Blog: How are you doing, dear Educators?

Life has a way of being out of our control. Some seasons are beautiful, joyful and filled with many highs and then there are those seasons, when unpleasant moments appear, frustrations, disappointments and the works of it become a part of our daily journey.

The truth is all of us have 24 hours and all our days are numbered. God knows each and every day, a specific moment of a past, present and future.

Nothing is ever hidden from the Almighty and that is indeed a good thing.

Now that we have God in the equation, our attention and focus should be on things we can control and influence. We should make the most of our well-being, actions, intentions, behaviour, and the people we can influence.

Early childhood educators and pre-primary educators: How are you doing? How is your well-being?

Are you in a season where you are highly motivated and inspired and are able to do all that it takes to carry out all your responsibilities? Take note of what contributed to a good season?

Was it the faces of the children whom you inspired and nurtured? Was it when you had meticulously made time to prepare and carry out successful and effective lesson plans? Was it a result of a good session of collaboration with your peers to carry out a project-based learning lesson? Or could it be as a result of you having a good sleep, eating a balanced meal and exercising? Or could it be you carving out some things to keep yourself happy: gardening, reading a good book or trying out a new recipe?

The reasons could seem like many insignificant decisions, but it is important that we take note of each one of them and make them a constant in our teaching and learning adventure.

As we have agreed earlier on, life is often time uncertain, but knowing that ultimately, the Almighty reigns sovereign should bring us renewed hope. When going through a rough and painful season, focus on what you can do and not on those that you cannot.

If you are struggling with a subject or a specified topic entrusted to you, read up and equip yourself about it, for it will not be possible to share knowledge about something you do not understand yourself? Once you have grasped and equipped yourself, only then can you accurately transfer the knowledge.

Are your children not showing progress, or struggling in your classroom or portraying challenging behaviours, then become that teacher who spends time understanding the children under your care? What gets their attention? What are their interests? How do they enjoy learning? Are there underlying issues that haven't been addressed? Ask for feedback, craft out some workable actions and do them.

If you are simply exhausted or unmotivated, watch talks, speak to or look out for other educators who find joy in teaching and learning. Or go deeper, look within yourself, why do you feel that way and what can you do about it that is within your control? Could it require some change in your lifestyle or could it simply be letting go of things that you truly cannot control?

The key is always to come back to what you can do and let go of what you cannot.

Well-being is important. Taking care of your well-being as an educator is often overlooked, but if you prioritize your well-being, could it then result in children that also have healthy well-being, and are constantly motivated to excel and find great joy to learn and grow within your classrooms?

Your well-being matters, dear educators! Take care of them.