Wellbeing in International Schools Magazine - December 2021

Wellbeing in International Schools Magazine

COVER ARTWORK: CONNOR MARSHALL (Y12 STUDENT)

GENDER IDENTITY AND SCHOOL SPORT

MULTILINGUALISM: THE LANGUAGE OF IDENTITY

REFLECTIVE SUPERVISION AND TEACHER SUPPORT

DISTRIBUTION SUPPORTED BY OUR MEDIA PARTNERS:

CONTENTS 19 Building wellbeing by developing hope

22 School Spotlight: Dulwich College Suzhou

26 Gender identity and school sport: Time to start the conversation

4 Editor's Note 5 Teaching, learning, cancer and burnout 7 Will somebody switch the light on?

13 When it comes to language acquisition, words matter 15 Reflective supervision in educational settings 17 Wellbeing impact: Less is more, everyone or no-one!

28 Lessons for us all: Strategic approaches to wellbeing in schools 32 Writing as a form of wellbeing 34 The impact and influence of an educator 36 Wherever or whenever you start: Try and remain consistent 38 Continuing professional development in suicide first aid

10 Are Queer folx more griefliterate? How I've changed the way I talk about grieving

WISM COPY EDITOR: ADAM BEESON

40 The conference circuit: IGB International School host first community conference 42 WISEducation podcast feature: Students Together AgaiNst Discrimination 43 The wellbeing library with Nadine Bailey

WELCOME TO ISSUE 2 OF THE WELLBEING IN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS MAGAZINE A very warm welcome to issue two of the Wellbeing in International Schools Magazine. It is so exciting seeing how far the magazine has come already! I'm really pleased to introduce some new features for the magazine, which includes our first student contribution as part of this issue's School Spotlight on Dulwich College Suzhou, we have our second installment from the brilliant Kristin Lowe on further understanding Positive Psychology, there is the conference circuit feature which landed this time in Malaysia for the IGB International School Community Conference, and we also have a WISEducation podcast feature with the inspiring Stand Together AgaiNst Discrimination (STAND) student equity group from the International School of Helsinki.

I am truly grateful for all of the stories, experiences and knowledge shared in these pages which I believe have the power to help advance discussions about wellbeing in the international school context (and beyond!) I can't thank every single contributor enough, this magazine would not exist without you, and the future of education is that much brighter because you are a part of it. This is a bumper issue that is full of articles that I have no doubt will resonate deeply with some, and will inspire others.

A huge thank you is also owed to Adam Beeson and Laura Davies - you have given up countless hours to support the magazine and me, you are the glue that brings it all together.

A final thank you to Steve and Andrew from SMP who continue to put their trust in me, and help ensure that the magazine and its messages are shared as widely as possible.

Looking forward we are passionate to include student voice as part of the magazine so please get in contact if you'd like to find out more information at sadie.wiseducation@gmail.com. Here I'd like to give a big shout out to Connor Marshall (Y12 student) who did an incredible job designing our front cover for issue 2! You can check out some more of Connor's work on Twitter and Instagram (@Emb33rr).

I hope you enjoy the issue, take what is helpful to you and continue to come back and dip into ideas as you please, as well as grow these conversations in your own school.

Thank you.

Sadie Hollins, Editor

IF YOU MISSED IT, CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT ISSUE 1 OF THE WELLBEING IN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS MAGAZINE

TEACHING, LEARNING, CANCER AND BURNOUT

BY NEIL THOMAS “It’s probably an infection.” A week later, and 30 minutes after an ultrasound that the doctor had sent me for as a precaution, the doctor rang me to come in to see him. It was 7:30 pm on a Saturday, the last day of the weekend in the Middle East. I knew something was wrong.

The ultrasound had shown a tumour; I had testicular cancer.

Fortunately, after a week of blood tests and various scans, it was confirmed that the cancer had not spread and was Stage 1. A small operation and two rounds of adjuvant chemotherapy, and that was cancer and me done. Thankfully, I have been in remission since July 2019.

"While I had beaten cancer, no one can ever really explain its impact on you, both mentally and physically, after you think it is finished."

Since the start of my career, I have been incredibly passionate about being an educator and have always committed myself wholeheartedly to the students, school, and broader community that I worked within. This is nothing special in teaching, as we tend to be in the profession due to intrinsic motivation. In the early days, it was about crafting my profession at a classroom level; then, it was about widening that circle of influence as a department head and finally at a whole school level as a vice principal.

After I missed the third term of 2018-2019, and after what I thought was a restful summer holiday, I came back fighting in September 2019, albeit with no hair. Doing what I had always known, I jumped straight into “normal” life, and my role as vice principal of teaching and learning at Doha College, one of the world’s leading 3-18 British International Schools.

If I am honest, I turned down the offer from my principal to return on a phased basis, as I felt guilty for having missed so much school the previous year, and I didn’t want to “lose face” or be seen as “weak” by not returning like the old Neil.

The truth is, after a severe illness, the old you does not exist anymore.

The Christmas break approached, and I was exhausted. All teachers are tired at Christmas. It’s the end of a mammoth term, and you want to watch films, eat mince pies, and crash out.

However, in all my previous 14 Christmas holidays, I had never felt so wiped out. All my joints ached, I felt sick all the time, I wasn’t eating correctly, and I had no energy.

Apart from the physical issues, some of which were heightened by onset fatigue from the chemotherapy, there were also the mental aspects.

"Worryingly, I felt that whatever I did within my role was not enough; I felt empty inside and devoid of any motivation for the job and career I once loved so much. I didn’t want to return in January; I didn’t want to go to meetings; I didn’t care anymore; and I had a constant high level of anxiety – pulling out of several staff presentations at the last moment."

Between the mental and physical exhaustion, I was wiped out. I was no good to anyone. If I’m honest, I was constantly on the verge of crying. Looking back on pictures of me during this time, I looked pale, withdrawn and not at all well.

The critical point for me was identifying that I was burnt out instead of being stressed. Looking back, there were several signals that my body was giving me signs that I was burning out before I broke down in a meeting with my principal.

Burnout signs felt like*: Inexplicable tiredness Constant aches and pains Twitching in my eyes Trouble sleeping Constant dread about opening emails, messages or interacting with colleagues Burnout signs looked like: Restlessness Little patience Over socialising / Withdrawing Tearfulness Undereating / Overeating Breakouts and skin complaints Burnout signs sounded like:

A key indicator of whether you feel stressed or burnt out is to identify whether you can imagine the endpoint and, once you get things under control, you know you will feel better. Within our profession, this often ties in with you getting to the end of a half-term, knowing that you will have a one or two-week holiday to relax and, ultimately, get on top of things before starting the new term fresh.

Teaching is an incredibly rewarding job. However, our intrinsic values of wanting to help others, which make us so good at our jobs, can also be our biggest enemy. While schools are responsible for providing the structures to ensure that staff wellbeing is more than just a token gesture, individuals also need to be self-aware of their situation.

Everyone’s position will be slightly different regarding what is causing them to feel the way they do. Still, it is essential to identify the issues and then approach these sensibly and logically. My number one piece of advice is to TALK. Seek the support of others to help you, a friend, or a colleague, for example. The very best schools will also be supportive if you approach your line manager or a senior staff member.

Sadly, having taken a logical look at my situation and spoken to my incredibly supportive head of school and principal, I still had feelings of never being enough, not wanting to be present and lacking motivation. This led me to identify that I was burnt out.

In July 2020, after nine wonderful years in Doha, we returned to Pembrokeshire in Wales without a job. I needed to stop. It was a gamble, but I am delighted I made it, mostly because I am in a significantly better place mentally and physically.

Be kind to yourself.

Neil Thomas is a teacher with over 15 years of teaching and leadership experience both in the UK and internationally, Neil is now working as an educational consultant and professional coach.

Having been affected by burnout, he decided to return to the UK to find a better work-life balance and recuperate both mentally and physically. Neil is also one of the hosts of a wellbeing podcast, Healthy.Comfortable.Happy, which is available on all podcast platforms. Connect with Neil on LinkedIn and Twitter.

“Everyone thinks I’m useless.”

“I’m too [insert every innate personality trait I have].”

“I’m going to be fired.”

“I don’t belong here.”

“Taking a break looks lazy.” *(Phillips, 2020)

CLICK ON ICON TO LISTEN TO NEIL'S AUDIO VERSION

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WILL SOMEBODY SWITCH THE LIGHT ON?

BY MATTHEW SAVAGE In this article, educational consultant, Matthew Savage, explores the role of data in measuring and maximising wellbeing in international schools.

“Politicians use statistics in the same way that a drunk uses lamp-posts—for support rather than illumination.”

(Andrew Lang, 1844-1912, Scottish poet, novellist, critic and anthropologist) As someone who speaks and writes about assessment data on a daily basis, my mission is to detoxify and disarm it, reclaiming it from the data drunkards who have used it in the dark or for ill. I wrote a blog piece recently in which I summoned the spirit of Leone to reflect upon “the good, the bad and the ugly” of student-level data, and, whilst it is true that many a teacher is still shy, scared or cynical about data, it is not hard to see why. Even in the enlightened world of international education, where there is more space for progressive practice, necessary disruption and shifted paradigms, there is still insufficient illumination.

Whether we are indulging our students’ and parents’ inherited appetite for graded work, chasing arbitrary attainment thresholds set by the pedagogic dilletantes of government, or battling our competitors with the blunt and primitive sword of examination performance, we are whipping up the winds of performativity that already buffet and batter our students every day. If you are reading this magazine, the chances are that you, like Sadie and me, want to put #wellbeingfirst; but, if we want to do so, we need to harness the power of assessment data to illuminate our path.

In A Scandal in Bohemia, Conan Doyle’s maverick detective declares, “I have no data yet. It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.” Whilst our professional judgment, and the relationships we forge and conversations we enjoy with our students, are crucial to our understanding of them, it is the height of arrogance or naïveté or both for us to believe that, as a result, we ‘know’ who they are. Children and young people, like adults, wear manifold masks, thickly and well, to hide their struggles and difficulties, and we need to go so much further, and deeper, to see beneath this conscious or unconscious veneer; we need data.

Thankfully, there are so many ways in which we can measure wellbeing, and, in so doing, protect, enhance and repair it, and help our students to do so too. However, even for the best intentioned international educator, it can seem difficult to know where to start. It is with this in mind that I have written this article, as a means to suggest a data-led, data-fed approach to wellbeing, and illuminate your pursuit of the #wellbeingfirst school. There are some fantastic people working in this field, each of whom will bring just as much to the table here as I aim to do, and so this article is neither definitive nor exhaustive. That said, I hope it will give you food for thought and an appetite for action, as you seek to measure what really matters.

Check-in Data Observational data, however, by its very nature, can only show us what the student permits us to see, whereas we have to try to see the world through their eyes. This is where I encourage schools to use check-in data. Many early years and primary educators have been using this kind of data for years, derived from a set of “mood cups” into which the children put their named lollipop stick at the start of each session. However, it would not be too much of a stretch to envisage a situation whereby all classrooms had a tablet mounted at the entrance on which students press one of five HappyOrNot®-style emojis as they come in.

Observational Data Firstly, and as an extension to what we have always done intuitively as educators, we have observational data. This includes what I call “school gate” observation, the opinions we form even through an authentic but informal greeting as a student enters school or moves around the campus during the day. Of course, this only becomes data when we record it, but there are already apps, such as tootoot, through which we can record and track such observations. Many schools also choose to build observational data around a set of values or attributes, and, indeed, I was privileged to co-found a student rewards programme, Polio Points, back in 2012, which gamified the IB Learner Profile by converting observable and observed attributes to funded polio vaccines for children around the world.

And those of you who have experienced the positive impact of the Leuven Scales of Wellbeing and Involvement, not just within their original early years setting but when applied throughout the school, will know how powerful can be this observational data in identifying and supporting students’ wellbeing.

