my class and I are studying 'Sky Hawk' by Gill Lewis and we are LOVING IT! It's actually given me ideas for further posts later. Saying that, I also have a bunch of other books to read. I'll review them as usual later on.

#Give
This month I would like to recommend that you sign up for Smiling Mind. It's an Australian site that has LOADS of mindfulness resources and guided meditations, all organised by age group, split into courses. It runs itself, and it's ideal for using in class. Check them out!
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#TeachingHero

26/9/2018

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Our newest #TeachingHero is @samschoolstuff. Read her interview below, with some great wellbeing tips, and get in touch if you've got some answers to share too!

​What motivates you to work hard?
It’s all about the children for me, those moments when they “get it”. You never know what difference you are making to a child, just by turning up and getting on with it. I once ran into an ex pupil on the bus. This particular child had been quite disengaged in class, they had a lot going on at home. One of those children who doesn’t draw attention, does the minimum. For various reasons it hadn't been a great year for me either. Anyway, this is probably seven or eight years later. they get in the bus, recognise me, come over and sit next to me. This in itself surprised me, I expected them to scoot off to the top deck. They tell me that my lessons made a real difference to them, they are doing maths at college because of my maths lessons, the first ones they had enjoyed. At the time I had literally no idea. I’m filling up just recounting it now.

Where do you go for personal and professional support or advice?
I’m really privileged, in my current role I don’t have to worry about lots of the most pressurised things about being a class teacher. Even so, I can get down from time to time. When I've had enough I try to keep things in perspective. It’s human nature to dwell on the negatives and gloss over the positives, and so often in school the 95% of the time when everything was fine is overshadowed by the 5% that wasn’t. I've got a tendency to ruminate and get sucked into negative thought spirals, so if I feel one setting in I make a mental list of the things that went well that day. Helps to drown out the negativity a bit!
What strategies do you use to manage workload and protect your well being?
Set a cut off point for work and stick to it. Use @fit2teachapp to monitor wellbeing and identify patterns. My school facilitates joint planning time which saves hours of work. I was amazed when I found out that not everywhere does it.

What advice would you give anyone who felt like giving up?
Contact the Education Support Partnership @EdSupportUK . They have trained counsellors who can really support you. Don't struggle on alone.

Sum up our profession in 5 words.
No two days the same.
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#TeachingHero

19/9/2018

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Our brand new #TeachingHero is @jesslucyleigh! Check out her inspiring advice below, and get in touch if you want to be featured yourself!

What motivates you to work hard?
There is nothing more motivating than building relationships with young people and knowing you are making a difference to their lives. Some of our students do not have stable relationships in their personal lives, so being a constant safety net for our young people helps me get out of bed in the morning (even when I’ve had 2 hours sleep!)

Where do you go for personal and professional support or advice?
Twitter is a huge support for me. Networking with likeminded people has really helped me. I have a small group of friends at work and we all meet at the end of the day and have a good vent. We also have a group chat which we use on a daily basis! I think the worst part of the profession is the rollercoaster of emotions every single day is. I can go to work in an amazing mood and leave in tears (and vice versa). The way I get through it is knowing that for some students, school is the safest place for them and I am partly responsible for that. That’s what makes me happy and content with my job.

What strategies do you use to manage workload and protect your well being?
To manage my workload, I ensure I have set time to do work. I block out my calendar and hide in classroom away from the hustle and bustle. I try to stay at work instead of bringing work home. Even if that means staying until 6pm. That means I don’t have to bring work home too often. When I do bring work home, I ensure that I do it early in the morning rather than late at night. There is nothing worse than work wizzing through your head at 11pm!! We finish work early on a Friday and our line managers always ensure we go home to enjoy our weekend. It is always something to look forward to during the week.

What advice would you give anyone who felt like giving up?
There are times that I feel like giving up but then I think about certain teachers that I’ll always remember, even now as an adult. I strive to be one of those that my students remember in years to come. It’s easier to be negative than it is to be positive sometimes. I always try to go to work with a smile even if I am crying inside. A student once told me that I always looked moody. I made it my mission to make sure I looked more positive and made a positive learning environment. There have been occasions when students/staff or even parents have made me cry. I have a little cry and then draw a line. Sometimes you can’t help but feel overwhelmed and you have to let yourself get upset once in a while. We’re all human after all.

Sum up our profession in 5 words.
Amazing, exhausting, fulfilling, rewarding and emotional. But the best job EVER.
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#TeachingHero

12/9/2018

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Our newest, inspirational #TeachingHero is @mrbeeteach! Check out his interview below, and get in touch if you feel like taking part yourself!

