The 7 steps to teacher happiness - a summary of Mark Goodwin's talk

Teacher Happiness

I have been very fortunate over the last few weeks to go to a number of talks. From ResearchEd in Maidstone, to Festival of Metacognition in Birmingham and then this week to the Festival of Education at Wellington College. I'm really luck that my school recognise how important training is for me to stay motivated and enthused in my teaching, and how much they are willing to support that. (To be fair I got free tickets for both the festivals in Birmingham and Wellington, which I think helped my case a little!)

Over the next few weeks I'm going to be ruminating on what I've learnt, and how I can put this into action in my lessons. Also how I share what I have learnt with my colleagues. But to start with I want to write about a talk I went to yesterday - 'The 7 Habits of the Happiest Teachers I know'. 

I decided that this next academic year I'm not only going to have a focus on improving my practice in the classroom, but also to improving my own well-being at the same time. It is time I think about what makes me happy, and what doesn't, as my mood does permeate the classroom, no matter how much I try the 'fake it until you make it' approach on my tired and grumpy days! Therefore the title of this talk jumped out at me as one of the first I decided I was going to (which is saying something - there was about 250 talks on offer across the two days). 

It was led by Mark Goodwin who is the Director of Behaviour and Wellbeing for the Mercian Trust. If you get the chance to go listen to him talk on this subject, do. He's humorous, well spoken and utterly approachable. At no point did it feel like he was 'talking down' to delegates - which would be an easy trap to fall into (and one I have seen) when discussing a topic like this. At the end I asked his permission to write this article giving an overview of his advice - he was thoroughly encouraging that we share good practice as widely as we can - a man who follows my mantra - the more we share and look after each other, the better our profession will be. 

Before I do give the overview though I would like to say this is just a summary. Mark had a lot more to say on each of these topics. His talk was based both on research (people like Dweck, Goldman, Duckworth, Seligman) and on talking to colleagues who he defines as happy in their roles. I am adding my own thoughts to this too, what his ideas have prompted me to consider. 

So the 7 habits of happy teachers:

1. Plan your direction of travel

What do you want to achieve? Why are you doing this job? Where are you going? If you have intention it is easier to keep motivated. I liked to piece of advice he gave in this section. The first was a 'To be' list rather than a 'to do' list. The other was creating 2 lists of 'Delicious Daily Habits' - one for what yo what to do at work, and one for what you want to do for you. This could be things that make you smile like catching up with a work colleague, calling home to congratulate behaviour of a great student, to reading a book and going for a walk. He suggested picking 1 or 2 each day. 

2. Generate Energy

We can easily build resistance and put ourselves into the pit of despair. But the way we think and what we do have a massive impact both on our own energy and those of our students. So be the most positive person in the room. To do that, you also need to ensure you are looking after yourself first. Getting good food, rest and exercise are all crucial. He talked about Martyn Reah's Teacher 5 a day... something I'm going to investigate this week to help improve my own wellbeing. 

There was also a discussion about letting things go - from the big to the small, and filling your day with forgiveness. This is something I really need to work on, mostly about letting go of the things I've done wrong - I can berate myself for hours/days on this topic!! 

3. Know who needs you

Isn't it easier to keep motivated if you actually know you are going to make a difference to someone's day. This is about helping, not fixing people. The colleague you can chat to, the student who needs to just have someone validate how they are feeling and that we understand. 

4. Be good at your job, not perfect

None of us can attain perfection. Teaching is the impossible job - you will always have to make compromises and sacrifices. But set yourself targets and keep learning - add to your knowledge a little each day. Recognise the power of the word 'yet'. Mark talked of a colleague who changed the wording they use as well "I get to teach a 5 period day today" - how much that change of language could change our perspective (though how hard is it going to be to change that well rehearsed "oh no, I've got to teach 5 classes today and still need to...")

5. Build authority through connection

We all know those teachers that try to build authority by sticking rigidly to the rules. But instead of 'command and control' think about how you can build authority by connecting with your students regarding their learning, their behaviour etc. If you role model happiness and your belief in all your students you are much more likely to get positive outcomes.

6. Have the courage to do hard things

Face those things you find hard. Change the things that are getting you down, so you can have a greater degree of happiness. Set yourself your boundaries, your autonomy and your control. Learn to say the word 'no' (something I've been practicing this year and I can assure you, it's a game changer! I'm by no means perfect at it yet, but boy it helps!)

7. Stay emotionally agile

It's ok to respond to things, but don't react to them. Don't create troubles to worry about. Focus on what you can do, and bring that to work instead. But don't dwell on that never ending 'to do' list (in fact burn it - but don't set off the fire alarm!)

The last task he set us I think was beautifully profound. Write two lists - one of everyone who has upset you or made you frustrated and angry this week. Then write a second of people who have helped you and made you feel better this week. Screw the first list up and throw it away. Seek someone off the second list and say thank you. 

For many of us there are two weeks left of school. We're tired and run down. But can we make them positive? Thanks to Mark's talk I'm certainly going to be giving it a try.