What’s the one thing you need to survive in teaching?
A hidden stash of glue-sticks? A lifetime supply of teabags? The ability to silence a class of children with just one look?
Although all of the above are, undoubtedly, excellent to have up your sleeve, they aren’t quite the magic ingredient that former head Colin Harris has in mind for teachers. Instead, he’s shared the secret to his success: friendship.
“Think of the issues a teacher faces daily: difficult children, staff and parents. Add to it workload, and the heart-wrenching moments that need intervention from social services or the police. Your mental health can take a real bashing,” he wrote.
“It’s so important that, throughout all of those times and experiences, there’s someone to talk to.”
During his many years in school leadership, Harris got by with a little help from his friend, Sam*. (Sam’s identity has been protected in the fear that his friend requests on Facebook could rocket.) “Together, Sam and I would share our mistakes and our successes. We’d talk about pedagogy and try to refine our own constantly,” he wrote. “I’ve never told him this, but Sam ensured my mental health was always balanced, he improved my understanding of teaching tenfold, and because of that he was an essential part of my life.”
Go forth and seek out your own “reflection buddy”, Harris urges. If you’ve already got someone who you share the highs and lows of teaching with - accompanied by a glass or three of wine - go and thank them for their support. After all, that’s what friends are for.
