Back to school – Beat the January blues
With a little planning and organisation, it’s possible to lift colleagues’ spirits and keep morale high during the January gloom, says Nicola Brooks…
If you’re feeling low at this time of year, then you’re not alone. Many people experience such feelings immediately after Christmas, and to probably no one’s surprise, January is the month that sees the most sick days.
So what we do to change that? Read on for four ways of making 2022 a brilliant year for your school, right from the start…
1 | Extend the goodwill
Teachers like to help, and Christmas make us feel good, as we dish out presents and mince pies while making sure everyone has a great time.
Why not extend the season of goodwill by selecting a school charity for 2022 and setting a fundraising target for staff to work towards? Add in some key fundraising days and events throughout the year – a non-uniform day here, a bake sale there – and you’ll instantly have some things to look forward to.
Charity begins at home, though, so consider introducing a ‘Random acts of kindness’ week, during which everyone performs some impromptu act aimed at helping others, such as carrying someone’s heavy bag. You could also start a ‘You’ve Been Mugged’ kindness ripple, where colleagues discover a mug full of goodies on their desk and a note asking them to pay it forward.
2 | Give the gift of time
Teachers often feel that there aren’t enough hours in the day. One thing that could help would be going ‘meeting-free’ for a week, or turning what would otherwise be an indoor meeting into an outside walk close to, or just within the school grounds.
You could similarly try holding a ‘No email Friday’, where only essential emails (e.g. those relating to safeguarding and other urgent issues) are allowed to be sent. This will ease workloads by reducing the volume of emails sent before the weekend and encourage colleagues to visit each other when passing on messages.
Alternatively, set aside time for professional development by holding ‘Walkabout Wednesdays’, where individuals are covered for a learning walk ahead of a teachmeet or speedmeet (like speed dating, but with the exchange of teaching strategies) at the end of the month to share best practice.
3 | Work (out) together
A third of all New Year’s resolutions are related to weight loss and fitness, but these can be hard to stick to in staffrooms awash with cakes.
How about making a collaborative pledge to keep only fresh fruit and water to hand in the staffroom and introducing dedicated wellbeing days, where colleagues are encouraged to get active after school? You could take this further by challenging a nearby school to a five-a-side football or netball match, or even signing up for a half-marathon and following the training plan together as a group.
4 | Stay social
Talking to others about our feelings is often an essential strategy for keeping well, but if someone’s previously experienced poor mental health, it may be hard for them to open up. It’s easy for teachers to become isolated, spending break times with the photocopier or at their desks.
Monthly social events can give colleagues something to look forward to – maybe a team-building activity, quiz night or treasure hunt. You could even try hosting a ‘swap shop’ event, where attendees are invited to exchange unwanted Christmas presents for something else.
Whether it’s reducing email demands or improving staff relations, attending to the wellbeing needs of teaching staff benefits everyone in a school – and could even make those New Year’s Resolutions easier to stick to…
Nicola Brooks is a professional development co-ordinator for Reach South Academy Trust, and a founding fellow and network lead for the Chartered College of Teaching
