How to Thrive in Teaching

We’re just over halfway through the longest term in the school year, certainly in terms of the emotional load being carried. Returning to the frontline ( yes, sometimes it feeks like a military campaign) after October Half Term is perhaps the most difficult time of all so I thought, this week I’d pop up some tiny ways to keep you thriving, if you are a dedicated teacher who is already in survival mode.

Full disclosure. I have been that teacher who answered emails at 10pm, laminated everything, hessian- backed all noticeboards and said yes to every request going. But hear this! That isn’t dedication; that is a very tired person who has less capacity to hold the emotions of thirty or more teenagers on a wet Wednesday afternoon and even less time for thise even more important people - family and friends. And so, when I started mentoring ECTs I gave myself a good talking to.

If that sounds familiar, you're in good company. Teaching is one of the most rewarding jobs there is, and one of the easiest in which to lose yourself. So here's what I've learnt along the way, from my own mistakes and from the many, many brilliant teachers I've been lucky enough to work alongside.