The only limitation of this tool is that it would only give anonymised, aggregated data, useful on its own terms but not that window into the individual child that will benefit them, and us, most. Here is where a string of providers have demonstrated that ‘there’s an app for that’, with the likes of Upstrive, Youhue, School Day, and YouHQ offering intuitive, student-friendly platforms through which for students to “check in” digitally and discretely. If going down this road, I strongly suggest that schools make a shortlist of researched products, and ask a student focus group to test drive and select the final one.

Survey Data These micro data lenses are perfect for identifying issues as soon as they arise, and intervening equally swiftly, but a macro lens is also important as a means to dig much more deeply into the student experience with data too granular to render daily use impractical. Now it is the turn of the survey, administered once, or perhaps twice, a year, to garner a student- and school-level picture of wellbeing across the school. CIS schools will find the Community Survey can be adapted to include this lens, and schools in Dubai will already be using KHDA’s Student Wellbeing Census.

However, the majority of schools with whom I work use the PASS (Pupil Attitudes to Self and School) survey, a comprehensive attitudinal and wellbeing survey developed by a team of educational psychologists twenty years ago and standardised thoroughly to apply to our students today.

Schools can use data for each of the nine attitudinal measures, and I encourage the application of an additional filter, grouping the measures into the three domains of Self, Study and School. The impact of PASS can be, and has been, transformational for schools across the world, and was something of an epiphany for me when first I found it. Finally, there is also a range of specialist survey tools from the field of psychology, including those from the Anna Freud centre in the UK (who have created one for staff too), the WEMWBS survey from Warwick and Edinburgh universities, and Peggy Kern’s EPOCH measure.

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Counselling Data I had the privilege to work for several years with an especially data literate school counsellor, which opened my eyes to the extent to which a school can use counselling data to provide an additional lens on, and measurement of, wellbeing across the school community. It goes without saying that this data needs to be used carefully and sensitively, respecting the sacrosanct confidentiality at the heart of the counsellor-client relationship, and with the counsellor as the consenting gatekeeper. But if we are serious about using wellbeing data strategically and at a whole-school level, then this data source can be like gold dust.

For example, data on which groups are using counselling most and least (such as a particular year group, students with a particular, protected characteristic, or, perhaps, a particular section of the adult staff) could help shape school strategy and target resources; data on which topics, needs or challenges are most and least common could inform a school’s advisory or pastoral programmes; and data on referral routes, number of sessions, and outside referrals, could also be of significant strategic use.

"For school boards, longitudinal trends in terms of appropriate counselling data can be invaluable and eye-opening too, and could even provide a compelling case for investing in greater counselling capacity."

Pastoral Data Finally, we already have access to, and use for other purposes, a raft of data which could actually provide invaluable insights into the wellbeing of the whole school community. For example, if you think about the wealth of pastoral data most schools will collect - on anything from attendance and punctuality to behaviour concerns and even achievement and progress metrics - this could all be interpreted, in some ways and to some extent, as a manifestation of student wellbeing.

Similarly, just as whether a student comes regularly and on time to school and to lessons is likely to be an indicator of wider wellbeing issues beneath the surface, so can staff attendance and punctuality be a canary in the same coal mine.

Even student and staff retention statistics, whilst influenced also by a variety of other factors, could be interrogated to identify any possible wellbeing data hidden within. In other words, if any information is data, then we are receiving data all the time, and, if we look closely and through a wellbeing lens, we may be surprised by what we find.

By this point in the article, many educators will, understandably, be asking, “Isn’t there such a thing as too much data?” And yes, of course, there is - but this will vary from school to school, and will depend on the capacity of the school to collect, collate, analyse and visualise the data, so its stories can be told to the relevant stakeholders in an accessible and digestible format. To implement all the tools I have described here would be a big ask for any school, and would also take time; however, I would also point out that we have collected enormous amounts of academic data for years, often without impact. I wonder what would happen if we jettisoned any such extraneous metrics, and made the measurement of wellbeing the central plank of our data strategy.

"Surely, if we resolutely put Maslow before Bloom, and if there was equity and justice in terms of the access enjoyed by every member of the school community to positive wellbeing, many of the other things would simply fall into place anyway."

Wellbeing is a complex and culturally rooted concept, often misused and equally often misunderstood. It is important that, as educators or leaders, we should not feel responsible for every aspect of the mental health and wellbeing of each member of our community. However, in my opinion, one of the most powerful functions of data in schools is to get the right conversations started. If the focus of our data strategy - the data we collect and what we do with it - were wellbeing, then we would also be having the right conversations. In this way, we would even better be able to keep #wellbeingfirst. This article has been about the lampposts we have at our disposal; the next step will be for us actually to use them for illumination.

Matthew is an independent educational consultant, trainer, speaker, writer, content creator and coach; founder of #themonalisaeffect and host of The Data Conversation podcast; and passionate advocate and ally for diversity, equity, inclusion and justice worldwide. He has worked with thousands of educators across hundreds of schools in over 60 countries, helping them to use assessment data to keep #wellbeingfirst.

CLICK ON ICON TO LISTEN TO MATTHEW'S AUDIO VERSION

9

ARE QUEER FOLX MORE GRIEFLITERATE? HOW I'VE LEARNED TO CHANGE THE WAY I TALK ABOUT GRIEVING

BY TRICIA FRIEDMAN Last year my wife and I went through one of the saddest periods in our lives. I write this knowing that the past two years have without question been something beyond deeply sad for the world. We are all carrying a grief so heavy, so profound, so palpable that it might seem selfish and banal to write about any specific grief. And yet, I’ll take that risk because for most of my adult life I’ve not done such a great job exploring grief, talking about grief or processing grief. My hope is this might find a reader who needs these words.

So what was the cause of the deep sadness I alluded to a few sentences back?

Our puppy died.

After this happened, one of us would be out for a walk, feeling his absence, and inevitably some unknowing neighbor would ask where our puppy was. I’d explain, “He died.” This same stranger would then usually reply with questions about the “how” and the “when” and the “why.” In the beginning, I would feel the tension in my jaw flare up, and I’d provide some of the details about his incurable condition. I felt like I was betraying both his memory and my boundaries in providing this information to a stranger, but for some odd reason I felt like the rules were, “Even though you are hurt, you must be mindful of this request.”

While the details of my puppy’s illness are not something I wanted to get into then (nor will I do so now), one thing I will share is that we tried everything. We consulted specialist after specialist. I researched, I read, I lost countless hours of sleep trying to find a solution. There are, however, some situations where solutions simply do not exist. Instead, sometimes, there is only accepting the reality.

Accepting reality runs counter to so many narratives we are fed by social media, and by society at large. Much of Western culture is saturated with messages about overnight success, about being able to buy wins, about sacrificing everything to come out triumphant. And while that makes for amazing TV, it does not register with many experiencing trauma. Those of you in education are also familiar with the flawed notion that some issues can be “troubleshooted” or that a workshop will “fix” everything.

The months after my puppy died, I was full of so much grief I experienced my first full blown panic attack. The ramifications of that attack were so deep that I couldn’t eat for days. For those of you who have experienced anxiety, the reality that “mental health” is not disconnected from “physical health” is a truth you get. I, however, knew little of what anxiety could physically do to a body. In my ignorance, I ended up compounding my anxiety and grief by then feeling ashamed of not being able to control my emotions. It was the emotional equivalent of the turducken.

Something had to give.

That something ended up needing to be me giving myself access to therapy. I gave you a clue at the start that this article might not be for everyone. I have no doubt my grief and anxiety pales to many, many people. I recognize my privilege here in being able to seek out a therapist, and to have the luxury of time to commit to sessions. I am sharing this because my closest friends who knew this was happening to me all said something similar: “I had no idea you were going through this.”

Right now, while I write these words, while you read these words, our friends are going through things we do not know about. I don’t know about you, but I need to remind myself of this, so feel free to reread that last sentence again out loud.

Talking about my shame in this scenario took me back in time about twenty years to when I first began to share with close friends and family about being a lesbian. That got me thinking about the way queer people and grieving people might have an intersection: implicitly we recieve messages about how, when and where, we can talk about who we are.

Like many queer friends, I was told when “coming out” that I must give people time to process. Like friends who have also been in a deep state of grief, I was told to be careful in burdening others. In 2021 I hope we can be in a better place where our queerness is not something we bring to others based on their timeframes. And I hope we can get to a place where we can bring grief into a dialogue where it is not a burden, but it is nurtured. Both grief and queerness are often told to hush up and be quieter.

Please don’t mistake this for a correlation that queerness is sadness. I am proud and full of joy to be a queer person. I would choose to be married to my wife, and being a lesbian is something that has brought me a huge amount of joy. If you know the song ‘Unspeakable Joy’ by Kim English, then you know a little bit about how I feel about my own lesbianism.

I also believe that my queerness is something that makes me more attracted to therapy than some. Why? As a queer woman I’ve become quite accustomed to the idea that “normal” is a useless construct. I have had people tell me in a complimentary tone that, “You and your wife are so normal!”

We are still at a point where if a lesbian couple is presented in an advertisement, it is “groundbreaking.”

"So when others have told me they feel resistant to therapy because they just want to be normal, I think being queer has rendered normal overvalued in my book.

Normal to whom? Normal for what?"

It would have also been groundbreaking for me to have shared my story of grief and not had the other person respond with some version of: “Well, I’m sure this happened for a reason” or “But I bet this taught you so much.”

We do not need hardships as catalysts for learning. Truly sad things can happen without reason. Why is it so hard to accept that? Would accepting that in some way actually help our healing?

Those aren’t questions I can answer for everyone. For myself, I believe rehearsing the art of acceptance would lead to a more just world. I worry as an educator that too much of our practices miscommunicate to our learners that they have total autonomy over things that none of us do. I worry institutions often paint a picture of progression for learners that is too linear, too cookie-cutter, and too incomplete.

Here’s my mea culpa, I’ve been part of that communication funnel. I’m guilty of having evangelized the merits of hardwork and sacrifice and spoke of them in tones that conveyed they would “lead somewhere.”

Being queer has meant for me that I do not have to follow a clearly outlined blueprint. Growing up in the 80s, my access to queer blueprints was limited to say the least. I think that has been a gift. What I realize now on this side of 40 is that I can “queer” the grieving process, and that I can also “queer” my relationship with acceptance.

The word “acceptance” used to connote “quitting” or “caving” for me. I don’t believe that anymore. Acceptance can be beautiful. Acceptance can be nurishment. Acceptance can remind us that the goal is not to live up to impossible standards. Grieving doesn’t have to prioritise someone else’s reaction. If we feel the urge to cry in public, we should listen to our bodies. We should practice the fine art of listening to our bodies.

None of us have to follow an outlined blueprint. It might be that you are already cool with grief and great with acceptance. If you are, I am so deeply happy for you, and also I’m sorry I wasted the last ten minutes of your life! So then, what is the thing you might need to queer? What normative version of a concept is holding you back, wrecking your sleep hygiene, or sending your gut notifications?

What’s the outline you can let go of?

Now if you are waiting for my big aha! moment, I apologize.

The title of this article may have misled you. I don’t have the recipe for grieving well.

Instead I have a commitment I’m making to myself...

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I’m going to let my grief exist.

I’m not going to cloak it in silence.

I’m going to try to talk about grief without platitudes.

I’m also not going to tell myself to look forward to being over my grief.

I will never be over losing our puppy named Bo.

Generous reader thank you for sticking with me so long and being witness to my reflections. I’d love to hear from you:

This year, what emotion will you let exist in new ways?

What will you refuse to cloak in silence?

Which platitudes will you dismiss?

What will you not get over?

Tricia Friedman (She/Her) is an experienced International Educator and Coach. Having lived and worked in the US, China, Thailand, Morocco, Ukraine, Indonesia, Switzerland and Singapore, Tricia is passionate about Global competencies. Tricia is the founder of allyed.org and the Be a Better Ally Podcast.

