I first saw the quote painted on the wall of a Sixth Form common room in a school close to where I live. It struck me that it perfectly encapsulates both the sense of joy that is created by both being inspired and inspiring others. And the sheer privilege that it is to be a teacher or school leader, with the chance to inspire other human beings on a daily basis.

In our work at HeadsUp4Hts we explore the balance between joy and challenge in much greater depth. For us it is through understanding the tension between the two that we can be much more intentional about how we support school leaders with their wellbeing and consequently create cultures of wellbeing within schools and Multi-Academy Trusts. 

It is true of the thousands of school leaders that we have supported that they are absolutely dedicated and determined to ensure that those they teach and work with are inspired. It is also true that they are often doing this work in challenging circumstances. It is this dedication and determination that can often create high levels of stress and anxiety and ultimately lead to a negative impact on well-being. 

It seems appropriate, on World Teacher’s Day, to celebrate our amazing school leaders, teachers and school staff who are often relentless in their determination to ensure that young people receive the best education they possibly can. It also seems appropriate to offer a word of caution, that to do so at the detriment of your own wellbeing and your own family, is not conducive to a long and glorious career. 

At HeadsUp4Hts we support school leaders to implement strategies and actions that can help them to pause and reflect, to take that breath with the aim of avoiding burnout and the consequences of burnout in the longer term. For people who are predisposed to work in acts of service to others 24/7 this can be very challenging. However, we would advocate that it is vital that school leaders take the time to regularly pause and to reflect, to ask yourself, “How Am I?”, to answer the question with honesty and to act based on that answer. 

This may be as simple as establishing some boundaries around your working day, it may involve ensuring you make time available for the things in your professional and personal life that bring you joy.  It may require greater action such as discussing your well-being with your line manager and seeking some external support.

World Teacher’s Day provides us with a great opportunity to celebrate the amazing work that all those working in education, it also provides us with the perfect opportunity to ensure that those same people remain in education for the entirety of their career, experiencing the sheer joy and privilege of the job, whilst establishing behaviours that help them to maintain healthy levels of well-being. 

After all, to inspire others is incredible!

Want to know more about the work of HeadsUp4Hts? Check out our website www.headsup4hts.co.uk and get in touch if you would like to know more about effective and sustainable strategies to maintain healthy levels of well-being and don’t forget to look out for our book for more insights and practical guidance.