A happy classroom is for the whole year – not just September

Laughology

Three weeks in, are you still jumping out of bed each morning with a smile on your face and a spring in your step? If not, don’t worry. Sarah Creegan is on hand to help you keep the good times rolling for the whole year, not just September.

How are you?

Three weeks in, are you still jumping out of bed each morning with a smile on your face and a spring in your step? Or has your oomph disappeared, presumed lost until half term?

Teachers hugely influence the mood of their classroom (and the staffroom!) And, just as puppies aren’t only for Christmas and Covid times, a happy classroom isn’t just for the first few weeks in September.

Of course, you know that. As humans, though, there will inevitably be days when:

You’re feeling under the weather, tired or ‘wobbly’.
There are a million and one things to do and not enough hours to do them.
Little Jonny (much maligned over the years) is starting to get on your pip!

Looking after your physical health

Teaching can be a physically demanding job. It makes sense then that someone who is in reasonable nick is going to cope better than someone who isn’t.

As you head into the autumn term, it won’t be long before it’s dark when you leave home in the morning and when you get back in the evening. Sorry, I don’t want to be ‘that person’, but it seems that these things always creep up unexpectedly. And that’s usually the time of year when family-sized bars of chocolate and an inordinate number of duvet days replace fruit, veg and any amount of steps.

What can you do now for your physical health so that great habits are embedded by the end of October?

Could you set aside 20 minutes of your lunchtime three times a week to go out for a walk or run? If so, and without wanting to state the bleeding obvious:

You’ll need to ensure that afternoons are prepped so that you can properly ‘switch off’ and not worry about the queue for the photocopier when you get back.
You’ll probably be more likely to go if you’ve got a buddy – that might be an actual person or a podcast that you enjoy. Ask around or download in advance, whichever works for you
You’ll need the right kit. Otherwise, a rainy week will put paid to your good intentions, and then it’ll be trickier to pick things up again.

It may be that you don’t want, need or fancy a lunchtime stroll. Fair enough! But there’ll be something that will help you to feel physically better as the weeks go by. What do you want to work on?

Here are some top tips if you’d like to develop healthier sleep habits
Joe Wicks (the self-pronounced world’s favourite PE teacher, who half killed us during lockdown) is offering three months of free support and bunny hops.
If you want to avoid all of those biscuits and cakes in the staffroom, an 11-year-old recently told me that frozen grapes are a good alternative. I’m not convinced, but they might be worth a try…

Looking after your mental health

At Happy-Centred Schools, we know that happy adults = happy children, and that means happy classrooms.

You can’t be happy all of the time; that’s unrealistic. And, just like those dark mornings, wellbeing wobbles can creep up unexpectedly, which is why it’s important to have self-knowledge and regular check-ins to see where you are on the mental health continuum.

Sometimes, it might help to talk to friends, family or professionals. At other times, it might be recognising when your behaviour is unhelpful and having strategies to FLIP your thinking. For example, if you’ve been a bit short-tempered and snappy with your class, did you know that looking at a funny YouTube video, or a photo of your holiday, or thinking of something you’re grateful for will release positive neurotransmitters which will help put you in a more positive mood?

Managing your workload

Aaah, the age-old problem. So much to do and such little time to do it.

Teachers who feel overwhelmed, stressed and/or distracted by the thought of their to-do list are going to struggle to give 100% to making their lessons memorable or fun.

By the sheer nature of the job, there will be times when your legs are paddling like mad under the surface. But there are things that you can do to glide a little more elegantly through assessment, moderation and report-writing weeks.

It might be that you adopt a recognised method to help you work more productively or to prioritise your tasks, such as the Pomodoro Technique or Eisenhower's Principle.

You might choose to put a polite notice on your classroom door to reduce interruptions when you’re marking. Or set up a group of like-minded people who would benefit from sitting together, purple pens in hand.

And the start of the year is the time to think ahead. When are the pinch points, and what can you do about them? By creating a Word document for each child in your class and adding pertinent comments to it as the weeks go by, you will have a lot of material for everyone’s end-of-year reports without having to sacrifice all of your May half term.

Remember, though, you need to add to these consciously, effortfully and regularly.

Maintaining high expectations and being consistent

Last but not least, here’s what to do about little Jonny now the honeymoon period is over.

A few weeks ago, you worked with your class to devise your class rules, charter or contract. Everyone signed it, drew a picture of themselves or added their handprint. You stuck it up on the classroom door and, after the first week, haven’t mentioned it since. Or, if that’s a bit harsh, you’ve mentioned it less and less.

While you will need to make reasonable adjustments for some of the children in your class, we know that the majority of kids respond well to high expectations and boundaries, which are consistent and clearly communicated.

Use the class rules as your non-negotiables every day, with a recap first thing in the morning of what you want to see and some shout-outs at the end of the day.

We also know that the very best way to manage behaviour is to build strong, trusting relationships. If you haven’t managed to do it yet, make time this week to have a chat and find out more about little Jonny; maybe something that he loves doing or that you’ve got in common.

I once taught a lad who loved his cat more than anything. He was prone to making bad choices but helped to make better ones by being reminded of how disappointed/proud/ happy said cat would be.

Which just goes to show that there are many ways to create and maintain a happy classroom all year round, but if all else fails, you can always rely on Mr Tiddles.

If you’d like some HCS support in your school, why not take a look at the wide range of INSET days and twilight staff meetings we offer on our Happy Teachers page? Alternatively, get in touch with our Doug - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - and he can talk you through your options to create something bespoke for your team.

Former headteacher Sarah Creegan’s wealth of experience makes her the perfect advisor, facilitator and consultant for our education programmes. She was instrumental in developing the Happy-Centred School wellbeing programme and has been a big advocate of getting menopause awareness sessions into schools. She also once over-hugged Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle, but the less said about that, the better.