Want to help new arrivals settle in? Get hobby-tastic
Apparently, some people put butter on the paws of a cat to make them feel at home if they have a change of address. The idea being that the disorientated feline will be distracted by the butter long enough for its new surroundings to become more familiar.
As effective as this may be, helping humans settle into a new environment requires more than just dairy products.
As someone who has been fortunate enough to live in several different countries and travel the world, I have had several cities I’ve called home. And I have noticed new teachers become truly settled once they’ve carved out a little space for themselves in their new environment.
For myself, I’ve taken time to foster my creativity during my downtime outside of the classroom.
My little hobby of travel writing has grown from writing blogs about travelling the world on iluv2globetrot, to contributing articles for sites like the Guardian and Tripsavvy.
But whatever your staff’s hobbies are, it is important that your teachers have outlets outside of work that interest them. Check out these tips that school leaders can use to support your teaching staff to flourish in their hobbies.
1. Promote a healthy work-life balance
It’s important to encourage your team members and staff to take time outside of work to do activities that are fun and interesting to them. Nobody enjoys being a workaholic, and it’s essential during difficult times, especially such as the pandemic, to discuss the importance of doing things that contribute to their mental wellbeing outside of work.
It is really important that all of the school’s senior leadership team are openly advocating for a healthy work-life balance. This can ensure that your teachers don’t fall victim to high levels of stress and burnout.
2. Provide opportunities for sharing
Providing opportunities to socialise outside of the workplace is a great way for employees to find others who share their hobbies, and for some staff to find brand new ones.
At the end of the term in our last school year, our head of department facilitated an activity for us to mingle with our co-workers outside of the classroom.
This gave us a great opportunity to get to know our co-workers in a comfortable setting. Some were able to learn about my travel blog, while others who were interested in photography took pictures and others discussed their interests outside of work.
3. Look at how you advertise your staff perks
For some international schools, your insurance providers offer health credits that can be used towards fitness classes or gym memberships.
The local gym at the stadium near my college offered a hefty discount to educators, which I wouldn’t have known about if it weren’t for the administration at my college.
If the above is not in the budget, then consider allocating time instead - because, after all, time is currency. Maybe consider building in some flexibility into your timetable to allow for your staff time out to enrol on a language course, for example.
4. Get the experts in
Do you know someone who is a yoga teacher? Maybe someone is an expert in pottery?
Consider reaching out to your network to see who may be willing to come to speak to your team and offer a short demo that can pique their interest.
Outside speakers are a great way to gain knowledge and, in turn, promote that expert to your team, who may be interested in working with them.
Opportunities are endless to promote the mental and physical wellbeing of your team, in turn giving them the opportunity to explore possible hobbies and interests.
Nicole Brewer teaches English as a modern foreign language in an international school in Oman
