HAPPY TEACHERS FOR A HAPPY SCHOOL
HAPPY TEACHERS FOR A HAPPY SCHOOL
Ngo Duc Tai
PhD. in Education Sciences of the "Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University",
Russia, Kaliningrad
ABSTRACT
Sometimes it is necessary to fake happiness until it becomes a reality. This aspect will be the main issue of this research reasoning. However, a narrow circle of the social stratum – teachers will be considered. Many educators claim that positive daily habits make them happy. And habits are not only actions, but also thoughts. And everyone knows that if the teacher is happy, his students are also happy and the learning process will be quite productive in such an atmosphere.
Keywords: teacher, happiness, teaching staff, modern teacher, ruless of happiness, happy school and teacher.
Remember that happiness can take many forms. This is both the intense excitement experienced by those who like noisy and exciting social events, and the quiet happiness of those who are more pleased with quiet, solitary pursuits. The concept of happiness depends on age. The younger the person, the more significant material well-being. With increasing age and the accumulation of life experience, spiritual values come to the fore.
The ability to be happy is not an innate quality, it is not inherited and is not given to the child by parents.
Happiness depends on objective conditions, such as marital status and social status, it is also related to our way of thinking – how we look at things. There are certain cognitive processes behind human judgments of happiness and life satisfaction.
However, the most significant sources of happiness are social relationships, work and leisure. There is a close relationship between happiness and sociability. An important source of happiness is leisure. Happiness has been found to be associated with certain personality traits, such as extraversion and neuroticism. Thinking style also matters: happy people have higher self-esteem, a sense of control, optimism, and a sense of purpose that comes from having clear direction. The level of happiness also correlates with age.
The era in which we live implies the ability to set goals and achieve them, to constantly invent new things that the modern world needs, and most importantly, to seek joy within ourselves and cause it in others. Creating programs for the future implies the ability to create with meaning, goal-setting, vision of the final result. Only a happy person can develop these abilities.
In pedagogical science, the image of the «ideal teacher» has long been described. A modern teacher, judging by what requirements are now being imposed on this category of specialists, should be really ideal: he should know everything, understand everything, be better and more perfect than an ordinary normal person. But that's the problem, that the teacher is an ordinary person, not an angel. And it is not worth adding to the list of those teachers who, striving to be like an ideal model, are desperately trying to «ascend to heaven» during their lifetime and painfully break their wings at the same time.
A good teacher is a happy teacher.
It should be remembered that the main task of any teacher is to become happy himself and create conditions that allow him to move along the path to happiness and his students, since only in such conditions can the teacher get a full opportunity to express himself, and students can really learn something.
And indeed, this is a very important point – to create the appropriate relationship with the students. How true, in my opinion, that only a happy teacher can rise to the heights of professional excellence.
This means that every creatively working teacher is simply obliged to be happy. The work of a teacher is inextricably linked with the work of his students. Very often, when solving their personal problems, the teacher needs the help of his students no less than they need the help of the teacher. After all, this amazing profession turns the one who chooses it into a permanent student, because only when you start teaching others do you understand how much you need to learn yourself. And this problem, in my opinion, can be solved by the pedagogy of cooperation, which turns both sides of the educational process into like-minded people. And when a teacher at work is surrounded by like-minded people: students, colleagues, then he is a happy teacher who can handle any reforms and modernizations.
The pursuit of happiness is the main driving force of human activity in society. It is this aspiration that moves everyone to the search for truth, goodness and beauty. A modern teacher, who has such an understanding of happiness, is called upon to create conditions for the self-development of a happy person who is able to build his own happiness.
A.V. Suvorov wrote: «In human life, the meaning is always present, you just need to find it, realize it. There is no life without meaning, it cannot be by definition. And to the question, what is the meaning of human life, there can be only one most general answer: the meaning of human life is precisely to be, to be human. In other words, happiness is to be a man, to be a man. Since a person manages to live like a human being, and not to vegetate, I am happy. But since the word “happiness” is also associated with a certain feeling (bliss, delight, joy, contentment, especially deep satisfaction, etc.), it turns out that in order to feel happy, it is important to be sure that to be man gets» [4, p. 59].
If these words can be fully applied to any person, then they should be applied to the teacher more than to anyone else, for he must not only come into being as a person, but be reflected in his students with this humanity.
To achieve such truths, a modern teacher needs not only to work on himself every day, but also to develop several skills: to learn to understand life as a meaningful existence; learn to realize their deep values and goals and act in accordance with their life principles, regardless of conditions and circumstances; strive to understand, and then to be understood; learn to cooperate, provide assistance and complicity. Having improved these skills, a modern teacher becomes a successful person, and therefore, happy.
Many would agree that teaching is hard work. Of course, the success and gratitude of students bring joy, but it is easy enough to become discouraged and wallow in a routine. So, in the modern world, studies related to the negative consequences of emotional burnout of teachers are becoming increasingly relevant. The teacher should think about this question: are you a source of positive for others, or does their negative affect your mood as well?
There are some simple tips to help make the teacher's work day more positive and varied [2]:
1. Greeting students at the entrance to the classroom.
The teacher can shake hands, meet elementary school students, giving «five». Thanks to these actions, it will be possible to note that at the sight of a teacher, each student will smile, even those who had a bad mood in the morning.
