Managing Your Wellbeing

Claire Rixham

Assistant Principal

I wanted to write a blog highlighting the importance of teacher well-being. Not an easy thing to start with a heavy cold on a freezing cold December day with an exhaustive to do list and two over tired children vying for attention.

As teachers we are good at looking after others, it’s a necessary part of the job maybe even more so post-pandemic. We are ever altruistic, great at communication, at listening and collaboration. We are adaptable and empathetic towards others; we are patient. But not with ourselves.

It is easy to fall into the trap of looking after others rather than ourselves. I’ve never liked the term ‘self-care’. I’ve always thought it sounded indulgent but over the last few years I’ve reflected on this and maybe it is time to change my mind. I’m not Wonder Woman, even though I’d like to think I am!

‘According to the World Health Organization (WHO), self-care is important because it can help promote health, prevent disease, and help people better cope with illness.’ Wise words but how do I put it into action when there is so much to do? I work full time, I have two children one of whom has hit the teenage stage. Both of whom have a far better social life than I’ve ever had. But that is a whole blog in itself!

What I am grateful for is that I work for a school that values staff well-being, that puts it front and centre of its thinking. It really is part of our values. It is easy to look at them listed on the website or hanging on a wall and think they don’t apply to us. But they do.

Have another look at them but from a teacher’s point of view. At Beamont Collegiate Academy our day-to-day behaviours and long-term strategies should evidence that we value:

behaviour that is respectful and rooted in strong working relationships.

We have a strong staff that work collaboratively; a staff that support each other and work consistently so that whichever lesson the students turn up to they know what to expect. That makes it so much easier for each member of staff to concentrate on learning which improves our well-being.

reading and the access to society reading will bring for our students.

And to ourselves. The focus on CPD is something we should be proud of. The dedicated time we are given is surely a motivating factor.

the well-being of all students and staff.

We aren’t about gimmicks but real well-being. The feeling of well-being when I can pick my daughter up from school without fear of being judged if I leave the building on time; the well-being hour on my timetable once a fortnight that I’ve yet to become complacent about. The opportunity to meet with a trained counsellor if needed, again without judgement. The game changer for me was the decision to revise the assessment policy allowing me to focus on teaching and not the ‘tick and flick’ over marking philosophy of my early career many decades ago.

a balance between professional growth and ethical accountability.

How great is it to be at the stage where we can challenge each other’s thinking? Where we can dedicate hours to our own professional development? Where we are encouraged to be life-long learners?

that the curriculum is more than what we teach in the classroom.

We are given the opportunity to share our passions and interests with the students as part of the enrichment programme. We are supported if we want to explore something new, work towards a qualification that matters to us.

positive outcomes for students can come in many forms, including excellent grades.

We are valued as professionals. Not just for the academic outcomes that our students achieve but the additional time we spend building positive relationships, the boundaries we set, the support that we give.

So that’s well-being at work supported, now to tackle the domestic to do list!