She is the Creative Content Director of Shifting Schools. She’s recently joined the International Marketing team at Vancouver Island University in 2021.

Tricia lives in British Columbia with her wife and their puppy.

CLICK ON ICON TO LISTEN TO TRICIA'S AUDIO VERSION

12

WHEN IT COMES TO LANGUAGE ACQUISITION, WORDS MATTER

It is Friday morning, and two students are speaking excitedly to one another before class. They are my students, and I know them well. The first one was born in Venezuela, spent ten years in China, and has been living in Costa Rica for the past three years. She speaks Mandarin, Spanish and English. The other student is Costa Rican and has family roots in Korea and Germany. She speaks Spanish, English, and she is learning Korean in her free time.

These students are part of my MYP English Language Acquisition class. That “normal” class they were referring to? That is MYP English Language and Literature, the course that most of their peers in the seventh grade attend. As students at Costa Rica’s first IB continuum school, they are aware that a chief goal of their learning is to be balanced bilinguals in both English and Spanish, and they strive to be effective communicators in both languages, paying particularly close attention to the language(s) that are not their “best” language(s).

They call out to me. “Profe! When do you think we will be ready to join the normal class?”

So why, in the minds of these multilingual students, is English Language Acquisition class abnormal?

I put on my best expression of shock and dismay, as if they had been hurling insults at a close relative. “Is my class not normal enough for you?”

"The answer, I believe, rests in the daily, often unintended, messages that they receive from peers and adults at school. When it comes to language acquisition, words matter."

BY ADAM BEESON

“You know what we mean,” they reply, and walk away rolling their eyes the way only middle school students can.

Sadly, I did know what they meant.

The Language of Identity

Move Beyond ESL

In his 2015 book Creating Cultures of Thinking: The 8 Forces We Must Master to Truly Transform Our Schools, Harvard University researcher Ron Ritchart posits that the hidden power of language is its ability to “subtly convey messages that shape our thinking, sense of self, and group affinity.” In other words, how we communicate with students is often more significant than what we communicate to our students. The way teachers use language, and specifically our word choice, can reveal a deeply rooted set of beliefs that signify to students what we value and expect from them as learners.

Consider the language of identity when referring to multilingual students, and be consistent with your word choice. To nurture a sense of belonging, move beyond labels like the ESL students or the ELLs that “other” multilinguals from peers who may have improved proficiency in the target language, and move toward words that celebrate identity and foster group affinity. When students enter my classroom, they are linguists. When I talk about students with colleagues or other learners in the school, I refer to them as multilingual students.

One of the “seven language moves for learning” that Ritchart identifies is the language of identity, or using words which communicate that authentic learning matters more than simply studying a school subject or discipline. How does the language of identity work? Consider the labels we assign to our learners.

Are we teaching students who are studying mathematics, or are we facilitating learning for mathematicians? Are high school kids collecting stream samples for a biology lab, or are field scientists testing the quality of water on campus? The research shows that when we use the language of identity in our classrooms, we invite students to take ownership of their learning, resulting in increased engagement, motivation and a better sense of belonging.

Move Past Pull-Out The course titles schools use for their language acquisition classes matter. When students are told they are going to English pull-out, English B, or ESL class, the message communicated is that they are being separated from their peers due to a lack of language proficiency, despite the fact that many speak two or more other languages at home.

Along with the separation comes a social stigma that works against community goals of inclusion and belonging. I suggest calling the course what it is: English class or Language Acquisition class.

Move Policies Closer Together

Multilingual Inclusion and Belonging Let’s revisit the case of my multilingual students. According to ISC Research, they are two of 5.68 million learners attending an international school in 2021 and, like most of the 12,373 international schools around the world, one of the target languages in their school is English. This means that English is both a language of instruction and that their peers largely interact in English.

However, while multilingual, the language these students are least proficient in is English, which raises concerns for their academic and social inclusion and success. Like other international school students, it was determined upon enrollment that these two learners should enter a tailored program to meet their linguistic, academic, cultural and affective needs. This was English Language Acquisition and, in the minds of my students, this was not the “normal” English class.

What subtle messages did the students receive when the adults in the room communicated their course schedules? How has the word choice of their peers and teachers shaped the students’ thinking and senses of self? Most importantly, what can teachers learn from the language of identity to ensure multilingual students feel a sense of worth and belonging? I suggest three simple moves teachers and school leaders can add to their playbooks to improve inclusion for multilingual students.

School policies cannot operate in silos, particularly when it comes to language and inclusion. An international school’s language policy cannot exist without a unified inclusion policy, and ensuring that barriers to learning and belonging for multilingual students are identified and removed should be central to both. Creating a common language of identity across all school policies helps to convey to students that their multilingualism at any proficiency level is valued and that they belong in the school community.

The words we use have the power to mold beliefs and shape behavior. Becoming more deliberate about the way we communicate with and about multilingual students like mine can have a profoundly positive impact to transform learning and lead to more inclusive classrooms and schools. Perhaps that can be our linguists’ new normal.

Adam Beeson is copy editor for Wellbeing in International Schools Magazine. He has more than a decade of international school teaching and leadership experience in the United States, Austria and Costa Rica. Connect with Adam on LinkedIn.

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REFLECTIVE SUPERVISION IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS

DR GEMMA ELLIS AND DR VICTORIA WOLFE It is perplexing that wellbeing practitioners such as psychologists and social workers have regular supervision that is mandatory, yet our wellbeing 'front-liners' do not.

“We see supervision as a way of life…What we have seen in ourselves and others is that, when we are most stuck, we can most grow if we have a space to reflect with another who will both support and challenge us” (Shohet & Shohet, 2020, pg. 3)

Supervision is also about a safe space to explore uncertainties and difficulties in work (e.g. the concept of 'safe uncertainty' from Barry Mason, 2015). It is a way to reflect on what might be happening for you and the situation you are thinking about. As Shohet and Shohet reflect, “Taking time out can enable us to renew our energy and bring a greater clarity to our work… and from the quality of their [supervisor and supervisee] presence together, make the space for something new and perhaps life-changing to emerge” (pg. 3-4).

What is reflective supervision?

How can supervision support teaching staff?

In our minds, supervision is a means of 'containment'. It is not going through a checklist, and ticking boxes to record jobs done and tasks to be completed (line management).

In Bion’s work (1959; 1984), he writes about the container/contained concept. This describes the way that a caregiver holds onto a baby’s upsets and frustrations. The caregiver then returns them in a more manageable way when the baby is ready – for example providing words, reassurance or sustenance. To feel contained, therefore, is to feel safe in the knowledge that something or someone else is holding onto the unmanageable (Bion, 1984).

Staff in education settings work with children and young people regularly. They build up relationships, they support changes in their circumstances, they hear and understand their learning needs and yet, for the most part...

"they are not given the space and time to reflect on what effect that might have on them as professionals and as human beings. Surely this must impact teacher wellbeing and, the opposite, stress and burnout."

Our teachers and school staff around the globe are managing increasingly complex cases in relation to the children and families whom they support; yet in the majority of schools, the staff are not being offered emotional support, either to do their jobs effectively or to look after themselves. There are, of course, some schools who do this well, and they are to be celebrated. School staff are also humans working with other humans (children, colleagues, parents/carers) which can elicit all sorts of different feelings.

What happened to you when you were at school? How did your teacher make you feel? How did your parents/carers feel about school? How do these sorts of questions then impact how you work with those around you, especially when they, or you, are struggling?

If we do not have spaces to reflect on all the feelings that can get stirred up in us then how do we not 'put this into' other people?

Reflective supervision is a way of allowing teaching staff to think about how they feel in their roles and share some of their concerns or worries in a safe space, to reflect, and, if appropriate, to problem-solve with trained professionals and colleagues. Recruitment, retention, stress and burnout are all factors in education globally. Having a space to stop and breathe and consider how you are feeling and what might be happening between you and other people can help to manage overwhelming feelings before they take over.

What might it look like in your setting?

Reflective supervision can be offered in different ways to suit individual settings and needs. Supervision can be given on an individual basis or in a group setting, both in-person and remotely (Ellis & Wolfe, 2019). Group supervision can consist of one or more facilitators (trained psychologists) plus up to eight colleagues. This number allows each group member to feel safe with their colleagues as well as a chance to each focus on something they would like to bring.

As groups are forming, and new ways of thinking are being introduced, the supervision must be facilitated by a trained psychologist.

In time, once school staff are appropriately trained, supervision could be led by the school staff themselves with support being offered externally by professionals, such as educational psychologists or clinical psychologists.

"This structure would allow for supervision to become embedded in the school system and become an expectation rather than the exception."

There are a number of different supervision models that can be used. In our opinion, a model that utilises psycho-analytic concepts such as containment, projection plus our internal biographies are the most powerful influences to effect change for individuals and groups (i.e. Obholzer and Zagier Roberts, 1994 and Arnold, Bartle & Eloquin, 2021). Our preference is the work discussion group model as explicitly presented in the work of Emil Jackson (2008).

Summary We passionately believe that school staff are vulnerable to what can be “put into us” by those around us, and this can impact how we feel about ourselves and how we manage in our roles. There can be a high level of stress in work with other people, and particularly with the increasing demands that are placed on education settings at the moment to act as a parent alongside a teacher. Supervision, in our view, is a way to mitigate how this can take over the lives of school staff, and help staff not to feel overwhelmed by indigestible thoughts and feelings. Now, more than ever, is the time for us to value the staff in schools, to give them time and space to reflect on all that they are holding.

“If education is valuable and if it is to be a successful social and economic investment, the wellbeing, engagement, motivation and resilience of teachers are, also, important issues” (Lauchlan, Gibbs & Dunsmuir, 2012)

Dr Gemma Ellis is a professional tutor at Cardiff University and the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust and a senior Educational Psychologist for Bath and North East Somerset. She is published in the areas of supervision and reflective practice, sexualised behaviour in children and the experiences of school staff who work with children who have been exposed to domestic abuse. She draws upon psychoanalytic and systemic frameworks amongst others. Connect with Gemma on Twitter and LinkedIn. Dr Victoria Wolfe is an independent Child & Educational Psychologist, working across charity, private and local authority settings. She is published in the areas of teaching staff supervision and reflective practice, and positive parental engagement with schools. Connect with Victoria on LinkedIn.

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Gemma

Victoria

WELLBEING IMPACT: LESS IS MORE, EVERYONE OR NO-ONE!

BY SIAN MAY Increasingly educational writing on wellbeing is unclear and at times, contradictory. Schools are navigating ever more complex research and evidence sets, most of which may not even apply in our own contexts. Needless to say throughout this academic and professional discussion there is no uniform definition of wellbeing!

There is a wide choice of frameworks and research-based practices for schools to choose from, including Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence RULER framework, CASEL framework and Positive Education. However, there are often some key steps missed in assessing their alignment to a particular school context and aspects of the research that is not factored in. This does not mean inertia, however, but it should lead us to adopt a localised and community approach if wellbeing is to be embedded as a priority.

There have been a number of rigorous pieces of research published in the last five years (most prior to the pandemic, which adds further dimensions) which can help to guide our thinking before we even consider further changes in our own community.

In December 2020, a meta-analysis was published which examined school-based “wellbeing” interventions. The programmes aimed to stimulate students' intrapersonal (e.g., self-esteem) and interpersonal (e.g., school climate) development. The review suggested that schools should make a clear distinction between intrapersonal and interpersonal student learning.

"Our impact as educators is wildly different in each area and, therefore, focusing on areas where we have a high effect is going to have the most impact for our students."

For example, the paper found schools to be excellent at the promotion of problem solving skills, which can build efficacy and improve school climates. However, schools were less impactful in developing individual student self-esteem. This is likely because of the specialism required by psychologists and therapeutic processes, although educators often perceive they should be able to address such issues to alleviate student suffering. This area requires clear definition to ensure educators do not feel under undue pressure but do have a foundational round of skills, for example, the adoption of emotion coaching.

