With the pressure ever mounting on teaching staff to deliver academic outcomes through an ever changing curriculum onslaught from both State and Federal Governance’s, teacher are burning out.
Woodroffe Primary School Principal Miranda Watt is very aware that Wellness is becoming an important part of
Professional Development (PD) and there is a desperate need for personal development of her staff to allow the best possible outcomes for the children of Woodroffe.
To this end, she contacted Sports Challenge Australia’s CEO Dr Garry Tester who had worked successfully with her in the remote N.T. community of Maningrida and she was keen to do the same here in Darwin.
A one-day program was developed profiling staff in Creativity and Innovation (CI) skills, applying these skills to experiential learning modules of communication skills, team work, leadership and collegiate development which all staff were highly motivated by the Australian Corporate Challenge (ACC – australiancorporatechallenge.com.au) team, the corporate training arm of Sports Challenge Australia.
Of great interest to the staff was the Mood & Stress Questionnaire to measure staff’s current levels with practical solutions to enhancing overall wellness and personal health.
This was further extended through Mindfulness strategies and exercises along with the introduction of Hibiscus Tea as a wonderful remedy for de-stressing.
The objective and narrative feedback reinforced the investment Miranda had envisaged, as a great way to set the tone for the new Term and the rest of the year with a staff re-energised with a raft of strategies. As she explained, “This will build staff resilience and this can only help to rejuvenate the educational outcomes of our school”.