Teacher Coaching/Counselling
I had been Teaching for fifteen years and held a middle management position. It gradually started to take over all of my time and energy. The job just seemed to get bigger and invaded my personal life. As a result of being constantly judged I became negative in all aspects of my life. Everything just felt grey and lifeless. I felt like an empty shell. Using distractions to hide the fact of how miserable I had become. I kept telling myself I had a “Good job” and denying how unhappy I had become.
An example of one day I had a ridiculously long to do list. I got in early and gave it everything I had only to be told that I had not done xyz. I felt as though I was on a constant treadmill and could not get off. I compared the job to a sheep dog in a pen chasing hundreds of tennis balls. I just couldn’t see the end.
Then the worst happened. A close family relative suffered a horrible illness and died. I was traumatised, my drinking increased, my sleeping patterns were terrible and there was no place for this in the life of a Teacher. A colleague of mine could see how bad I was and recommended that I go to counselling/coaching. I was a mess, a ticking time bomb, argumentative, couldn’t control my time and felt that I was on the sidelines of my life as time was passing me by.
This led to a process of rebuilding and finding out what I really wanted to do with my life. Through Counselling/Coaching I worked through, processed and grew from my experience. Improved my assertiveness and realised you have to say no to control your time and energy. Most importantly I got to the core of what I want to do with my life and gave it meaning.
What happens in Teacher counselling/coaching?
Work through understanding where you are and where you want to go.
Through the emotional roller coaster of Teaching you can sometimes lose yourself. Not having the time and energy to go into how you feel and validating how important your thoughts and emotions are. Have a confidential space to go through this where you won’t be judged. Find the person in you that is not a Teacher striving to be outstanding and stay out of special measures.
Learn to speak about and experience your feelings.
We can be vulnerable and that's okay. We are people and not Teaching machines. It's okay to have a shit day. Kids are hard to work with. Some school culture would view this as“ Letting the kids down” but you can't be perfect all the time.
Learn to talk through how you feel and release these pressures that are trapping you. You can feel these feelings instead of pretending they are not there. Once feelings and thoughts are verbalised they can be investigated and viewed from different perspectives that can be used positively. Identify choices and your influence on situations.
Identify what you actually want (life, time opportunities) and possible opportunities.
Are you just following the programming of Education's culture? Teacher to HOD/HOY to Assistant deputy head etc. Titles and money are great. However, at what cost? Time and energy. Find out if its you want before you are trapped in a lifestyle that requires you earn a certain amount of money.
Before you start going up the ladder of progress make sure it's leaning on the right wall.
Started taking actions (build a plan to take action and change your life)
Make decisions that are part of a plan to improve your life. We can tailor a bespoke action plan to get where you want to be. Professionally and in your personal life.