Research also suggests that, frequently, the implementation method is the sole reason why approaches might not create the impact we hope. A meta-analysis published in September 2017, examines this aspect. The paper reviews in detail school psycho-social interventions. However, many evidence-based practices which have rigorous research behind them in school contexts fail due to how they were implemented. On many occasions, for instance, a lack of parental involvement was noted. Therefore, the method of creating change is just as important as the practice itself. This might read as a statement of the obvious and yet this is largely what researchers discovered time and again.

The same report further suggests that schools should be cautious in adopting new approaches regardless of the evidence supporting them. One of the main reasons for this is that wellbeing needs are emerging as ever more complex and changing in how they manifest. Educators might not necessarily make the impact they seek to but paradoxically they also might reduce the high impact they can make by misdirecting time and attention to well-intentioned but ultimately ineffective wellbeing programmes. It is clear that educators are increasingly expected to deliver broad-ranging wellbeing programmes but likely don’t have the background or professional learning to embed psych-social interventions. In trying to do so, we might undermine the worth of our craft as educators in the process.

So what does all this mean for how we should respond to this complex reality? What can we do to powerfully affect wellbeing?

Collaborative Inquiry The first step would be to trigger an inquiry about wellbeing which involves all members of your community: students, parents, colleagues (educators and non-educators), governors and any other connections the community might have in the context of the location in which you are based. The inquiry in and of itself is starting the process, or reinvigorating it, to pivot the focus to wellbeing. It can establish the language we use and the high regard with which we consider this central to our mission. An authentic inquiry gives time to read, grapple with, discuss, and evaluate the evidence and the current climate before planning action.

Students must be central to any developing framework or practices which emerge. There is a clear and present need for their agency. Spark UK is a wellbeing movement in the UK led by students to respond to the needs of their peers. Harnessing the creativity and knowledge of students' experiences at the outset is vital. So often, conversations about student wellbeing take place in adult environments without the presence of the “inner circle.”

A clear vision of what you are working towards is, of course, invaluable. Harvard’s Science of Resilience work is powerful to redirect any community inquiry to, as it provides the components which students need to develop mental health protective factors: (1) providing supportive adult-child relationships; (2) scaffolding learning so the child builds a sense of selfefficacy and control; (3) helping strengthen adaptive skills and self-regulatory capacities; and (4) using faith and cultural traditions as a foundation for hope and stability.

There are many such frameworks which can provide a similar function as referenced earlier in this article. The reality of the Harvard work is that most wellbeing occurs at school in the culture of the types of experiences students have all day every day. For example, if every student has an opportunity to feel capable during each school day, we know this contributes greatly to long-term mental health protective factors, as does the provision of student choice.

Helen Timperley’s collaborative inquiry model can be an inspiring framework for an educational inquiry alongside the broader community inquiry to examine how wellbeing practices are embedded into teaching and learning practices. This would allow all findings of the community inquiry to be mirrored and evaluated as classroom, relational and school culture practices.

It is clear that for wellbeing there is no easy fix. The research is nuanced and complex and requires huge investigation before applying it to any particular context.

However, the journey and process is just as valuable for the community as the eventual frameworks and processes.

The iterative and cycled nature of examining this emerging area is part of the joy and pain of the challenge of being in a human-centred profession.

Sian May, Director of Senior School for Dulwich College International, most recently was High School Principal at the International School of Lausanne following her tenure as Head of Middle School at Sha Tin College (ESF), Hong Kong. Connect with Sian on LinkedIn or Twitter.

CLICK ON ICON TO LISTEN TO SIAN'S AUDIO VERSION

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BUILDING WELLBEING BY DEVELOPING HOPE

BY KRISTIN LOWE, MAOP, ACC, CPPC In my first article of this series, I introduced the construct of Positive Psychological Capital, a set of four internal resources that can be built intentionally to support wellbeing and learning. Those four elements spell out the easy-to-remember acronym of HERO; (1) Hope, (2) Efficacy, (3) Resilience, (4) Optimism.

In this article, I’ll take a deeper dive into the H of HERO, sharing what hope is (and what it is not), along with a practical exercise for increasing hope for yourself and with your students.

What is Hope?

A common misconception is that hope is wishful thinking. For example, we may say we “hope” that the weather is nice tomorrow, but we have no control over that…so it’s really a wish.

In contrast, psychological researchers define hope in relation to things we want and have control over, such as when we set goals to improve our health, relationships, or work. When we believe we can attain our goals and adjust our course as needed to keep moving toward them, we are exhibiting hope.

Do you think of yourself as a hopeful person? According to psychological research, hope is different from pie-in-the-sky wishing or feeling an emotional high. Practicing hope actively helps us achieve our goals, and it builds our confidence, optimism, and resilience along the way.

Hope is also different from optimism. Optimistic thinkers believe that the future will be better than the present. Hopeful thinkers believe this too, but they add an important ingredient to their mindset: the conviction that we can play a role in making the future better.

A hopeful person perseveres toward goals and when necessary, redirects their paths in order to succeed. Hope is associated with many positive outcomes, including increases in health, accomplishment, performance - and ultimately - happiness.

The Three Parts of the Hope Cycle There are three key elements to hope, sometimes referred to as "The Hope Cycle" because when developed together they create a continuous feedback loop which reinforces self-belief, drives forward momentum, and increases goal attainment.

Developing the three components of hope creates an upward spiral effect, in which our hopeful self-belief and agility lead to success, which empowers us to set and work toward more goals, which helps us develop more self-belief and agility, and so on. #1: Goals The simple act of setting a clear and realistic goal is a hopebuilding exercise. When we create goals, we are envisioning a positive future. Our motivation increases when we set our own meaningful goals and/or when assigned goals are aligned with something we believe in and can commit to.

When our goals stretch, challenge, and excite us, we become more creative and more capable of finding ways to achieve them. All this creates a forward-looking, hopeful focus - a compelling sense of moving toward a positive future. #2: Agency Put simply, agency is our "willpower," or determination to keep moving toward goals. Agency is what drives us onward, pouring our energy into making progress on the things that matter most to us.

We can build agency by breaking large goals into smaller and more manageable milestones, rewarding ourselves for incremental progress, and building up our internal and external resources which will help us take the necessary steps toward reaching our goal.

Agency is necessary for achieving our goals, but it's not enough on its own; we also need pathways. #3: Pathways Pathways are our "waypower," or agility to circumvent the inevitable obstacles we meet along the path toward achieving our goals. When we approach our goals with a pathways perspective, we accept that there is probably not a straight and simple path from where we are now to where we want to be.

When we expect to face challenges and proactively anticipate what they might be, we prepare ourselves to be flexible and remain positive when we hit bumps along the way, knowing that trying a different path is a natural part of the process.

Sometimes we even need to do what's known as "re-goaling," which means adjusting our goals if they have become obsolete, undesirable, or unachievable.

Here's a practical technique for increasing hope and the likelihood of achieving goals. It’s easy to remember, integrates the evidence-based principles described above, and it works well for adults and for young people.

The technique is called WOOP, which stands for Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, and Plan. WOOP was developed by Dr. Gabriele Oettingen, a German academic and psychologist who specializes in motivation.

Here's how to WOOP...

1 - Wish - Name a goal you're working toward, something challenging but attainable that really matters to you.

2 - Outcome - Visualize yourself when you've achieved this goal. Describe how you'll feel, using lots of details.

3 - Obstacle - Identify an internal or external obstacle you're likely to encounter along the way to reaching your goal.

4 - Plan - Create an If-Then Plan by completing this sentence: "If (obstacle) happens, then I will (your plan)."

If you like, you can repeat steps 3-4 one or two more times, to help yourself feel more hopeful and confident about achieving your goal as you prepare yourself to expect and overcome various obstacles along the way.

As you move forward, remember to celebrate each small step in the right direction, and practice self-compassion when things get a little off track. After all, that’s to be expected - and you’ve prepared yourself for moving past (or around) the inevitable bumps in the road!

Click here for a downloadable WOOP handout/poster you can use for yourself and with your students.

Kristin Lowe is a former international school teacher now working as a consulting organizational psychologist and certified positive psychology coach. She helps school leaders build a culture of wellbeing through Positive Peer Coach training and schoolwide Positive Education programs. Kristin is the Visible Wellbeing Program Leader at the American School of The Hague. She is also the founder of The Positivity Playground, a global peer coaching network focused on building staff wellbeing at international and independent schools.

Start Building Hope in Your School Community Today

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So...how does it look to build hope in everyday life, work, and learning?

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School Spotlight DULWICH COLLEGE SUZHOU INTERVIEW WITH JESS BYRNE

Could you tell us about the wellbeing work that you do at Dulwich College Suzhou?

At what point did you feel that you need a wellbeing policy or programme?

Due to the new nature of wellbeing as an area within its own right, we have worked on several cross college projects. These have come in the form of Internal Trips Weeks, a full week of on-site activities that aim to develop the students as we hope to on external trips.

Post-COVID we were one of the first schools in the world to reopen. We did so in April 2020 after a period of about 12 weeks online. The first day back felt strange, with only one year group returning at a time and everyone in masks. School was very different: social distancing, small groups, separated desks and no communal activities. It remained like this for some time. It was evident that we needed to place emphasis on a targeted programme that went beyond the usual “make sure you’re getting plenty of sleep and exercise,” giving us the tools to be proactive in our integration of activities.

We have also had a number of staff wellbeing events during professional development days, such as bake-off competitions, swimming lessons and staff sports tournaments. Community Tuesdays have been a great success, where teachers teach other teachers a range of skills, from knitting to finance to swimming, all finished off with some evening refreshments.

Currently, I oversee our KS3 PATH Wellbeing Curriculum and work with the deputy head on wellbeing for the senior school students, whilst providing all staff with opportunities to enhance their own wellbeing during the college day and beyond. Being in a three-school college, which stretches from EY to IB, each area has their own specific needs, so providing tools college-wide for staff and students to access in their own way is essential.

At first, we began with some hap-hazard initiatives: karaoke on a Friday lunch; The Friday5, a weekly one mile run/walk around the grounds; and some student leadership groups. Some worked, some didn’t. I invested hours in The Friday5, created videos and an app to support the tracking of student participation, but it didn’t fly. The students just weren’t keen on it. Instead, we pivoted to a much simpler initiative of responsible usage, where students could sign a “contract” to agree to use PE facilities responsibly. We filled the sports hall daily with badminton players without so much as a poster.

Following the initial activities, we developed Look-up and Bloom: Community Tuesday, a weekly device-free day where a variety of activities are available. One of the latest developments has been the introduction of R.U Sport, a strategy to develop student ownership and responsibility.

Students are trusted and encouraged to book a sports court space during lunch to play badminton or basketball, setting up their own equipment, managing their game and ensuring everyone is included. The product of this has been successful student-organised tournaments and a buzzing sports hall every day!

The cherry on the cake came last year when the PE Department placed a bid for an extra hour of KS3 Curriculum time to launch something called PATH, an active timetabled wellbeing lesson. Each weekly lesson has an overarching theme related to: Pursuing their Passion, Aspiring Leaders, Teamwork, and staying Healthy.

The key to the success of PATH lies in protecting the student’s time. It is all too tempting to spend an hour educating students on the theories of how to start a hobby or why movement is important; however, ultimately we want them to do those things. Keeping lessons punchy and activity-driven is essential.

We therefore must let go and allow them some freedom of exploration during lessons to simply have time to do the things they enjoy.

What was your why?

Simply seeing the need for connection from the students postCOVID was enough. It was clear they had missed out on interactions, fun and the opportunity to physically belong within their college community. After a relatively short period of online learning, we then faced a long period of socially distanced education which disallowed co-curricular activities (CCAs), assemblies and anything remotely fun.

