‘Mummy, I hate it when you do that! When I ask you something and you don’t answer for ages because you’re staring at your computer.'
‘But Mummy, I just want to spend TIME with you!’
I’ve just staggered to the end of an exhausting half term. I voluntarily took on two extra year 11 classes on top of my existing one this year, and have never been able to say ‘no’ to teenagers so have been teaching up to ten extra hours a week to get them ready for their exams. The grey patches in my hair have crept back and expanded and my house resembles a post-nuclear disaster zone.
Like most people who bang on about wellbeing, it’s something I can never take for granted, and I learn the same lessons – and sometimes difficult new ones – year on year, like the fact that my Mum is usually right when she says I’m overdoing it…
So it’s for selfish reasons, as well as my passionate commitment to our wonderful profession, that I am so excited about the forthcoming TeachWellFest on 30 June. This is a chance to collaborate, to celebrate and to rejuvenate, as well as being another wildly exciting opportunity to meet some of my superheroes one more time.
Why do I feel so strongly about teacher wellbeing that I spent crazy hours writing and ranting about it? Quite simply because I know (and there’s much evidence for this in the research) that teachers who are happy and whole do a far better job than burned-out husks. And, selfish me again, my own wellbeing child-police at home deserve brilliant teachers who want to be there.
I can’t wait to see you all at what promises to be a tremendous and unforgettable event.