Teachers enjoying the WellBeing for Educators seminar.
Teachers enjoying the WellBeing for Educators seminar.
When life or work becomes challenging, educators can employ various wellbeing tools to help them maintain good current practice.
That was the aim behind workshops held last month at the Hub in Dannevirke.
There were 72 teachers and support staff at the two afternoon/evening sessions, organised by Tararua REAP, NZEI Te Riu Roa and Kahui Ako - the local Dannevirke Community of Learning, which combines teachers and other learning providers working together to help learners achieve their full potential.
In negotiation with local principals it was arranged to forego the weekly staff meeting after school to attend the workshops, scheduled from 3.30pm to 6pm or 6.45pm to 7.15pm.
The workshops also introduced some of the wellbeing services that are available in the area.
Guest speaker was Charlotte Heald, a holistic health coach who works predominantly with ambitious rural women, helping them to create empowered sustainable lifestyles so they can leave their overwhelmed, fatigued and unfulfilled life behind. Charlotte believes self care is essential for everyone, and needs to be prioritised for creating balance, fulfilment and optimal wellbeing.
After a warm-up session by laughter yoga teacher Marianne Andersen, encouraging laughter in their lives, the teachers heard from Charlotte about the key elements to a more healthy life, asking them “to mindfully take time to pay attention to themselves and prioritising their own care to maximise their wellbeing and personal health”.
Charlotte Heald talking about filling a half-full glass.
She used the cup-half-full analogy to explain how life can help fill it or empty it and then covered key topics which would help to fill it. These were nourishment, hydration, sleep, boundaries and saying no - before she challenged the group to go away and prioritise the key changes they would make.
She ended with a quote from Lisa O’Neill (author of Look Gorgeous, Be Happy and other motivational books) “We need to learn to put ourselves first if we are going to end up anywhere but last.”
The group then visited various health and wellbeing providers scattered about the hub.
LIST OF PROVIDERS: Bec Adie - Healthy Catering, Michelle Ross - Purely Massage, Rebekah Charlton - Halcyon Wellness, Kim McDonald Beauty Consultant, Renee Timmins Wellbeing, Susan Lyford Massage on Waterloo. Kim Phelps, naturopath Helen Craddock, Patchwork.