As a college we provided all of the online teaching we could, all the assignments, tasks and video lessons, but what did the students really miss? School! Not the learning bit, but the sense of belonging, the bits you remember when you’re older: the shared jokes, shared mistakes, shared stress. This was my why, the mission to bring “school” back and better than before.

What have been some of the challenges that you have faced, and how have you tried to overcome them?

Wellbeing itself is a challenge. As soon as you mention the “W” word it can lose half the staffroom. We know that wellbeing means something different to everyone. If I had a pound for every time someone asked if they could “just go home” instead of getting involved because that was better for their wellbeing!

"Avoid the “W” word as much as possible.

Think carefully about your branding: what can you call it instead, and how can you create an ethos and programme of wellbeing without it just becoming another thing that staff must do? I would highly recommend that schools break wellbeing down, target specific areas, and find vehicles which facilitate and promote this as a bigger picture of a healthy community."

What have been some of your proudest achievements in relation to wellbeing, and what has the impact been?

My proudest achievement with student wellbeing has been the Internal Trips Week we ran in May 2021. Usually, Dulwich students would go far and wide across China for this week; however, unable to leave Suzhou we aimed to recreate the outcomes through on-site events. These included: A Society Day where students were vertically aligned in their CCAs, with older students leading sessions and sharing their passion with the junior students.

A whole-college play: Kindergarten, Junior School and Senior School all on stage. The entire performance was created in a single day.

Three Individual Sports Days: Kindergarten and Infants School (DUCKS), Junior School and Senior School.

Rule the School: a day of entirely student-led activities on anything from a beginner’s lesson on robotics to a lecture on queer media. The week culminated in a whole-college picnic where the Senior School students flew kites that they had decorated with the DUCKS students.

"Staff wellbeing is slightly different. Two years ago, we launched the first Staff Learn to Swim programme, a 10-week course where non-swimming staff received a weekly swimming lesson from our swim team, paid for by the college. Drowning is the leading cause of injury death in children aged 1-14 in China, and for me giving staff the opportunity to learn to swim so that they can take their own children to the pool was something incredibly worthwhile."

23

Do you use any products to support wellbeing in your school?

Habit trackers are excellent. Simple Habit Tracker is particularly good for getting students and staff to build healthy habits. There are also tools on Microsoft Teams such as Breakthrough and Reflect. These are nice little activities which provide opportunities for students and staff to check-in with themselves.

Can you tell us about how your wellbeing focus supports all your school community and how the different elements join up?

There are obvious differences for the staff and students.

Largely, students are often more open minded to trying new things; therefore, we want to try and create opportunities which pull them into more social aspects.

"For staff, sometimes they need a nudge, and to know from the off it won’t be more!

Therefore, the staff wellbeing focus has been more on community and building relationships. We've achieved this through Community Tuesday activity evenings, Staff Learn to Swim programmes and Friday Morning Tea, all optional aspects, which encourage the building of relationships and actively promote time away from laptops and academic work."

If you were to give three tips to schools when devising a wellbeing policy, what would they be?

Dedicate time to the programme. You need protected timetabled time for engagement which demonstrates the value the school holds for wellbeing.

Make it flexible. Wellbeing moves quickly, and it needs to be all things to everyone. Allow staff to explore different aspects and ask your students to take the lead. Start small and build from there. We started with a Friday Morning Tea where staff brought snacks, and now we have a full-on baking league!

Don’t flog a dead horse. If you launch something and it doesn’t work, don't be sentimental about it; move on and offer something else. Students and staff always vote with their feet when it comes to wellbeing. Chuck it in the proverbial bucket and move on.

Jess Byrne is Director of Sport and Wellbeing at Dulwich College Suzhou. She is passionate about wellbeing within education and the impact this can have on student outcomes, both academically and pastorally. Jess pursues an innovative approach to all areas of her practice, striving to respond to the evolving world we aim to prepare our students for. She is forward thinking, focused and driven.

CLICK ON ICON TO LISTEN TO JESS' AUDIO VERSION

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student corner MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS AFTERNOON AT DULWICH COLLEGE SUZHOU JESSICA ZHU AND AYLIN HASTEMIR

On Thursday, October 21, we hosted our first Mental Health Awareness Afternoon as a community called “Stop the Stigma,” centred around destigmatising mental health matters and normalising conversations about mental wellbeing. From DUCKS all the way through to Year 13, each year group participated in activities that informed, engaged, and challenged us. They pushed us to develop a more nuanced understanding of mental health.

“The reason we believe that mental health is crucial is the fact that it makes feel safe and boosts our self-esteem. It also makes us feel happier as we feel more confident about ourselves."

- Mia (Year 8)

In the Senior School, some activities were specific to each year group’s theme of focus, while others were consistent across all year groups. For example, as an introduction to the session, we received messages from the College Leadership Team as they discussed their experiences with mental health.

It showed us that it was okay to show vulnerability and encouraged us to do the same within our group discussions.

As Year 12 students, the theme that we focused on was “sadness vs depression.” We examined our interpretation of the distinctions between sadness, an emotion, and depression, a diagnosis, as these may sometimes feel alike or manifest in similar ways.

Different year groups were assigned different aspects of mental health to focus on, tailored to their experiences in different stages of College life. KS3 students focused primarily on understanding emotions to help give them an introduction to the importance of mental health. The topic was therefore introduced with themes they are more familiar with in their day-to-day life, and the activities aimed to imbue them with the skills to understand and manage the emotions they experience.

Through engaging in discussions, we became more aware of why stigma exists around the topic of depression, and how to help someone near us who may be going through difficulties with mental wellbeing. It was greatly beneficial for us to have this time to understand the respective symptoms of sadness and depression, so that we remain mindful of our mental health, particularly in such a busy stage of our educational journey. Critically, in Year 12 and Year 13, we were reminded of the importance of seeking help against sadness and depression. This will help to remove the stigma and push us to initiate mental health conversations with those around us.

“This event was extremely important as it gave us an idea of how significant it was to talk about our emotions and how to react in different situations.”

- Kyle (Year 8)

I believe that this Mental Health awareness day is very important, the reason being when we get into higher grades we want to release our stress. A strong solution is to share and tell someone. On this day, we learned that it is okay to share your vulnerabilities because everyone has them!” Riyasath Talukder (Year 8)

As a community, we learned that we cannot develop, succeed, or thrive without embracing our struggles and weaknesses and accepting them as a part of our identity.

This encapsulates the primary aims of our Mental Health Awareness afternoon, as well as the school’s continuing efforts at destigmatising discussions surrounding mental health. With this initiative, and many more to come, we can confidently say that collectively, we are more informed, aware, and supportive of the mental wellbeing of everyone in our community.

Given the atmosphere of stress sometimes caused by the IGCSE exams, the main focus for KS4 was exploring feelings of stress and anxiety and evaluating methods for coping with these feelings. The emphasis was placed on recognising the ways stress can be beneficial but also being able to identify when stress is counter-productive to students’ progress. The activities were tailored to help ease the academic pressure students inevitably face, as this pressure possesses the power to both motivate and hinder students during their exams.

GENDER IDENTITY AND SCHOOL SPORT: TIME TO START THE CONVERSATION

BY CINDY ADAIR As a white, cisgendered heterosexual, my place in the binary world of sport has never been in question. I am not male, but female sport in my lifetime has gone from strength to strength and continues to grow and develop. Girls now proudly compete in previously male domains with fierce talent and determination. Cricket, rugby, football and AFL boast established female leagues throughout the world, with increasing levels of professionalism.

As an athletic director, however, I feel that we are ill-prepared and not yet engaging in the right conversations to ready us to cater for the wave of Gen Z and Gen Alpha students who view gender as a non-binary construct. Everything about sport right now is based around binary options.

You change into your gendered sports kit in your gendered changing room before potentially heading off to your gendered PE class. In some cases, the curriculum varies for boys and girls with some activities offered only to the boys and others only to the girls. We hold trials for gendered competitive sports teams and compete in gendered sports leagues. Some sports by design have different formats and even equipment for males and female athletes (WAG and MAG gymnastics, for example).

At the end of the year, we celebrate the “Best Female StudentAthlete” and “Best Male Student-Athlete” at our sports awards.

Regardless of your personal beliefs, most of us have at the core of our school mission and vision the concepts of equality and inclusion, and thus we cannot bury our heads in the sand. Sooner, rather than later, I predict we will be faced with students enrolling who identify as non-binary but aspire to be involved in school-based athletics. Like all students in our communities, he/she/they deserve to be afforded that option in a safe and supportive environment.

With anything new there is bound to be fear of the unknown, and many jump to the concerns around “level playing fields” most relevant in the world of elite sport and not so much in the school setting. We need to remind ourselves that a transgender teen who is “out” and living proudly may be juggling hormone treatments, considering surgery, facing down discrimination alongside the normal demands of getting an education and navigating the world as a young adult. If they find time and energy to play sports and seek selection on our teams, we owe it to these students to find a place for them if we can do so safely. I stand to be corrected, but I sincerely doubt a transitioning transgender youth has a “To Do” list which includes unfairly and unsafely dominating international school sports fixtures.

So where to start?

1. Engage in conversations with PE teachers, pastoral leaders, school nurses, school counsellors and coaches about gender and sports. Provide professional learning opportunities around important topics such as the use of appropriate pronouns.

We have recently begun these conversations in two athletic conferences of which our school is a member. On both occasions I have been blown away by the positive and openminded dialogue that has gone on and the improvements we’ve made to our policies and procedures as a result.

9. Read and educate yourself around this topic. Athlete Ally is a great website which shares ways in which you can be a better ally and build a programme based around equity and inclusion. The Athlete Equality Index is a fantastic tool for LGBTQI+ student-athletes who are looking to play sport in US colleges to assess their future options. The resources section of their website also includes a range of sample templates to help you improve the policies you have in this space in your athletic programme.

There has also been a range of fantastic forums and professional learning made available such as this one featured on Global Take which have helped me to learn more and see some working examples of solutions to issues I have not yet foreseen. As professionals we have to be willing to challenge the status quo and imagine a future which is more inclusive, as the way gender is viewed by Gen Alpha evolves.

Recently I watched the cult hit Netflix show Sex Education. One of the highlights for me was the way they address with humour and compassion real stories of individual LGBTQI+ students as they navigate high school and growing up. Instead of presenting the issues affecting queer youth in an abstract way, they drill down to the individual level, and this makes me feel enormous empathy for the characters I have already grown to love.

2. Formulate policy that puts the student at the centre of the decision-making. Everyone is individual and in most cases, you will be best placed to sit with the student and their parents or carers and listen.

No teen chooses to be the face of a movement; most just want to belong. This is where positive and proactive allyship of their teachers, friends and community can make all the difference.

3. Consider options for gender non-binary and transgender students as you develop new facilities, uniforms, signage and enrolment forms. Small tweaks can make a huge difference to the welcome you afford a new student eager to fit in. Whilst a staff or disability toilet is a “stop-gap,” it is not an appropriate long-term solution.

As Gayle Hernandez puts it:

4. Consider how you will protect the privacy of student-athletes both from a general and medical perspective.

5. Model brave and honest dialogue around some of the more challenging aspects of gender and sports. For example, how will you cater for transgender students (in particular trans females MTF) whilst also protecting the integrity of women's sport? Huge strides have been made in this arena in recent years; we need to be sure we don’t negate those efforts in an effort to support a different community.

6. Look for ways to incorporate more mixed gender sport. It’s fun, inclusive and makes everyone feel welcome.

7. Gather student voice every step of the way.

“It is my job to help all my students belong... This means part of my job is to educate the wider community about the needs of a child who might be perceived as ‘different’ to help them become embraced by the community."

Cindy Adair is an athletic director and assistant

abroad in sports principal and has been working and education since 2004. She has been lucky enough to work in Australia, Fiji and Thailand.

