Gratitude Builds Positive School Cultures
When we think about the problems that are present in the education sector we often think about the teacher in the classroom scenario, but this is really just the tip of the iceberg.
For the teacher, there is all the work outside of school; the marking and all the admin.
Chris Taylor, the Headteacher at Linden Primary School said:
The really nice bit about education is when you're in front of the pupils as there's nothing better than actually seeing the learning that pupils go through. They're enjoying it as well as developing as individuals. I think the difficult bits are the admin tasks of education.
It's not just the teachers that make education work either Chris went on to say:
I think it's not just about teachers. I think it's all colleagues in a school. For a school to run effectively, teachers are an essential part of the education of pupils. However, the school won't operate without the admin team, without the premises officer making sure that it operates effectively.
For the school to run effectively we need to foster a positive culture. Teachers, admin staff and everyone who works in a school have very challenging jobs which can be very stressful and tiring. This can sometimes cause a stressful environment. It sometimes feels like there are people who wear 'busy' as a medal of honour and people who are 'happy' are perceived as not working hard enough.
When we focus on wellbeing in schools, we often think about building resilience amongst the pupils, however we also need to focus on staff wellness in schools.
In the past practices of gratitude such as strengths-based approaches, gratitude journals, mindfulness exercises and a focus on happiness were often trivialised. They have now become the spirit of a positive culture, and gratitude, backed up by more and more research is making the workplace culture in our schools more positive.
With gratitude there is more openness and laughter in the staff room and there is more willingness to take risks and try new ideas for the benefit of our students.
We can build a more positive staff culture through the power of gratitude, if we take time to acknowledge the kindness of others, they will feel more valued and be encouraged to continue acting kindly. This grateful atmosphere will filter through to the students too!
Using the TAP thanking platform helps us to make that shift to gratitude and improves the school culture.
It makes saying thank you easy, it can help the staff to feel part of the school 'family' and help strengthen the bond between the parents and the school.
Using TAP to spread the power of gratitude will help to create a positive school environment and helps staff to feel happier in their work and make the whole place happier.
Hear from Simon and Chris on our Education Radio Show: