In this episode, Ellen speaks to Daniel, an Aussie teaching in an International School. We hear his experiences and insights about teaching in a variety of contexts, maintaining health while balancing not only the pressures of the classroom but also language barriers and culture shock, as well as the benefits of taking bold action to make amazing memories early in your teaching career.

“If you are a pre-service teacher, hang in there. It is really, really difficult but the rewards are amazing.”

If you listen on iTunes, please do subscribe so you won’t miss an episode, or listen via the Whooshkaa player embedded below!

Highlights from this episode with Daniel:

” Watching the progress that they’ve (the students) made, I think that’s one of the nicest things I’ve had the chance to do.”

“I think the biggest challenge I’ve faced so far is not being taken seriously…I probably didn’t have the amount of support that I needed as a new teacher.”

“A parent came up to me and said ‘you’re too young to deal with me’”

“The biggest thing for me was being able to process what had happened…just to be able to talk about it so that I’ve gotten it out of my head then and I can move on with whatever I’m doing in the evening.”

“One of the other challenges of being in an international school is that your community is very insular. The biggest thing that you have in common is that you work together, so inevitably every time you go out to dinner or do something social with friends, inevitably the conversation turns to school. So you are living in this tiny echo chamber. That can be challenging. That takes an enormous amount of self-discipline to move away from the constant school talk.”

“I’ve got my friend network now, I’ve got a group of people that I can rely on both inside school and outside.”

Daniel’s top tips for teachers:
  • Get some sleep! Put it into the schedule, 8 hours, every night. It will do you the world of good!
  • Get it into routine. Put some exercise in there, put it in routine and get to bed early.
  • Time management is key.  Use your time as wisely as you can. It’s a really big challenge and something to work on as well.
  • [At new schools] Never tell the kids everything about yourself, keep some professional distance. …Check your Facebook and social media and make sure it’s private…Be friendly of course but not too friendly, not to overshare.
  • If anyone is thinking of international schools, do try it!
  • If you are a pre-service teacher, hang in there. It is really, really difficult but the rewards are amazing.

Links from this episode:

ABC News Theme Remix by Pendulum

BBC News Theme Remix by Bill Bailey

Contact Daniel: 

If you are interested in an international teaching experience and available to start in September 2017, you can email your CV to daniel [dot] lee [at] cisrussia [dot] com or visit the website here.

Have questions, comments, episode ideas or want to volunteer to be a guest on the show?

Get in touch with the Self-Care for Teachers team at hello [at] selfcareforteachers [dot] com [dot] au

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Self-Care for Teachers
TWP S01 E07 Teacher Wellbeing Podcast Season 1 Blog Title Image
What lessons have you learned on your wellbeing journey? 
I've been on a personal wellbeing journey for 14+ years now and I've learned a lot, and am continuing to learn. 
These are the top 15 lessons I've learned so far. 
Tell me in the comments whether any of these lessons are ones you've learned/are learning too?
Sometimes (often!) self-care is a chore.
Are you the teacher or staff member who is the
LAST CHANCE to join this round of the Resilient Teacher Coaching Program

.
We start TOMORROW at 6pm QLD time (which is 7pm NSW/VIC/ACT/TAS)


Sometimes one of the hardest things about making an investment in your personal wellbeing is feeling like it’s the right time to take the leap into action.


You know there’s work involved. 


You know it’s going to be a bit of a commitment.


You know I'm going to be holding you accountable to the goals you set for yourself, so you can no longer stay in your comfort zone of self-neglect.


So maybe it's not the right time for you to join, and that's totally okay. 


There will be another round down the track. 


But if this year is the time that you finally focus on your wellbeing and you want my support to stop depleting yourself and start prioritising yourself?


Then I invite you to join me in The Resilient Teacher Group Coaching Program.

