This blog focuses on how I manage myself as a middle leader and what I have done to achieve change, peace and productivity.
With ‘some’ pressure from my good friend Jude, chief geek and fellow middle leader, I am stepping into this blog land with open eyes and ears.
At this challenging time, we look to our leaders to guide us on how we support our students in the most effective way. I can’t thank our SLT and IT department enough for getting us off the ground and running. Can’t thank them enough.
As PSHE lead and a PE teacher I find myself needing to take some time to stop and check in with myself. I constantly am in a state of endless mind chatter that feels like it’s mentally pulling me from pillar to post. For example, you should be planning this for A level, well what about booking in that PSHE speaker, there’s a knock at the office door, you need to answer that email about a fixture etc As a middle leader I feel obligated to put my subject first when on the front line as such, which means something else always suffers or gets dropped. This is due to taking work home as there just aren’t enough hours in the day. Which means I don’t go to football training or I skip that catch up with a friend or my relationship takes a back seat, which in short, isn’t good enough is it?
In light of our new learning environment I have been able to take advantage of shifting this mind chatter. I love to exercise and run or cycle regularly. Since Boris has allowed one activity a day, I am pairing this with listening to many podcasts. My regular favourites being “Happy place” by Fearne Cotton and “Going for Gold” from Women’s health. It was a podcast that shone the light on the nature of my job. We can’t hide from it and we can’t change it. I listened to a women who works in an office in London, stating that (in a very flowing calming voice) “you know what guys, if you just need some time out to focus yourself on some work then just say to your team, I’m heading to the break out room, I’ll be back at 2pm.” This stopped me in my tracks. Hello! I can’t do that in teaching! That would go down well mid gymnastics lesson, “Sorry guys I’m just going to focus my work in the break out room, keep your selves busy!” Not happening is it? But then a light came shining through and the theory of how we approach tasks. Here is one for you to think about, are you a:
Grazer – pick up little tasks here and there achieving not a lot
Batcher – batch medium sized tasks to gather and hit out the work,
Zoner – one focus head down in the game.
It made me think how I currently manage my task load. Yes, teaching is a busy profession, yes there is always something to do, but it is what it is right? So instead of battling with yourself, setting out expectations that are truly unrealistic or missing out on what’s important to YOU. Aim to approach tasks in different ways. Some days you need to and can be a zoner. Other days the batch or graze approach suits due to time or more pressing things to do. Adapting how you approach the job is better than battling it.
The key thing is… don’t beat yourself with a stick if you can’t get what you had planned done. Things change. Look for the opportunity in what you have not what you expected to have. Managing the stress I am a middle leader that needs to stop and check in to ensure I don’t allow my mind to be over taken with unhelpful chatter. You should be doing this, you must do that etc I manage this through several techniques such as drop the anchor, a review of the day or mindfulness practice. It’s not good enough to allow your anxieties or expectation to take over your brain space. There are bigger things to attend to.
We must continue to practise these basic things. I feel this will support us to all remember and feel what is important to us. Why plan weeks or months ahead in your life when what is in front of you is all that matters? Taking each day as it comes is so important, not even each day… each hour, each moment. It’s astonishing how things changed so quickly even in a few days in this country. So why waste time on what if? Or I must? Change this to I want to, I will, I would like to. My next moves are, I would like to go for bike ride, and check in on my Nonna who is 92 and such an inspiration to us all. Simple, effective and safe.
Thank you for reading.
Jenna Lepore
Teacher of PE
PSHE Coordinator
Creating Cognitive Classrooms 