WRITER’


Handy book to unravel the stresses of teaching


A Practical Guide to Teacher Wellbeing By Elizabeth Holmes


Learning Matters, an imprint of Sage Publications: paperback, 120 pages


This simple, straightforward and accessible guide is packed full of information. It includes chapters on well-being, stress and anxiety, as well as the positive aspects of stress; tips on asking for help; strategies for everyday living; and the importance of sleep and maintaining a balance on life. Each chapter is clearly laid out with five key ‘take home’ points,


links to relevant further reading, techniques and activities to try, and writing prompts to focus on well-being. There really is something for everyone. While much of the book is helpful to anyone, the chapter on


everyday strategies focuses more on the teacher role and managing stress in the workplace. It looks at stress at an organisational level and at an individual level, though it acknowledges that these two aspects of workplace stress overlap. This chapter is particularly helpful in looking at workload issues and student behaviour. Much of the advice is about what teachers have to do for themselves, and nothing about the impact of (poor) management on the mental health and well-being of staff. This is briefly covered in the chapter on asking for help and covers talking to your line manager, trusted colleagues, unions or the Education Support Partnership. Although this book is aimed at schools, there is still plenty for colleagues in the post-16 sector to take from it, particularly the empowering approach to managing your own mental health and well-being.


Review by Kathryn James is an education consultant and associate of the Education and Training Foundation.


WRITERS BLOG


By Jim Smith Given the offer of a trip in an educational time machine, I wonder if it would prove more beneficial to go backwards or forwards in time? A trip backwards would prove


if the ‘good old days’ were indeed just that, and enable us to revisit approaches and ideas for the classroom that may have been long forgotten. A trip forwards would satisfy the current craving to refine our knowledge of what works, and it would decide emphatically if educational research is steering us in the right direction or reveal if we are forgetting two huge variables in any roll-out: the skills of children and talents of teachers. Like most debates in education


a strong case could be made for travel in either direction, with some wanting to go a little back and a little bit forward! And why not? Recognising the merits of


MEMBER OFFER SET members are entitled to 20 per cent off the RRP for this book when ordering direct on the Sage Publications UK website. Use discount code WELL19 when prompted. The offer is valid until 31 July, 2019.


suggesting learning points from each. It is a highly readable book with a powerful message.


MEMBER OFFER See Crown House offer for Making Kids Cleverer above.


The Trainee Teacher’s Handbook: A Companion for Initial Teacher Training By Carol Thompson and Peter Wolstencroft


Learning Matters (an imprint of Sage Publications): paperback, 248 pages This book is something of a Swiss Army Knife. Although aimed at trainee teachers and early career teachers there is an awful lot that will appeal to more experienced practitioners. The first part takes readers


through teacher training, the second on developing and deepening teaching practice,


and the third offers information and support around continuing professional development. An appendix maps the content in each chapter onto the relevant Professional Standards for Teachers and Trainers.


MEMBER OFFER See the Sage offer for A Practical Guide to Teacher Wellbeing above.


different approaches: the needs of students; the resources available; the culture of a school or college; and the experience and skills of a teacher, all play a part in determining what will be effective and need to be the starting point for your journey. So a journey that takes you backwards to look at what you used to do, as well as looking forwards to engage with new approaches, may be just what you need. Perhaps taking two steps forward and one step back is not as muddled as we once thought and may be another reason why us teachers need to have eyes in the back of our head.


Jim Smith


is the head teacher of a secondary school in Bristol and author of The Really Lazy Teacher’s Handbook.


MEMBER OFFER SET members can claim 20 per cent off the RRP for Jim’s book when ordering from www.crownhouse.co.uk and using code SET20 when prompted. Offer is valid until 31 July, 2019.


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