https://selfcareforteachers.com.au/resilientteacher
We start tomorrow. You in? Link in my bio
Gentle reminder that time is running out to join this round of the Resilient Teacher Group Coaching Program. 
Here's what one of last year's participants, Jessica, said about it. 
The Resilient Teacher is a 6-month Group Coaching Program for teachers who want to not just survive in this modern education system but learn to thrive and put themselves first. 
If this is the year that you finally treat yourself like a person first and a teacher second, and develop those habits that sustain you throughout the term, not just on the school holidays, then I'd love to welcome you into the program. 
We start Tuesday evening! 
Enrol here: www.selfcareforteachers.com.au/resilientteacher 
(live link in @selfcareforteachers bio)
What would more wellbeing and resilience look like for you this year? 
🍎 Having more energy for day to day life?
🍎 Feeling less stressed and overwhelmed, more calm and collected?
🍎 Having a life outside school?
🍎 Being able to actually switch off and sleep through the night?
🍎 Reigniting the joy you once felt in the classroom?
I know the last 2 years have been full on and extremely demanding on already tired teachers. 
I know you are reading this full of uncertainty about what this term will look like for you professionally, let alone the rest of the year.
I know the end of the school holidays can loom large with a sense of the Sunday night blues on steroids.
I also know that this year can be different for you. 
Not necessarily because anything external changes (after all, we can't control the external pressures on us), but because you make the shifts in your own life that make a difference day by day. 
I know there is a way for you to build more resilience as a person first and a teacher second this term and beyond. 
It doesn't happen overnight. There are no quick fixes or magic pills. It's a wicked problem after all. But with realistic and relevant strategies, it can happen.
Despite the huge challenges we face as a profession, when teachers are well and have fuel in their tank, they can do fricken anything. 
Yes, it’s much easier to find time for you on the school holidays but it’s possible to incorporate it into your life during the term too. 
My Resilient Teacher Framework offers you 5 areas to focus on to make big improvements in your wellbeing and resilience overall. 
If that sounds like something you’d like to explore and if you’d like support with your wellbeing this year, I invite you to join me in the Resilient Teacher Group Coaching program, enrolling now.
Enrol today: www.selfcareforteachers.com.au/resilientteacher (link in my bio)
The Resilient Teacher Coaching Program starts on Saturday. ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
I know you might feel like it’s not the best time to start. You've just come back from school holidays, you're feeling relatively refreshed, and there's just so much schoolwork to do.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
But let's not delude ourselves that any other part of the year is any less busy, or that there is a mythical 'perfect time' to begin a program like this. ⁠⁠
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If not now, when? ⁠⁠
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Do you need to wait until the end of next term, or the end of the year, until you're fully depleted again, to decide that it's time to make a change?⁠⁠
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Are you SO ready for this to be the time you get off the Depletion Spiral once and for all, and become the Resilient Teacher you long to be? ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
It's not easy, I know. ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
There are no quick fixes and I won't promise you any overnight transformations. That's now how this works. ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
All the info you need to get started is in the webinar (replay available until 31st Jan), but building resilience takes more than just information. ⁠⁠
⁠⁠
You have to take action. ⁠⁠
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With the right support around you, you can finally keep you and your needs on the to-do list, stick to your healthy habits, nourish your body, nurture your mind, maintain your support networks, design your life and feed your soul.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Heading into this school year, it is not the time to be complacent about your personal wellbeing and resilience.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
You are a PERSON first and a teacher second.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
It's time to be proactive and solutions-focused, and I want to help you do so.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
The Resilient Teacher is a 6-month Group Coaching Program for teachers who want to not just survive in this modern education system, but actually enjoy work and life again.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
And if this year is the time that you finally prioritise your health and wellbeing, stop falling down The Depletion Spiral and wind your way up the Resilience Spiral?⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Then I invite you to join me in The Resilient Teacher Group Coaching Program.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
We start on Saturday (or Tuesday 1st Feb if you choose that cohort). Are you in?⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Enrol here: www.selfcareforteachers.com.au/resilientteacher⁠⁠
(live link in @selfcareforteachers bio)
We all know what day it is. I'm of the belief that if it's causing pain to an important part of our population, then as an inclusive society, we should listen and do something about that. ⁠
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Unfortunately, whether or not Australia is an inclusive society generally depends on who you are (which means it's not really inclusive at all). ⁠
⁠⁠
Anyway, I don't want to centre myself in this conversation. Plenty of First Nations voices to listen to on this matter. I do, however, want to make my values very clear to anyone following. ⁠
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Inclusion. Equity. Justice. Believing people when they share their lived experiences and explain how things impact them.⁠
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These are things I value deeply and for everyone, not just for a select few. ⁠
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I live and work on the land of the Giabal people in Toowoomba. I pay my respects to their elders, past, present and emerging. ⁠
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I acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. This always was, always will be Aboriginal land, and today is #notthedatetocelebrate
One thing I want you to remember is that this term, whatever it ends up being, will not be the 'be all, end all' of education for your students.
There are some messages flying around, perpetuated by politicians, media personalities and regular folk in comment sections, expecting teachers to sacrifice even more than usual. 
And yes, sure, it's going to be tough and you'll need to rise to the occasion, as you always do. 
But there is gaslighting going on about this back to school being 'make or break' for Australian students. 
In case you don't know, gaslighting is defined as