Step away from the classroom for a minute and think about your favourite hobby. For me, my passion and hobbies are things like bushwalking, camping, gardening and sport. For you, it may be something different like knitting, cooking, craft or painting. Irrelevant of your hobby, just reflect on what it is that you enjoy about…
In case you haven’t heard, I’ve kicked off a series of FREE weekly video tutorials for Teachers and School Leaders in lieu of being able to escape Victoria and actually run some events for you. Last week’s was on “RP2.0 – The Next Phase of Restorative Practices” and to have more than 300 educators register was…
I’m going to be a little deep with you today. I hope that’s ok. After all, I’m a Victorian and the gloomy pallor of coronavirus descending on us has driven quite a few of us toward some deep contemplation recently. For me, I’ve also been driven toward some reading with more home time and less ferrying…
Earlier this week Adam and I had a chat about our Teacher Wellbeing Partnerships and how this can support your whole school. You might have noticed by now that Teacher Wellbeing is an important topic. We know Teacher Wellbeing matters, not just for teachers, but for entire schools. We also know that the continuous kind…
I’d like to introduce you to the newest addition to the Real Schools family. It’s called “Restoring Teaching” and I’m doing the whole proud parent thing about it. We’ll do the whole naming day thing in an upcoming online book launch and details will be coming your way about that too. How to describe this little bundle…
Now, more than ever, we know we need to prioritise Teacher Wellbeing. With numerous teachers feeling their wellbeing is suffering, and research showing this is impacting student learning, we can’t continue to try and fix this growing issue with ‘Wellbeing Wednesdays’ anymore. We know our teachers are tired, paperwork is mountainous and chocolates on the staffroom…
Here’s the truth about Restorative Practices and schools – it hasn’t always been rolled out so well. Sometimes that’s been because you’ve been trained by people who just don’t get schools – the time constraints, the purpose, the pressure from parents who just don’t get it or the rusted-on staff member who says “but there…
A little bit like the man in the Colourbond ad on TV, I often find myself wandering around my garden admiring my handy work. Spending time in the garden has always been a hobby but of recent times, I am really getting into it. Once a day I wander around my garden to see what…
Lately, you will have noticed me talk a fair bit about Teacher Wellbeing, and I think it is fair to say this is an important issue which needs addressing. I have spent some time studying this topic, and am pretty confident that what I am sharing with you today will not only resonate with what you…
So, I recently published a new e-book titled “The Culturally Capable School Leader – How to Define and Strategise for a School Culture that Underpins Success”. I’m happy for you to have it for FREE, so just reply to this email and we’ll flick it your way pronto. The e-book does a few simple things as you…
Zoë Routh is all of clever, relevant and a friend. When “this whole Covid-19 thingy” arrived, I was having a moment of anxiety and confided this in Zoë. I didn’t exactly enjoy admitting the place I was in. My preference is to be in control, to strategise, to fix things and to act. Suddenly, I found…
Holidays are a great opportunity to catch up with family and friends, go for a long walk or a bike ride, read a book or binge watch an entire Netflix series in an afternoon. It doesn’t matter what you do, the important thing is that you take some time to focus on your health and…
I think there is something to be said about the different approaches to Teacher Wellbeing across schools. Some are simply aware of it, while for others it’s part of who they are. This is why Teacher Wellbeing looks so different in each school. There is no simple way to address it, no program to roll…
Please excuse me for having a bias, but both Adam and Amy’s recent articles have genuinely resonated with me. If you missed them, click here for Adam’s article and here for Amy’s article. Their messages are so important and centred around the themes of Teacher Self-Care and Wellbeing, and appreciation for your Principal. A great combination at this time…
So, I had a tooth ripped out on Monday morning, although the dentist insists she doesn’t “rip out” anything but rather “extracts”. I’m running with “ripped out” for dramatic effect which fits in with the odd story about how it happened that I had a dodgy tooth in the first place – as a twelve-year-old…
Teacher Wellbeing is, as we know, not just a hot topic for conversation right now, but a serious issue. I have spent a fair bit of time researching Teacher Wellbeing lately, and it was alarming to find that some research states that up to 95% of teachers feel stressed at any given time and that…
School Productions, interschool sports competition, School Ball, Interstate or International Learning Experiences, camps or excursions….the list goes on. They may be just some of the experiences that have been cancelled or postponed for your school. I am sure that it’s disappointing for you, and especially disappointing for your students. The ‘rites of passage’ to the…
The second half of 2020 presents as an undeniable opportunity to focus on the kind of culture you want for your school and to strategise for it’s creation. That’s something we should talk about. And when I get into conversations with Teachers and School Leaders about that exciting challenge, I’m often asked what matters when it…
Holidays are finally here, and whilst we can’t leave the country and for some of us our state or territory, we can use this time to our advantage. It’s been one hell of a year, teacher. You have made it through what is undoubtedly the most unpredictable start to any year ever. You did your…
I was chatting with a Principal last week who asked me when Real Schools will be starting to sell Partnerships again. I was a little taken aback. Did we somehow give the impression we’d stopped? It reminded me that there are parts of our jobs that we do naturally, parts that we’re not so great at (but reluctantly…
For me, the most rewarding part of teaching is when you see the satisfaction, the happiness and the pride on the face of a student who has just learnt something new. For a brief moment, you even get to taste their success and accomplishment. It’s a moment that often only lasts for a few seconds…
I stalked the lounge room on Thursday evening like a frustrated animal in a cage, pausing only to roar (either hopefully or angrily) at the players in the deserted MCG who was never going to hear me. This was my primal response to being able to watch my team, Richmond, return to football. The match…
I was chatting with Gen Casonato, the wonderful Principal of Parktone Primary School, last week. As I’d done in almost every conversation with countless Teachers and School Leaders last week I asked how everybody was at the school. Were things starting to feel ‘normal’ again? I laughed when Gen told me that ‘normal’ arrived with…
As restrictions continue to ease across Australia, our classrooms are beginning to feel a bit more normal again. For some States and Territories, Remote Learning may have felt like a long time ago but for others, it’s only just finished with the remaining grades or year levels returning this week. Either way, you have done…
I imagine one thing on your mind right now is self-care and wellbeing. It shouldn’t take such drastic events for this to happen but sadly, that tends to be what we do. As teachers we naturally give so much to others, it doesn’t occur to us to stop and give to ourselves until we are…
