The start of #teacher5aday – different sides of the same coin
Happiness is on the rise globally, according to an end-of-year survey of 64,000 people in 65 countries.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-30629478
The launch of #teacher5aday has contributed very positively to my happiness this month. Lots of support and positive feedback for the initial idea shared here http://wp.me/p4VbxY-6E. A number of #well-being superheroes have shared their ideas about how they will start looking after themselves more and therefore look after their students as well.
There is also a collection of #Nurture1415 blogs, a great idea from @ChocoTzar in which people review last years achievements, and talk about their hopes for this one. http://suecowley.wordpress.com/2014/12/27/the-nurture-1415-collection/
In January I hope that teachers will continue to discuss their well-being either as a tweet (daily / weekly) or via a blog. Using the ideas shared in the links above or the John Muir framework below I’m hoping that a collective approach to this issue will continue to have a positive impact and we can contribute to a more extensive list of ideas to develop our well-being.
Click to access five-ways-to-wellbeing_a4_v3.pdf
http://www.jmt.org/jmaward-home.asp
A few notable contributions might help with this process.
Hannah Norton @Wild_Every_Day explains her approach to the John Muir Award.
Debbie Inglis @HTcoach explains how she is putting her plans into action.
http://blog.squaretwo.co.uk/putting-plans-into-action/
B Yusuf @rondelle10_b has provided a number of ideas on how to record your progress.
What could be better than looking after YOU this year?
John Muir Framework for #teacher5aday
Connect (#connect)
- collaborate with teachers in your department, in other departments or in another school
- attend a Teachmeet
- set up a cake club
Be active (#exercise)
- explore the school grounds
- go for a walk before or after school / lunchtime
- set up a school based sporting activity
Take notice (#notice)
- keep a journal
- take photos of before or after / seasonal images
Keep learning (#learn)
- create a photo journal
- write creatively
- learn how to blog
Give (#volunteer)
- create a well-being garden
- as a school adopt a beach
- volunteer in the wider community
The New Economics Foundation (NEF) Centre for Well-being suggest a successful society is one where economic activity delivers high levels of sustainable well-being for all its citizens. They have been researching well-being, how people experience their lives and flourish, for over a decade and argue that since 1970, the UK’s GDP has doubled, but people’s satisfaction with life has hardly changed. 81% of Britons believe that the Government should prioritise creating the greatest happiness, not the greatest wealth.
Their Well-Being at Work report http://www.neweconomics.org/publications/entry/well-being-at-work, based on statistical evidence, concluded that ;-
- Getting the right work-life balance is an effective way of avoiding stress at work.
- It is possible to maximise overall organisational well-being through a re-evaluation of how salaries are distributed among employees.
- Organisations can adopt certain approaches towards job security that help their staff achieve higher levels of job satisfaction.
- Working with employees to ensure they have a sense that their job is achievable can lead to greater job satisfaction, as well as higher levels of morale.
- Management behaviour seems to be highly important, with some management styles more successful than others at strengthening well-being at work.
- Creating a safe working environment and a sense of the social value of the work of the organisation, may increase employees’ feelings of job satisfaction.
- Good levels of job-fit and skill-use, and opportunities to develop new skills, can create high levels of employee satisfaction.
- Helping employees to take greater control over their work can lead to better performance and greater job satisfaction.
- Taking steps to improve relationships at work – with a particular focus on relationships between staff and managers – and encouraging positive feelings can improve both job and life satisfaction.
So could we create the #teacher5aday version of their 5 postcards to well-being – http://issuu.com/neweconomicsfoundation/docs/five_ways_to_well-being?e=0
I hope so and I hope the conversations continue in the new term as we discuss 2015, the year of teacher well-being.
Healthy regards….
27 years a teacher 
Reblogged this on The Echo Chamber.
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Reblogged this on Teach Me Carrie and commented:
#wellbeing is going to be my focus of 2015, with #teacher5aday just the starting point – read an informative and inspirational introduction here:
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Reblogged this on undercovereducator.
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Reblogged this on Clare's ELT Compendium and commented:
This is such a great idea and I can’t find enough ways of sharing it! I know so many of us teachers who are actually already suffering from stress and sometimes some pretty severe consequences! It seems to me that we can’t expect too much help from outside (from governments/public who think we all have too much holiday, or from institutions who are only interested in meeting targets or making money) and so we have to help ourselves! And this is a brilliant inspiration to do so! I’m so glad that I have come across this idea, albeit rather late! But it’s never too late to start looing after yourself and protecting your well-being at work! Some of the suggestions on the list are things that I/you/we might already be doing, but categorising them mentally in a new framework highlights how good they are for me/you/us, and brings a whole new level of satisfaction/sense of achievement into the frame. Brilliant idea – thank you, and keep sharing!!
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I believe in the oxygen mask analogy and this is hitting home on so many levels – thank you! In 2015 my internal monologue continued to repeat, “why is school getting the best of me?”
As a teacher leader is it not always easy to find that balance that is required to live a healthy life. Often my family would go to the beach so I could mark and proof reports, or my husband would be ignored because I had nothing left in the tank to give. And when I finally got some “me” time – the guilt would set in. 2016 is a new year and I’m looking forward to establishing better habits with the guidance of #teacher5aday
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