Health, happiness and well-being

Health, happiness and well-being

Regardless of where you are in the world, children have very similar dreams and aspirations.  I love walking into kindergarten classes and seeing the passion and enthusiasm that the children show when they are asked what they would like to do when they are older.  Unfortunately not everyone gets their fairy tale in real life. 

The catch for educators is to know the students in your class well enough to give them the support they need so that they can turn their dreams into reality.  You might not always understand the complexity of the student's situation, but the student needs to feel that they can confide in you without feeling that you are judging them.

I love enrichment clubs where you are able to get to know the children on a more one to one basis outside of a formal education setting.  I especially like to step back and allow the students to take control of their own learning during this time, allowing them to choose their own topics and do something that they feel is important to them.

With my one enrichment group of 11 year old's, they decided to make a video about healthy eating.     Even after completing the video, they took the project further when they decided to start a campaign to convert the tuckshop in our school so that it would only sell what was approved by the heart foundation.  Although it took a little while, they were victorious in the end.  The indomitable spirit of this group of 11 year old’s was inspiring!

One of the great things about being an ICT teacher is that you have a little bit of flexibility with what you are producing, which also allows more creativity in my classes.  With the new software / devices / apps there is always the option of creating something new and inspirational which can be shared with other schools or countries.  

On the other side of this, which is equally as important is your own well-being.  When you are feeling down, exhausted, sick, how are you expected to be teaching inspirational lessons?

There are little tricks that I try and do with my class where I can distress / relax at the same time as them.  One of these is in the morning to have quiet time and reflect on the day ahead.   I find that we all need timeout from technology during the day, oops I should never be saying this as an ICT teacher …. Playing soccer, hand tennis or table tennis not only gets you active, but it also creates a bond with your students.

Being a teacher is about having relationships and to me is more important than teaching a curriculum that they might forget about in 10 years time.  This is about a connection, allowing the student to feel that they are important, that they matter and that you care.

With ICT, students need to be given a voice to share what they think is important.  With the Internet there are so many global initiatives that they can be part of.  Fairly often the students come across other students with the same difficulties living half way across the world.  So often students feel that they are the only ones with a problem and being able to share their feelings with others seems to make them feel more human and that they are not alone.

Being there, actively listening, being supportive and knowing the students you teach can go a far helping them to believe in the fairy tale  that is their life.  

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