What motivates you to work hard?
I have a strong sense of social justice and want to the best from the children in my care. To do this, I need to be the best I can be, always. One of the best things I have done recently is to start a master’s degree in Education. It is allowing me to become a critical thinker while allowing me to understand my own pedagogical approaches. This keeps me motivated.

Where do you go for personal and professional support or advice?
I seek professional support from a variety of different people. Many of my friends are teachers and this, I think, has allowed for a strong network of honesty, openness and empathy. Personal support is given from immediate family.

What strategies do you use to manage workload and protect your well being?
I ensure I leave work twice a week by 4pm, I actively plan days which require minimal marking (which usually means lots of opportunity for valuable verbal feedback in lesson times), I gym three times a week, I always have a book, unrelated to education or my studies, to read.

What advice would you give anyone who felt like giving up? 
You learn a lot about yourself when teaching. I often find writing therapeutic and allows for the essence or for a summary of my thoughts. I normally follow this with critical action of how to improve. Perhaps, it is a mind-set or way of being.

Sum up our profession in 5 words.
Creative, imagination, passion, learning, hope.
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#TeachingHero

5/9/2018

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Our latest #TeachingHero is @Anthillel! Check out his interview below and get in touch if you want to spread a little positivity yourself!

What motivates you to work hard?
I’d say the motivation to work hard is to make a difference to the kids I teach and make their learning come to life. A success story of mine was seeing a gamble in terms of a topic pay off. I’d decided to do a cross curricula project about Gandhi as a game changer and the children really engaged with it, learned lots about him and India and the children were passionate about issues of equality and freedom.

Where do you go for personal and professional support or advice?
For personal advice, my family have been fantastic listeners and have been on hand to give advice when I have faced difficult situations. My TA has always been a gem for bouncing ideas off and also being a shoulder to cry on when things get rough.

What advice would you give anyone who felt like giving up?
I’d say the advice is to remember that you are making a difference, that for these kids, you’re bringing learning to life. Also remember that some schools are more supportive and when you find a supportive school, it makes all the difference.

Sum up our profession in 5 words.
We make a difference everyday.
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#TeachingHero

27/6/2018

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The newest #TeachingHero is @StickCole1971 - another lovely human bean spreading positivity amongst our profession! To get involved with your own interview, get in touch!

What motivates you to work hard?
Honestly the motivation still comes from the kids, especially the ones who need us the most. The ones you know don't, for whatever reasons, have the support at home. I have felt this even more since I became a parent. As a leader I can hopefully have a far reaching impact. I do have a strong sense of pride in what I do and like to think that each day I leave school I can put hand on heart and say I have done my best for my kids and my colleagues and hence the school as a whole.

Where do you go for personal and professional support or advice?
I currently job-share in a year 3 class. I am fortunate to have the most amazing job-share partner. She supports me as a professional but also as a mum. I also have particular friends/colleagues whose professional judgments I trust. For example after 4 years as a maths intervention teacher I have found the teaching of writing last term and area I needed support with. Our english lead is luckily also a very good friend. I knew she would be honest and supportive so I asked her to support me. The worst thing? The opposite of this. When people are supposed to be supportive but actually too entrenched in their own views/opinions that they don't really support. TBH I know this is something I need to work on and be more assertive!

What strategies do you use to manage workload and protect your well being?
Workload - this is a really tough one. Funnily enough I don't find the volume of work the stressful thing, it is the amount of work that I sometimes have to do and still not feel prepared eg replanning sessions/resources I know were used last year but no-one can find! 
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As a class teacher you don't really always have the power to influence this. There are certain things that have to be done, there are always things that we feel are 'paper' exercises and don't 'benefit the children'. That is where, as a member of SLT, you need to try to communicate to all staff why these tasks are needed, and of course if they are not STOP! Teamwork is essential. Let's not recreate the wheel. Let's share and have professional dialogue to cut down on planning etc. We need to share our expertise to help each other. I think we need to be more honest and say when we are feeling overwhelmed. You need head/DH and SLT who will be understanding and support rather than judge.

What advice would you give anyone who felt like giving up?

I think we all feel like giving up at times, It is the sadly inevitable side effect of wanting to do a good job in such a difficult profession. I would say try to get to the nub of what the issue is. I find it is often a small thing that can build. It may need a small change or to accept that you need to make some changes eg extra responsibilities that take too much of your time or needing a challenge out of your classroom. Battling negativity. Hmmm, this is another hard one. It is so easy to get in to a negative place. My JS partner and I have written a list of all the things that have gone well v badly and were surprised that the first list was longer. We then wrote a list of things that weren't working and steps to make them better. Obvious but it helped. Try to avoid the negative people at school.

