7 health and wellbeing tips from real-life educators

We asked participants at the PETAA 2022 Leading with Literacy Conference: from babble to Batavia and beyond – navigating the language and literacy landscape to share with us their best strategies, tips and advice for managing teacher health and wellbeing. 
 
Their answers are invaluable. Share them with your colleagues and peers, and let us know what you would add to the list!

 

Missed out on the conference? Not to worry! All sessions are now available to acess as an on-demand online professional learning course! Sign up now for access until the end of Term 1, 2023. 

Their answers represent not just a love of great characters  - they also reveal the qualities that teachers like you value, and the behaviours and approaches you model every day with your students.

Read about each fictional teacher below, and if you missed the PETAA 2022 conference, you can sign up to view it on-demand! Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to learn more.

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1— Be kind and understanding in tough times.

"Be kind and understanding even when things don’t go your way."

-Vivian

2— Stay connected with your support network.

"Focus on building a brilliant network to stay connected [and supported]."

- Kate 

3— Remember it's okay to get it wrong sometimes.

"It's okay to trial things and get it wrong too. Important to be reflective and adaptive!"

-Madeleine

3— Build a mindfulness practice that works for you.

"Take the time to look after yourself." 

"Find a mindful practice that works for you and make time to do it. This will help you get off the wheel, regroup and connect to being present in the moment. Teacher load is real, mindfulness helps."

-Jenelle and Tamara

4— Take the time to properly 'switch off' from work.

"When you 'switch off', do it completely. Leave your mobile and laptop in another room so you're not tempted to quickly check emails or your Teams app. Focus on family time and ensure you're being present with them."

"Make sure you take a day each weekend to relax and unwind."

-Ellie and Vivian

5— Take a deep breath.

"Sometimes you have to take a deep breath and just go with the flow (I’m in early childhood- we can have days when we don’t have to follow the plan). "

-Krisha

6— Set healthy boundaries.

"Set boundaries for yourself and others - you don't need to respond to that parent email straight away if you are struggling."

-Madeleine

7— Don't forget to laugh.

"Find your tribe and celebrate the silly. Laughing loudly and often is a fabulous salve for tricky days."

-Corinne

 

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