Cindy has a background in aquatics and career counselling for elite athletes. Connect with Cindy on LinkedIn.

8. Start to think about the way you might handle a gender nonbinary student who is selected for a sports trip which might require a home stay or hotel stay as a member of a team, whilst maintaining all other safeguarding needs.

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LESSONS FOR US ALL: STRATEGIC APPROACHES TO WELLBEING IN SCHOOLS

BY CLIVE LEACH Over the last 10 years I have been privileged to work with many international schools across the world on wellbeing programs. My motivation was to share my own learning about coaching psychology and positive psychology (the “science of what makes life worth living”) and how these evidence-based approaches can be applied to enhance wellbeing, resilience, flourishing and performance in students, staff and wider school communities.

My own practice has developed in parallel with the work of some incredible researchers and practitioners in the “positive education” movement, which has gained increasing recognition and traction during the last decade.

In this article I will draw on my experience and my chapter “Approaches to Positive Education” co-authored with Dr. Suzy Green and Daniela Falecki in the new open access Palgrave Handbook of Positive Education (2021). I will outline how schools I have worked have developed strategic approaches to wellbeing, highlighting some key lessons we’ve all learned along the way that might be relevant for your school and context.

Lesson 1: Positive Motivation for Wellbeing in Schools – Approach not Avoid This is the first important lesson in developing a strategic approach to wellbeing. Don’t wait until things start to go wrong to bring in a greater focus and emphasis on positive mental health. Of course, we all want to mitigate and buffer against increasing levels of anxiety, stress and depression in adults and young people but this an avoid goal. Start from the premise that the purpose of schools is to support their communities to flourish – to both feel good and function well, and to achieve academically, not at the expense of the positive mental health of leaders, staff and students but because of it. This is an approach goal – it is inspiring, exciting, meaningful and aspirational!

Today there has never been a more important time to consider the role of schools and learning institutions in teaching the skills of wellbeing. In the past two years, the world that we live in characterised by rapid environmental, political, economic, technological, and social change, has been further challenged

by COVID-19. There is no question that the pandemic has brought the need for wellbeing, resilience, and mental toughness in schools, organisations, and communities to the centre stage.

However, long before COVID-19 appeared the positive education movement was already evolving, not as a result of a crisis per se, but for the proactive enhancement of wellbeing and flourishing in school communities. In my experience and supported by recent discussions with the schools with whom I have engaged, their positive investments in community wellbeing have paid real dividends as they have navigated successfully through these unprecedented and difficult times and indeed still found ways to thrive academically, professionally and personally.

Lesson 2: Create a common understanding Creating the conditions and climate for positive change is important to ensure staff buy-in, which includes a comprehensive understanding of how wellbeing and positive education approaches align with each school’s unique context.

Wellbeing approaches need to be seen as an added value and something that can be lived, taught, and embedded within a school rather than a “layering” on top of other initiatives.

Provide an experiential whole school staff introduction by experts in the fields of wellbeing and positive psychology who understand the science and research and how it is being applied in the real world. Giving staff a collective opportunity to explore the benefits of positive psychology interventions for their own wellbeing is a great way to inform and engage staff and to identify champions whose positive energy can be harnessed to move forwards.

The designation of a senior wellbeing lead is also essential.

Indeed, over the past five years I have seen the creation of, and targeted recruitment to, newly created leadership posts with specific briefs and job titles relating to positive education or whole school wellbeing. Increasingly these educators are bringing the added value of embracing relevant further education, such as completing a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP), doctoral study, or coaching certifications. By building the internal capability of school leadership and staff, schools become less reliant on external consultants and better able to embed their approach to wellbeing in a context-specific manner.

Lesson 4: No-one Size Fits All There are many evidence-based models, frameworks and interventions. It's important that schools find what works for their specific needs and context. Some schools opt for an established model such as PERMAH or the 5 Ways to Wellbeing, others develop their own. Learn from schools through organisations such as Positive Education Schools Association and connect with other pioneering educators within this generous community. The Palgrave Handbook is rich with free open access content relating to the best current global good practice.

Lesson 5: Integrate Evidence-based Coaching In our Palgrave book chapter, my co-authors and I argue that positive education can be defined as:

Lesson 3: Wellbeing Leadership Senior leadership buy-in to strategic approaches to wellbeing is key and, let’s face it, they are the ones sometimes most in need of wellbeing support! This can be achieved by engaging senior leaders first through consultant led team briefings and 1:1 coaching to explore their own wellbeing needs.

“The strategic and sustainable integration and implementation of the complementary fields of positive psychology, coaching psychology, and other relevant wellbeing science into an educational setting utilising multiple evidence-based initiatives aimed at creating flourishing students, staff, and whole-school communities.”

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Click here to access Clive's cowritten chapter and the complete book for free!

Coaching recognises that “no one size fits all” and provides a space and a process through which the school as a whole and individuals can aspire, reflect , assess, take action, evaluate, be accountable, progress and embed and sustain positive change.

"In my experience this is best achieved through a strategic approach which includes coaching of school leaders, key teams, and champions combined with cultivating a culture of quality coaching conversations which in itself becomes a contributory factor in whole school wellbeing."

Invest in 1:1 leadership coaching to ensure leaders are role-modelling the principles of positive education and focused on the enhancement of their own wellbeing. In my coaching practice this also includes elements of “psychoeducation” as I bring to life for leaders the latest research and models from the coaching and positive psychology fields.

Provide 1:1 coaching support for wellbeing leads Coaching training for staff – peer and student support Introduce coaching conversations for staff, students, parents Lesson 6: Measurement It is important to both benchmark and measure progress in wellbeing across the school community. The Palgrave chapter Assessing Well-being in School Communities (Jarden et al, 2021), summarises the basics of assessment and outlines wellbeing assessments available for schools. It covers what assessments are, why they are important, and examples of good assessments in practice. It also explores the benefits of assessment data in decision-making, and provides a comprehensive list of questions schools and decision-makers may find useful in considering assessment tools and approaches.

Clive Leach, M.Org.Coaching provides in-house and virtual consulting, facilitation and coaching on wellbeing to schools in many parts of the world. As well as being a published author he is a visiting lecturer on the MSc Applied Positive Psychology & Coaching Psychology (MAPPCP) at the University of East London. For more information on Clive’s organisational coaching services please contact coach@cliveleach.com or visit his profile and articles on LinkedIn.

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Evidence-based

assessments and surveys for

international schools Progressive Achievement for International Schools (PAIS) Use assessment data to target teaching and support every student to make progress.

• Designed for students in international schools from Grades 1-10, available for Mathematics and English • Two forms per grade level to support monitoring through the year.

www.acer.org/pais

Social-Emotional Wellbeing Survey (SEW) Comprehensively review your students’ wellbeing and provide targeted support.

• Designed for students aged 3-18, tailored to Early Years, Primary and Secondary levels • Approximately 30 minutes to complete • Uses an ‘ecological’, positive-psychology model

www.acer.org/sew

School Life Questionnaire (SLQ) Measure important school outcomes, such as attitudes towards school, learning, teachers and other students.

• Designed for upper Primary and Secondary students • 25-30 questions, approximately 15 minutes to complete

About ACER

www.acer.org/slq

Established in 1930, the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)

is one of the world’s leading educational research centres. Our mission is to

create and promote research-based knowledge, products and services that

can be used to improve learning across the lifespan. globalschools@acer.org

WRITING AS A FORM OF WELLBEING

BY JESS GOSLING I have had this idea rattling around in my head for several months, and today, on a Saturday at the start of a long weekend, I felt the need to commit it to paper. My creative flow begins with writing. Along with a good massage, for now, writing is the most significant direct contributor to my wellbeing.

I was an avid writer when completing my master’s degree, but following the intensity of this time, my writing ceased for several years. However, I re-commenced writing shortly after receiving the news of Covid19. My reaction to this news mirrored that of my host nation, Taiwan. I was fearful and anxious. As we were residents of a country within a stone's throw of China, we braced for the appearance of Covid 19 to devastate our society. However, at this early stage, I was unable to comprehend the world-wide magnitude and devastation of this threat.

The Taiwanese enlisted strong precautions, I calmed. Covid 19 took hold around the world. Yet, as the year passed and the next began, I could see that really, a “back to normal” lifestyle would take much longer than I could ever imagine in Taiwan.

The first Taiwan domestic cases of Covid 19 began in April 2021, and as a nation we simply did not have enough vaccines. Fear returned at an unprecedented level nationwide, and most of the populace stayed home for several months. Schools, playgrounds, areas of recreation and pursuits closed. Strict quarantine requirements were introduced, whereby two weeks in a quarantine hotel plus a further one-week self-management - away from pupils - was now necessary.

We are now in October 2021. We have been told our “level 3” Covid precautions have stepped back to “level 2,” but in reality, in everyday life, not much has changed since the “level 3” precautions. We wear masks everywhere, even in our cars with our families. My favourite restaurant continues to operate on a take-away basis only as every restaurant owner worries their establishment will be the restaurant that Covid creeps into. I still can’t fathom a return to the UK with strict two-week quarantine in government-run buildings with my young daughter, with poor food and some without windows, and a week to self-isolate before returning to work. And what if, on returning home, I catch Covid and cannot return?

Since January 2021, I have published multiple articles for the Times Educational Supplement, authored a book, and written for numerous blogs and magazines, including this one.

Thankfully, for me, the consequences of Covid 19 have helped develop my self-growth. Writing has led me to join groups such as Twitter, which additionally have created new experiences and contacts. Often through my writing I have felt accepted, generously praised, and wholeheartedly appreciated. This isn’t always the case in teaching.

So how does writing fit into my life as a form of wellbeing?

Here are my thoughts.

How do I find time to write?

Wellbeing is about focusing on what is energizing. Like any teacher, I have a very busy work schedule with many demands on my time during the day, and sometimes this creeps into my homelife. In addition, I have a family, which includes a young daughter. Even with these demands, I fit in writing. This tends to be in lieu of something else, perhaps TV or reading. After finishing school, sharing dinner with my family, and reading stories with my daughter, often I go directly to my laptop. I usually work from around 7:30-9 p.m.

Some days, if I feel particularly stressed, I will work later. I always aim to stop by 9:30 p.m. as I know if I work too late this will impact my energy levels the next day.

During the weekend, when I like an evening or two to relax, I may work during the day. My daughter has a very active school life and has swimming lessons on Saturday. Often I sit with her as she enjoys her favourite movie and tap out some content contentedly.

Where do I find inspiration for my work?

Initially, I wrote about my discoveries in the classroom. I really enjoyed sharing what I found to be good practice, and I also liked writing as a form of recognition for my colleagues’ extremely hard work. It was great when they read about our work, whereby they were mentioned and applauded for their effort. For me, praising those that you work with is incredibly important and often forgotten about in busy school environments. It is my way of giving thanks.

When I began becoming a guest for podcasts, presenters would often indicate what they would like to talk about. These key themes I often developed into articles later. They were almost already written in my head, as I had spoken them out loud and explored in the interview.

Recently, I like to write about wider issues, as I have become interested in leadership since joining #WomenEd and leading #WomenEd in Taiwan. As there are so many interesting debates and discussions within this group, ideas for articles often form quite naturally from there.

Is it necessary to have a sounding board?

When writing my book, I had multiple sounding boards: friends, colleagues, recruiters and former heads. These individuals generously gave their time and were invaluable at helping me develop my book into the final product it is today. I valued their feedback deeply and altered and developed my book through their advice.

However, all other writing I have completed is quite private to me whilst in the initial stages. I do share my work as a first draft with editors and I appreciate feedback. However, I don’t really sound out my ideas. It sounds funny but they just “flow,” almost like a conversation between the screen and myself.

What were the specific changes to my wellbeing once I took up writing again?

