Wellbeing and Gratitude

Today our Kahui Ako ( formally known as a CoL) went to a presentation by Dr Denise Quinlan about Wellbeing. It was lovely to listen to such an enthusiastic speaker. 


One of the main take aways for me was about gratitude and how this powerful attribute is a contributing factor to the way in which we view ourselves and the world around us. 

I think the word 'practice' is an important one. This is something that does need to be practised so it can flourish and become part of your everyday being. 

Also the concept that our gratitude doesn't need to be grandiose. It can be based on small, everyday things. Remembering the effect of your gratitude on others in the form of respectful gestures or comments can have a big impact on others as well. 

To show and practice gratitude can have a positive impact on our wellbeing and the wellbeing of those around us.

Nga Mihi,

Bex

A Balancing Act

Today I meet with Lisa to have some coaching around my goal to have a balance of workload  between my two different jobs. One as a collaborative team member of Aroha in a 0.4 capacity and the other in the Raukura Reader/ESOL role as 0.4 as well. 

To get balance between the two jobs it is important to have clear communication and set time limits for working hours ( which incorporate required meetings, conferences, TODs etc.) This balance is important so I can be effective in both roles and also maintain wellbeing for myself and my son.

As discussed with Lisa I have set up some clear timetabling for myself. I use part of Friday lunch time to gather in school resources and part of Sunday morning is allocated for planning for the week ahead. From Monday until Wednesday  I use 10 minutes before lunchtime to catch up on notes/ student monitoring for my readers. I then meet with the Aroha team at Tuesday lunchtime and every second Wednesday after school for a team meeting. We also have informal chats around learning before school on Thursday and Friday. 

Becs and I have set up 'Handover' notes on Google Slides to clearly communicate what has been going on with learning and behaviour. Often we have a quick phone call as well on a Wednesday evening to discuss anything else in further detail. We also share responsibility for staff meeting attendance and passing on relevant notes for them.

Although it will continue to get tweaked as the year progresses I feel like I have a made a positive start to implementing a teaching workload balance between the two jobs!

Nga Mihi,

Bex