Excerpt #2 from the book; it's the part of the book where things become a little bit more applied and practical. Again, apologies if you pick up any typos- it's with the publisher now so I hope they'll find the last of these!
I hope you enjoy...
People - usually barbers and taxi drivers, for some reason - wince when I say I’m a teacher: ‘oohh, you are brave, hats off to you.’ What they are referring to is the kids, usually. Some of the more discerning will have an idea about the paperwork being ridiculous, with some even commenting on the marking. In any respect, the narrative around the profession is overwhelmingly negative: there is no escaping it. That, I think, plays a large part in the declining Mental Health of everyone inside it. There’s even the insidious narrative from the inside of the cult of the ‘hero teacher,’ with some schools (perhaps unknowingly) celebrating and advocating the sacrifice of work-life balance. However much we think we are culpable for our Depression or anxieties, the first place to start is to see yourself as partof a much bigger picture. You are not your thoughts, nor are you defined by your environment. Does this change things? No. Does a more accurate sense of perspective lead to a heightened feeling of agency and control? Unquestionably. Please, pleasedo not think I am writing from a perspective of elevated knowledge- I still have plenty of days where the perspective is much harder to reach, and I’m much more exposed to Anxiety. I think Depression is much like grief: when you lose someone, imagine them as a circle inside of a bigger circle- the bigger circle is your life. As your life grows around it, the person doesn’t shrink, but your outer circle grows as you move through your life. Some days are lower - naturally - they just aren’t like the ones I had before. There is clear evidence that the way we perceive events manifests in our brain’s physiologically,[1]and constantly feeling under threat has undeniable links to Anxiety and Depression through what have been called ‘dysfunctional attitudes.’[2] At the heart of the CFT model is dealing with shame and guilt: threatening cultures lead staff to feel these things about themselves as individuals-not just as professionals. With more perspective, we can start to cultivate a more positive self-image. Unfortunately, the kind of society we live in is very binary: you are either ‘good’ or you’re ‘not.’ Intrinsic value judgements on people- including our own about ourselves - are mistaken for a sign of intuition and decisiveness. The truth is that there are very few absolutes in life; this is where to start when we think about our own self image. Missing a deadline or getting it wrong with a student can add to a perceived story we might tell ourselves- which might make sense and give us clarity- but actually be profoundly harmful. To perpetuate any sense of an ‘OK’ self image, or one what stops us from feeling too low, we can actually become addictedto Anxiety: we panic about a set of exam results, or a deadline, and when things turn out OK, the hormonal release in our brain and that sense of relief reinforces our need to chase it again. This is more troubling when we think about Section 2 of this book: it’s a zero-sum game too- if we’re not helping ourselves, our colleagues and students, we’re doing them harm. The words of Dame Alison Peacock are especially useful here in terms of the demoralisation that we can experience: What do you think are the key influences on teacher well-being and Mental Health? Typically the kind of person that wants to become a teacher is someone who is passionate about making a difference, but the job is vast. When that turns into something that feels that it's controlling youinstead of youcontrolling it, and if you get to the point where the things that you're being expected to do go beyond time and the capacity that you feel that you have, then it becomes very difficult. You don't want to let the children down, you don't want to let your colleagues and the wider community down and also the accountability agenda is such that individuals are personally held to account for the performance of others. That's a very difficult place to find yourself when you're worrying about assessment results from other people when there can be all sorts of other factors that can come into play and then we're told we're not allowed to make any excuses. Lost Connections: The Vacuum Where Depression and Anxiety Thrives Johann Hari’s Lost Connections traces human Depression back to a range of factors linked by a loss of value, meaning and purpose. One of the cornerstones of the research he came across was that it’s not just ‘difficulties’ (such as really tough ongoing and long-term circumstances) that can cause Mental Health problems, but also a lack of what researchers called ‘stabilisers’ in someone’s environment (i.e. things - such as friends and supportive partners - that might protect you from negative stuff). Too much of the former and too little of the latter is effectively a cocktail for disaster.[3] If you combine long-term difficulties and a lack of ‘stabilisers’ in one’s personal life- the odds don’t just add up- they explode. As much as anything, this is also what we perceive to be difficulties and stabilisers too- it’s subjective. The point here is that given the pace of modern education and its search for meaning and solutions, we are in a somewhat risky business. In terms of Hari’s connections, I’ve taken the ones here that I feel most obviously link to an educational context. When you consider them, be honest, and be compassionatein terms of their relevance - at this stage, it’s about understanding,and being mindful; at the risk of sounding a bit naff, when the truth reveals itself, the sting is taken away. As much as anything, this is about understanding ourselves as humans in a much bigger picture. Note, these are just questions to reflect upon, and ways of understanding the root causes of how we’re feeling about our work- nothing more, nothing less.
Questions to ask:
Questions to ask:
Questions to ask:
Questions to ask:
I have to say this: these questions feel like they’re from a ‘No-Win No Claims’ Advert. Anyway – I digress - of course, like everything we’ve already talked about, these things also operate on a much wider level. What if schools’ work is now defined solely by things that don’t speak to anyone’sintrinsic values? What if school leaders are experiencing such chronic disempowerment that we are growing sick as a collective? What happens to schools in all contexts that don’t feel recognised for the work they do? What consequences are there for communities when leaders from schools are isolated from one another, operating as competing silos? What’s the impact on teachers when the only real dialogue about the profession is when terrible documentaries shed light on the darker experiences of working in schools? I’ll not labour this point here, but it’s worth giving it some thought. Schools - just like its stakeholders - are bound by a common humanity that is unavoidable, with unavoidably human consequences. [1]Simon-Thomas, Emiliana R., et al. “An FMRI Study of Caring vs Self-Focus during Induced Compassion and Pride.” Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, vol. 7, no. 6, 2011, pp. 635–648., doi:10.1093/scan/nsr045. [2]Johnson, Edward A., and Karen A. O'brien. “Self-Compassion Soothes the Savage EGO-Threat System: Effects on Negative Affect, Shame, Rumination, and Depressive Symptoms.” Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, vol. 32, no. 9, 2013, pp. 939–963., doi:10.1521/jscp.2013.32.9.939. [3]Brown, George W., and Tirril O. Harris. Social Origins of Depression: a Study of Psychiatric Disorder in Women. Routledge, 2011. [4]Marmot, Michael. Status Syndrome: How Your Social Standing Directly Affects Your Health. Bloomsbury, 2015. [5]Preidt, Robert. “Loneliness May Lead to Sleepless Nights.” WebMD, WebMD, 1 June 2017, www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/news/20170601/can-loneliness-rob-you-of-needed-sleep. [6]Hawkley, Louise C., and John T. Cacioppo. “Perceived Social Isolation: Social Threat Vigilance and Its Implications for Health.” Oxford Handbooks Online, 2011, doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195342161.013.0050.
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