"I escape my worries by writing. Although I sometimes don’t write for a few days, I always return to it, and it feels like a physical presence in my life. I need to write to reset. If I haven’t written, I think about it when I am somewhere else. It is a way to release frustrations, and after writing I feel accomplished. I feel a great sense of achievement when my articles are used and enjoyed by others. Upon finishing an article or blog, I feel relaxed and reset, almost as if I have taken mental exercise."

For those who believe that they too “have a book in them,” my advice would be to go ahead - write it! Even the planning phase and jotting ideas is a creative process in itself, one in which I thoroughly enjoyed. It is infectious and for many, a wonderful creative outlet.

Jess Gosling is a British trained Early Years Teacher,

Taiwan. She writes based internationally, currently in regularly - please see http://jessgoslingearlyyearsteacher.com for her latest blog - and tweets @JessGosling2. Jess has published a guide to support teachers on their international move, Becoming a Successful International Teacher.

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THE IMPACT AND INFLUENCE OF AN EDUCATOR

BY BRAYDON GILES

Let’s face it: education isn’t a profession for the faint-hearted.

It’s an incredibly complex web of competing agendas, teaching and learning programs and pedagogy. But the role of a teacher remains constant. That of a guide, a mentor, a life coach, a counsellor, a leader.

If I close my eyes, I can still feel the passion. I can see Mal interchanging his red and blue whiteboard markers as he underlines the topic, algebra, with his squiggly, perfectionistic line. There was a time when math, for me, was sitting next to the smartest kid in the room and shooting side daggers at his book in the hopes of getting the answer.

There was a time when math was copying the answers from the back of the textbook when the teacher was writing on the board. But then, there came a time when math actually became fun: my time with Mal.

Think for a moment on how you came to be where you are in education. How did your journey begin? For me, my journey into teaching began in high school.

There’s the old sentiment that gets thrown around in education: students won’t remember what you taught them, but they’ll remember how you made them feel.

One teacher. One classroom. One hell of a large impact.

Now, sitting here in my 30s, I admittedly still probably could not solve an algebraic equation without some degree of difficulty. But I can remember vividly the feeling of acceptance, of enjoyment and of sheer wonder that came from sitting in that Year 9 maths class with Mal. Whether he knew it at the time or not, he ignited that spark within me.

He had turned my school journey around, and I vowed that I would do the same thing for others.

If today was your last day in education, what would be your legacy? What would your students say about you? What impact would you be leaving on them?

As a 14-year-old teenage boy, school was not always on the top of my priority list. If you had asked me the extent of my mathematical knowledge, between mumbles and grunts, I probably would have told you that “2 + 2 = 4” while reminiscing of Barney the purple dinosaur jumping around on screen in my childhood loungeroom. But then came Malcolm.

It was then that my journey into education really began.

In my first teaching gig, I learnt the true influence of positive leadership and passion working with my head of department, Elizabeth. She would call me “Bray-dawg,” the group of the new teachers “Young Ones” and everyone in her department her “children.” She brought such warmth and positivity. When she entered the room, it lit up, smiles dancing across everyone’s face.

If you are new to the world of education, stick with it. You will have your bad days when you want to just quit, but in those times, think of your inspiration. Think of those who have inspired you and why you chose this career path. Find a mentor, someone who inspires you to push yourself.

Elizabeth taught me a lot about teaching. I got to witness firsthand her impact on the students and the reciprocal nature of inspiration. While I would probably struggle to bring the “motherly love” she was known for, I could see how her presence brought happiness to the kids. All smiles, all lesson.

This resounding influence was felt by all within her department and, as a teacher, she had an impact not only on the children, but by her staff as well. She was a guide, a mentor and a true leader who kept wellbeing at the front of all she would do.

"If you’ve been in the world of education for five, ten or forty years, remember why you became an educator during times that are rough.

Remember all the young people you have inspired and had a lasting impact on. And remember, this is why we do it."

As teachers, we all have those bad days and bad lessons where we may not feel like we are making a real difference. It can be hard, come end of term, when there are the repetitive cycles of assessing, marking, moderating, and reporting. It can be hard when our lessons go pear-shaped. And it can be hard pushing through the workload only to be hit with another wave to be finalised by Monday.

Our lives are often so busy that we rarely step back and think of the “why.”

Why did I choose this profession?

What inspired me to become an educator?

These moments are so important in our world of education, now more than ever before. I learnt this in a truly beautiful way from a colleague who shared a sentiment that has resonated in my heart and in my mind ever since: “Life isn’t about some fine destination, it’s about the journey and the fact that you know how to drive.”

Find your Mal or Elizabeth.

Successful people attribute their accomplishments to many common notions: practice, persistence, coaches and support. The fact is many of these stories also contain the “spark” - a mentor who provides advice and support to help them reach heights that may be unreachable alone.

To all my friends in education, as a teacher, know that you matter. As a mentor, your word is treasured. As a leader, you can enact change for the better. Although all great teachers, mentors and leaders do not necessarily fit a finite pattern, they all share that passion, determination, commitment, and energy to inspire and influence those around them. They all leave indelible marks on those under their care and, in doing so, are filled with valuable memories and moments to treasure long after their time in the classroom has ended.

So, if today was your last day in education, what would be your legacy? What would your students say about you?

What impact would you be leaving on them?

Braydon Giles has been working in Secondary Schools in Queensland, Australia for 10 years and is the Head of Middle School at St John’s Anglican College, Brisbane. He is passionate about educational leadership, pastoral care and wellbeing, and empowering young people to become confident and competent leaders of the future. Connect with Braydon on Linkedin.

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WHEREVER OR WHENEVER YOU START: TRY AND REMAIN CONSISTENT

BY MARK SAMWAYS Mental health and wellbeing are finally getting the spotlight that many of us have been crying out for. The statistics around youth mental health pre-pandemic were bad, and now they are terrifying.

Mentalhealth.org report that 70% of children and adolescents who experience mental health difficulties have not had interventions at a sufficiently early stage.

We also know from Kessler et al. (2005) that 50% of mental health problems are established by age 14. The earlier we can address this, both in terms of life cycle and early prevention, the better.

Whilst unfortunately the pandemic hasn’t come to an end yet, one of the reflections we are making is that not enough is being done to support young people with their wellbeing and mental health.

Rightly or wrongly, the onus is now on schools to plug that gap.

Consistency is Key Wherever your school starts, whenever your school starts, consistency is key. The research on this is compelling: unless wellbeing is placed at the heart of the school and becomes a culture and not an add on, its impact is limited (Spence & Shortt, 2007; Weare and Nind, 2011).

This was certainly the experience I had when implementing a whole school approach. We introduced Positive Psychology Interventions (PPI) on a weekly basis; the form tutor delivered the programme for twenty minutes during tutor time.

During the first year of teaching the programme, the time was fairly well protected on the timetable, and teaching remained as consistent as it could throughout the year. The results (Lambert et al., 2019) were pretty good. We took a baseline measure on five scales: school kindness, mental toughness, positive and negative affect scales, mental health continuum and life satisfaction. We yielded 9/15 significant results and were really pleased with the outcomes. What was really interesting about the data was that we started pre-lockdown, and both the programme and data collection continued during online learning.

When students only had to commute from their bed to their desk, some often not even making that journey, they were able to sleep longer. We found this had a profound impact on their wellbeing. Compared to those who did not report sleeping more hours during the lockdown, those who did were three times more likely to report greater agreement with the statement, “My life is going well” compared to the pre-lockdown situation. They were three times more likely to report more positive affect, more than twice less likely to report more negative affect and nearly four and a half times more likely to report greater hedonic, emotional wellbeing. We also found no correlation between increased screen time and decreasing levels of wellbeing, something also reported in a study by the British Psychological Society.

The following year, I ran the same study again with a cohort that had not experienced it previously. This formed my dissertation in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching through The University of East London. This was the second year we faced COVID restrictions, blended learning was taking its toll, and the decision was made to make it optional.

Staff were understandably struggling. Come the end of the academic year, the results highlighted the need for consistency, most staff dibbed in and out, and one significant result was yielded, which was most likely an anomaly. The programme that had worked so well the previous year did not yield the same results. For me, this really highlighted the need to stay consistent. When it is applied inconsistently, you actually run the risk of doing more damage than good by opening students up and not providing regular follow ups and check ins.

Where to start The task is overwhelming; where on earth do you start? It is a question posed by schools I’ve worked with. Here are four suggestions: 1. Start with relationships. Look at building the community, not only among the staff, but with the pupils and parents too.

Pupils and parents are a tremendous resource; utilise them, student voice and agency is powerful. Wellbeing certainly shouldn’t be done to but done with. Jamal et al. (2013) and Kutsyuruba et al. (2015) both highlighted positive relationships within the school and opportunities for students to have a voice and contribute to decision-making at school as key variables for improving student wellbeing.

2. Give wellbeing a protected timetable. Time is just about the most valuable resource we have on this planet; it truly is one of the most special gifts we can bestow - ask a school. It is one of the main challenges they face when wanting to implement any new initiative or programme. This is certainly a challenge that schools are facing; generally there is good intention but the obstacle of time is a tough one to overcome.

3. If you can, it’s always good to assess the actual need and have a plan for your community, rather than a scattergun approach. It also needs a team; it can’t be reliant on one person to drive it all. It’s too much work. We need to go far with this, not fast, and as we know to go far, we need to go together.

4. I run a monthly support group for school wellbeing leads, this is a space for like-minded individuals to come together and discuss challenges and gain support. Please email me on mark@thefsc.earth to join. We meet on the second Tuesday of every month at 8pm Gulf standard time (GST).

The mental health crisis facing us is certainly a daunting one, and the stigma surrounding it is certainly moving in the right direction. However, if we want things to change, we have to look toward early prevention, which is a well-structured wellbeing programme that is given protected time in the week. You wouldn’t give any other mainstream lesson 10 minutes a week and expect results; don’t do it to wellbeing!

Mark Samways is Director of Wellbeing at The Free Spirit Collective, Dubai, UAE. Mark has an MSc in Positive Psychology and Coaching from The University of East London and is passionate about helping schools implement evidence-based wellbeing programmes.

Connect with Mark on Twitter.

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CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN SUICIDE FIRST AID

BY GEORGE PETERKIN Even hearing the word “suicide” can cause people to internally, and perhaps even externally, wince. For many, this reaction is understandable because suicide refers to mortality, but there are other reasons behind the response. A large factor is the stigma suicide carries within a whole society but also inside smaller communities. It can bring out fear, sadness and even anger in people.

I certainly do not think we should ignore or block these emotions, as emotions are human. What if I were to tell you though that suicide was one of the most preventable deaths? What if I were to tell you that it in fact has the highest rate of “recovery” out of common mental health problems?

Unfortunately, in my teaching career and general life, I have come across suicide too many times. In 2016 I’d had enough of my feelings of powerlessness when it came to poor mental health within my life, both professionally and personally. I made the decision to attend a Mental Health First Aid course, and my path in life was changed forever.

In 2017, I attended a Suicide First Aid course which had been recommended to me during some MHFA training. I have a can-do attitude, but even I was a little nervous and yes, frightened, about the training. I truly had no idea what to expect from it. I imagined worse case scenarios, and that it would be a day of all doom and gloom. I feared that my mood at the end would resemble the dark skyline of the February day in London when I attended the training.

It had to be one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. It broke down so much of the stigma I realised I had in my own life and made me realise that there was a lot I could do to break this down further, both in the workplace and in my life in general. The Suicide First Aid course showed me that there are in fact three focuses for a suicide first aider: prevention, intervention and postvention.

Prevention As most of us reading this know, suicide deaths are dominated by men regardless of which country. On average, 75% of those that have died by suicide were men. It was one of the main reasons I attended the training as I went to an all-boys school, taught at an all-boys school, and spent most of my free time playing football with other men. Sadly, I was very much in an environment of people who may be taking up these statistics.

