#TeachingHero

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.