It wasn't too long ago that pandemics were a subject for history books. Now, as the effects of the pandemic are a part of our everyday lives, we can see the emotional toll the last year has taken. While it has been difficult for many groups, it's clear that educators, students, and their families have taken on considerable stress and frustration throughout the pandemic. I have noticed that so many amazing educators power through with positive attitudes (supplemented by their focus and drive for educating students).
When I saw the article "FETC keynote: 4 reasons why happiness is essential to success" posted by District Administration, it made me smile. Keynote speaker Shawn Achor is the author of The Happiness Advantage and Big Potential and an overall happiness guru. He spent 12 years at Harvard University focusing on positive psychology and his Ted Talk, "The Happy Secret to Better Work" has more than 23 million views.
At a time when administrators are dealing with frustrated and burnt out staff, why not focus on the positive?
In the District Administration article, Achor goes on to discuss the following questions with the aim of increasing educator happiness.
- Please detail the steps in the process of how an educator chooses to be happy.
- How do we form our mental picture of reality and how can we adjust it?
- How does someone become a “positive genius” and manage stress in a high-stress position such as school superintendent or principal, where new, often unanticipated challenges pop up throughout the day?
- How can educators spread this mindset to their staff and students, with an eye toward professional and academic success?
Why does this matter?
“Positive brains reap an incredible advantage,” Achor says, “raising productivity by 31%, tripling creativity, tripling problem-solving ability, improving verbal and quantitative reasoning, while deepening social bonds, raising intelligence and memory, lowering bullying and social isolation, and extending how long we live."
As you plan for the 2021-2022 school year, it is important to consider the happiness of your team, and to remember that a happy team is a team that will help your students achieve their dreams.
At SchoolInfo, we try to help increase happiness by providing your team with the tools they need to communicate effectively. Interested in learning more about effective communication? Download our ebook!