I learnt in the course the many reasons why men dominate these statistics, with one of the largest being that men are simply not as “emotionally aware” as women and they are “unable” to come forward to discuss what is going on for them.

However, I did leave there with an understanding that these statistics can be reduced, and this leads to one of the biggest focuses of the course: prevention.

We all have the ability to prevent suicide and reduce the statistics. Within a school, I realised that it does not require extreme or exceptional methods to do this. Simple things such as creating an environment where mental health can be discussed, and making students and staff aware that there is support within the school, can prevent suicide from occurring. It is the simple things done consistently that make the biggest impacts. I found that these preventive steps go in-line with what people can learn from the MHFA courses as well.

Intervention Of course, we also covered the intervention stage: how to approach someone and hold a conversation if you suspect they may be at risk of suicide. I walked in thinking that we would be given scenarios and asked to re-enact them. Instead, the Suicide First Aid course uses a video with two people acting out a scene for us, which allows us to learn the three steps needed to intervene and give someone aid who may potentially be thinking of suicide.

All of the information we were given regarding intervention was evidence-based through organisations such as Samaritans and the NHS, and the techniques learnt are so highly regarded that therapists, emergency services, military and of course educators regularly attend. I encourage any educator who attends to take the three steps and incorporate them into their policy writing and risk assessment forms when they have to intervene with a child or adult. When I attended, I learnt that by focusing on two questions - “What can be done to keep you safe?” and “Who can help with this?” - I could give the required aid to a person at risk.

Postvention Postvention was created as a way to support those who are left behind from a suicide. Sadly, we can never reduce suicide rates to zero, so it is important that we can give support to family and friends who have lost someone to a suicide. The course explains how postvention has been carried out around the world, emphasising a proactive response rather than a reactive one.

The Suicide First Aid course itself and the steps covered are applicable to anyone at risk regardless of their age, gender, sexuality, religion or culture.

"Although I left the course with a head swirling with information and new things to consider, I realised the most important thing: I can aid in reducing those suicide statistics."

George Peterkin has worked as a teacher and therapeutic counsellor for 10 years in the UK. In the last few years, George has spent his time networking with international educational institutions by providing Mental Health First Aid, mental health awareness workshops for the students and parents and also the Suicide First Aid course. Connect with George on LinkedIn.

CLICK ON ICON TO LISTEN TO GEORGE'S AUDIO VERSION

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THE CONFERENCE CIRCUIT: IGB INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL HOSTS FIRST COMMUNITY CONFERENCE

BY AGA CHOJNACKA-AL ATAT From November 6-7, 2021, IGB International School in Malaysia hosted its first Community Conference, a not-forprofit community sourced and EARCOS sponsored event that brought a variety of professional learning experiences to the school and to the global educator community.

The IGBIS Community Conference in numbers was quite the sight for life-long learners’ eyes: -300 participants -19 countries represented -17 sessions and workshops -12 hours of PD recordings -7 facilitator nationalities -2 days of live learning -1 shared goal of impacting lives through igniting learning community minds The conference centred its learning engagements and dialogue around three main themes - inquiry, wellbeing and inclusion - with each theme represented by a selection of community-based nano-PD presenters and two great keynote speakers: Trevor MacKenzie and Andy Vasily.

Trevor MacKenzie opened the conference with an impassioned keynote on "Cultivating Curiosity, Belonging, Agency and Inquiry." An experienced teacher, author, keynote speaker and inquiry consultant, Trevor challenged attendees to reflect on the characteristics of an inquiry classroom and an inquiry driven educator. His session encouraged the teachers to take stock of what their key practices and teaching strategies currently do for their learners in terms of fostering belonging, curiosity and agency. His heartfelt storytelling, kind demeanour, and student-first philosophy got the participants positively charged for his follow up workshop on the features and culture of an inquiry classroom. Trevor’s inquiry practice driven books are: Dive into Inquiry; Inquiry Mindset Elementary Edition; Inquiry Mindset Assessment Edition.

Day two of the conference was opened by Andy Vasily, who is a pedagogical coordinator, workshop leader, and podcaster based at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia. Andy has taught at fully authorized International Baccalaureate schools in five different countries over the past 20 years and the richness of his coordinator and single subject experience comes through in the practical lesson and practice examples he offered throughout his keynote and workshop.

Andy’s keynote and workshop brought all three aspects of inquiry, inclusion and wellbeing together, offering educators a practical take on those three themes. Andy’s workshop participants had a unique opportunity to follow through the course of student-centred learning experiences and authentic formative assessments as well as reflect on their current student-centred assessment practices.

Trevor’s and Andy’s sessions both unpacked and explored the themes of an inquiry classroom and inquiry-based pedagogy that provides access to all learners (inclusion) and allows for child’s agency - voice, choice and ownership - to be honoured and promoted.

The keynotes and workshops created many opportunities for pause, deeper reflection, dialogue and community sharing over the issues of learner-centred teaching, learning and assessment, with great practical examples and reflection tools shared.

The understanding of student and teacher wellbeing were constructed through sessions on: -investing time and prioritizing wellbeing -meditation and mindfulness -building a culture of mindfulness in the classroom -agency and student wellbeing -supporting the student transition process -leading with courage and kindness While inclusion was supported by the workshops and nanoPDs that provided insight into: -honouring and supporting children individual learning journeys -student services roles and responsibilities -cultivating belonging

"All of the session recordings are available on the conference website for educators to re-watch and The conference NanoPD choices were facilitated by a vetted share with their individual learning communities selection of experienced educators, authors and creators from to spark further conversations about teaching and around the world whose take-away oriented sessions explored learning through the lens of inquiry, wellbeing and the conference themes. inclusion. The post-conference sharing also

continues on Twitter under #igbiscc."

"Karen Myrick’s pre-recorded session on Mindfulness in the Classroom was rich in immediate take-aways As with every learning experience online there were a number that even educator’s less experienced in the “art of of tech twists and surprises - facilitators losing wifi in the zen” could pick up and run with the next morning in middle of a tropical storm being one of the most suspenseful the classroom." ones - that made the conference tech support team have a Alona Yildirim and Dilek Duman shared a beautiful insight into inquiry and the art of questioning in the early years classroom, and their session offered a unique take at Bloom’s taxonomy used for scaffolding question-asking for young learners.

If you engage in Instagram, Facebook and Twitter-based professional learning communities you will definitely recognize these colleagues: Aga Chojnacka, Karen Myrick, Misty Paterson, Devika Datta, Alona Yildirim and Dimek Duman (Reggio.Inspired.PYP) were just some of the facilitators offering their practices and experiences in the NanoPD, 30 minute synchronous sessions.

The choices of nano-PD sessions supporting the community’s understanding of inquiry explored the topics of: -cultivating curiosity and agency -conditions of an inquiry classroom -human-centred inquiry -assessment and goal setting through the lens of approaches to learning skills -collaborating and co-designing for student success -making your learners learning and thinking visible -the power of provocations

memorable weekend and learn heaps that can be directly translated into the next event.

We hope the IGBIS Community Conference has arrived to stay in our PD calendars for the years to come, allowing the educators in our communities to discuss what truly matters and share authentic reflection and practice.

If you would like to learn more about conference organization efforts, contributions and contribute your voice and ideas to future Community Conference editions use this feedback form.

Aga Chojnacka-Al Atat is a leader of learning, maker, play advocate and SDGs goalkeeper. She has worked across Europe and Asia as a teacher, curriculum director and coordinator, professional learning coach, maker space facilitator, IB workshop leader and consultant. Connect with Aga on Twitter, Instagram or Linkedin. Also see her website at www.the100languages.com

CLICK ON ICON TO LISTEN TO AGA'S AUDIO VERSION

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Series 2, Episode 1 STAND (Students Together AgaiNst Discrimination, International School of Helsinki

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ACCESS THE EPISODE

The WISEducation podcast is created by Editor of the Wellbeing in International Schools Magazine, Dr Sadie Hollins.

The podcast aims to have conversations with guests who are paving the way and are having challenging, constructive and needed discussions in international school education. In this episode Sadie chats with Carolina. Sofie, Anni and Ben, from student equity group STAND (Students Together AgaiNst Discrimination) at the International School of Helsinki, who are fighting for equity both within their school, and within the wider community. We learn about the origins of the group, how they launched and branded the group to help engage other high school students, and their thoughts on how teachers can best support the work of student equity groups in their settings.

THE WELLBEING LIBRARY WITH NADINE BAILEY Parachute by Danny Parker, Matt Ottley (Illustrator) (ISBN: 9781921894206)

A boy who is so scared of everything he keeps a parachute strapped to his back at all times, just in case it’s needed. But one day he's called to help someone else… Gradually he loses his fear and gains self-confidence. The illustrations are just marvellous, especially the use of perspective and taking the viewpoint of the protagonist.

Suitable for all ages from Kindergarten.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy (ISBN: 9781529105100) A beautifully illustrated story with inky handwritten text, of four lonely creatures, who through caring for each other find friendship.

Although this is a relatively quick read, the meditative tone gives solace interspersed with very humorous references to cake. This is the type of book likely to be given to family and friends and read repeatedly.

Suitable for read-aloud for all ages from 6 years.

Small Things by Mel Tregonning (ISBN: 9781742379791) In this stunningly illustrated word-less (sophisticated) picture-book a young boy tries to cope with his anxieties on his own. Through elaborately drawn images one sees a frightening world through his eyes where everyone else appears to be coping fine. Finally he asks for and receives help and becomes aware that he’s not the only person with fears and doubts. This is a beautiful book that could stimulate writing prompts or discussions with all students and the fact that it is wordless means it can be used in a second language context as well.

Suitable for ages 10 and up.

Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Novel by Ari Folman (Adaptor), Anne Frank, David Polonsky (Illustrator) (ISBN: 9781101871799) A must-read for teenagers in this Covid-era of lock-downs, home isolation and enforced time spent with people you’d prefer to avoid as a teenager. This adaptation has stunning illustrations and quotes directly from the diary, starting with smaller snippets in the beginning, to whole pages as the story progresses. The novel shows the power of writing and re-writing as a coping mechanism. It also gives an insight to Anne’s relationship with her parents, her problems with her mother and the joys and despair of puberty.

Suitable for read-aloud for ages 12 and up.

A Still Quiet Place for Teens: A Mindfulness Workbook to Ease Stress and Difficult Emotions by Amy Saltzman (ISBN: 9781626253766) This eight part workbook for teens can be used by itself for journaling and contemplation or in conjunction with sessions with a counsellor.

Written by mindfulness expert Amy Saltzman, it uses mindfulnessbased stress reduction (MBSR) techniques. Each of the eight parts include basic concepts, activities, reflections, and practice.

Suitable for teenagers and school counsellors.

A Quiet Education: Challenging the Extrovert Ideal in our Schools

by Jamie Thom (ISBN: 9781912906758) One of things commonly commented on by both students and teachers coming back to school after online-learning was how noisy and boisterous in-person education was. A significant proportion of our community of teachers and learners are either introverted, or have issues with sensory overload. This is a thorough but accessible look at how schools could be a better place for introverted children and teachers. And a great showcase of how practices that benefit introverts will also benefit all with lots of examples and links to fellow quiet educators on Twitter.

Suitable for teachers and administration.

Nadine is a middle school teacher-librarian / technology integrator at the Western Academy of Beijing. She's passionate about multi-cultural books and resources that reflect the diversity of students in International Schools. You can check out her blog at: https://intlnadine.org/

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E T F I O R R W S M I W

US THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE CONTRIBUTORS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO WRITE THEIR ARTICLES AND FOR YOU THE READER FOR CHECKING OUT THE SECOND ISSUE OF THE WELLBEING IN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS MAGAZINE BY WISEDUCATION.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN CONTRIBUTING AN ARTICLE FOR THE NEXT WELLBEING IN INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE IN MARCH THEN PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL TO SADIE.WISEDUCATION@GMAIL.COM.