Before Term 4 Gets Away From Us
Depending on where you are in Australia, you might still be on holidays, enjoying a slower morning and trying very hard not to think about school.
Or you might be heading back next week and already feeling your brain switch into Term 4 mode.
Assessment. Reporting. End-of-year events. Staffing. Planning for next year.
Term 4 has a habit of getting busy very quickly.
So, before it does, I want to invite you to think about two simple questions:
What are my priorities this term?
And just as importantly...
What resources do I have to meet them?
This is where we need to change the conversation about teacher wellbeing.
Personal wellbeing such as the things we do to rest, recharge and look after ourselves matter.
But professional wellbeing is different.
It asks us to look at the relationship between the demands of our work and the resources we have available to meet them.
This idea sits at the heart of the Job Demands-Resources model from Bakker and Demerouti and aligns with the way the World Health Organization talks about work-related stress.
Demands can be personal such as a strong inner critic, they can be relational with a difficult parent, or they can be systemic with unrealistic timelines.
The good news is resources can also be personal such as an ability to focus on what we can control instead of getting caught up in what we can't control, people can be an incredible support and the system often has more resources than we access.
The key here is recognising our resources. This is where Professional Wellbeing Intelligence comes in.
While reducing demand is important, building our resources is just as important.
So, whether you're still on holidays or already thinking about Monday, perhaps don't start with the enormous Term 4 to-do list.
One Small Shift
When you write down your top priorities for the term, consider these questions:
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What personal skills and experience do I already possess to complete this?
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Who could I speak to if I needed support?
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What systemic procedures exist to clarify what’s expected of me?
You might already have it, need to ask for it, or realise it’s something your team needs to work out together.
Because we can't always change the demands. But we can get better at recognising, accessing and building the resources we need to navigate them.