Sum up our profession in 5 words.

Crazy, rewarding, varied, worthwhile, challenging.

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#TeachingHero

20/6/2018

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This week's #TeachingHero is @wayrf! Check out their interview below, and get in touch if you fancy spreading a little motivation of your own!

What motivates you to work hard?
My family are a big help! My kids certainly keep me going when work is tough. I've also started keeping a box of positive feedback - learning walks, emails from pupils/parents, Christmas cards, other nice messages. Good to dip into now and again when I'm struggling to remember why I chose to do this impossible, infuriating, exhilirating job.

Where do you go for personal and professional support or advice?
I'm lucky to have such a good department around me, but there's also colleagues across other departments in the school who I do talk to and take advice from. Twitter has also been invaluable; I'm largely anonymous on here, so feel I can talk about more or less anything. There's always someone out there willing to offer advice or just sympathise. Worst bit of the profession? Two related things: staying organised, and keeping up with the marking (I'm an English teacher, so deserve anything I get). It's vital to get a system in place, and sticking with it, however hard it gets - maintain momentum, and all the rest follows.

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What strategies do you use to manage workload and protect your well being?
I've put in place a few rules, which I do my best to stick to. Not always successfully; but even when I do fail, they're there in the back of my mind for next time. Here goes:
1. Earliest I'll get to work is 7.30am
2. Latest I'll stay at school is 5pm (unless it's a consultation evening or other diaried event)
3. I try to avoid working in the evening. If I do, I try not to do so two nights in a row; and I don't work past 9pm.
4. Weekends: I have at least 1 day off each weekend School are reasonably supportive, but like so many others they're struggling with reduced budgets - so staff well-being has been one of the first things to dissolve.

What advice would you give anyone who felt like giving up?

This last term has been especially tough - one of my hardest since I retrained and started teaching 2 years ago. I think it was a combination of factors: an increased timetable; behaviour issues; lack of support from others in department/elsewhere in school (although see my answer to Q3 - so much of this is budget related, and completely out of the control of my colleagues). I think what has kept me going is being honest, and talking about issues quickly when they've come up, and seeking help when I need it. Never be afraid to do this - this is such a demanding job, and everyone has their peaks and troughs. It can feel lonely in the classroom sometimes, but teaching is a team sport. Lean on them when you need to, and be ready to listen when someone else needs to talk. Otherwise, keeping the basics in focus is also *so* important. Tiredness has a massive effect on my mood, especially towards the end of the week; so I take more early nights than I used to, and having a bath can work wonders for the quality of my sleep. Also important to eat well (and I'm blessed that my lovely wife is such a good cook!), and not overdo other things such as alcohol. They can be an effective short-term fix - but over time, they cause more problems than they solve.

Sum up the profession in 5 words.

Not easy, so the best I can do is: Be kind, know your subject.

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#TeachingHero

13/6/2018

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@primaryteachew is our latest #TeachingHero as we continue to spread positive thinking and celebrate hard work! If you'd like to get involved, let me know!

What motivates you to work hard?
I always feel most motivated to work hard because of the children - however cliche this may be! Seeing them do well, hearing them happy and positive at succeeding always makes me want to keep going. I recently had 2 girls write to Blue Peter and say they wanted me to be awarded with a badge, which I was given, because they thought I was a good teacher. This meant more to me than any formal feedback as it made me feel I had made a real difference to them.

Where do you go for personal and professional support or advice?
I am so lucky that I get to work with some colleagues who have become some of my closest friends. I always turn to them, and them to me, for personal and professional advice because they have an understanding of not just the profession, but the school too! The ‘worst’ part of the profession for me, is always the work/life balance and getting it right. Again, we are able to support each other with this, whether it’s helping to absolve guilt or to stay a little later and help get things done quicker. I really couldn’t do my job without feeling like part of a team.

What strategies do you use to manage workload and protect your well being?
To manage workload, I try and make sure I have 2 nights off a week, and at least one weekend day where I do no work at all. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t but having a rule there definitely makes sure I am not constantly working. I also make sure I bake something once a week, to relax and de-stress.

What advice would you give anyone who felt like giving up?
The advice I would give, is to look back at the difference you have made. Not always as a bigger picture, but all the small times when you have made an impact. Negativity is much easier to succumb to than positivity, so finding 3 things you’ve done well each week helps keep you focused on the good. Again, I also find being surround by colleagues, who are also friends, helps as you have a good support system in place.

Sum up our profession in 5 words.
Tiring, stressful....but completely rewarding.
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