2. Deviation from the lesson plan.
Daily lessons according to the plan deprive the teacher of motivation, because teaching is not only an art and science, it is also creativity. You should not make a choice in favor of one source of information, you should always use the available alternative, because the modern interactive world is so diverse. The teacher needs to make his lesson even more interesting, based on the use of modern information technologies.
3. Humor should be valued.
The teacher must remember that children are an inexhaustible source of energy that must always be supported. Therefore, the teacher should try to bring humor into everyday activities. He needs to tell interesting stories, anecdotes, anecdotes and, in this case, the teacher will always be in the spotlight.
4. Something useful to share with the student's family.
Positive news home, a short email or a simple call will definitely do the trick. People are used to the fact that if a teacher calls their parents, then this is an extreme measure. You can change stereotypes, restructure work, establish contacts. A couple of such calls, and the teacher can get new allies who will be ready to rush to help at any moment.
5. The teacher must keep in touch with other teachers.
The teacher needs to communicate, share experiences and ideas, develop professional skills, and become open to colleagues. It is quite simple to do this: at recess, you can invite a colleague to drink a cup of coffee with cream. You don't need to think of anything else.
6. The teacher should try to leave work at work.
The last point does not mean that the work has no value, but, on the contrary, is the most important. The happiest teachers don't go to work on weekends unless it's an emergency. They may arrive a little early or stay a little late at work, but in no case should they sit at the workplace all day. Should you take work home? Probably not without it. However, you should not sit until midnight, digging into work, instead of paying attention to your family.
7. Certain hours should be kept completely out of school.
Veteran teachers always try to explain this to newcomers. The teacher should choose for himself the time when school work / thought about it is not allowed.
8. Wear clothes that make the educator feel good.
Many educators think it doesn't matter. One English teacher said: «I love my red pants with blue skulls pattern along with a cotton gray jacket and gray and white oxfords. I know my kids appreciate the brightness too». Absolutely all teachers should have such a priority in order to feel confident.
9. An educator needs to think of himself as a great teacher.
Just as everyone is motivated and inspired by social media quotes, we should also try every day to make ourselves feel like a successful educator. Happy teachers never forget that they are amazing educators in one of the most amazing and exciting places on the planet.
But what if the teacher is not already a legendary teacher? You should focus on your successes (past and present). And remember that there are opportunities in changing the personal point of view, it is necessary to try new things. Also, there are many ways to be great. Find your own, original path to greatness.
10. It is necessary to strive always for a friendly and hospitable atmosphere in the classroom.
Veteran teachers say setting a friendly tone is key. Daily praise of each student's good qualities, daily class motto affirmations, cooperation exercises, secret handshakes, and even daily positivity stickers. V.I. Ivantsova and V.M. Ivantsov (2017) said, that «I have a colleague who puts flowers from his garden in a vase and classical music from DJs. The kids love him» [1].
11. The teacher should remember that vacation is a cure for emotional burnout. A productive and good vacation is the first point to happiness.
Work hard, play hard. You should leave time for a good rest. Teachers are the best vacationers. You can go with family or friends to the resort or spend at home, but be sure to take your holidays with the company.
12. Should be positive, helpful colleagues every day.
You will reap what you sow, so it is necessary to sow positivity, helpfulness, support and help. The atmosphere in the teaching staff is the main problem of the unhappy teacher. Basically, the teaching staff is a team of women who represent a different emotional background, to which it is necessary to adapt. However, the teacher can just from time to time start a pleasant conversation with another teacher, without discussing a large number of problems, which will help in establishing contact within the team.
13. The teacher should import his own joy.
There are two ways to do this. First: import things that the teacher loves on a working day. One high school teacher says, «When putting together a delicious lunch in advance, I add my favorite details: funny food napkins, for example. I also added my own quality coffee to a working coffee machine» [3].
Second, you can often determine your own mood and the mood of others (one of the coolest things about being a person) by simply tweaking it. You can start, say, smiling, and since a smile is contagious, then the environment will be on the same wavelength with the teacher. It's hard to suppress a smile when someone smiles.
Having considered the main opportunities to make a teacher's day happier, then we will consider 5 theses about the work of a teacher that will help you feel happy for a long time and in the future teach these rules to your students:
1. Without movement towards the goal, there is no result.
In order for the work that the teacher serves to move, it is necessary to stubbornly go towards the goals set.
2. In everything you need to be a professional.
You need to work only with high quality, while it is important to create a positive developmental environment around you.
3. The lesson should be unforgettable.
Classes should be conceived as exciting, unforgettable events, and their basis will be the constructive cooperation of each and every one.
4. The word is the most important tool of the teacher.
An inspirational, bright, emotional word is the main tool of the teacher in the lesson. It motivates to dialogue, joyful knowledge and creativity.
5. It is important to help children create their own spiritual image.
The classroom is a meeting place for students with culture. Therefore, it is necessary to create all conditions for self-creation and the creation of a child's spiritual image.
Thus, the happiness of an educator depends on many factors, and there are also many opportunities to make the day and life happier. However, modern teachers forget about this and drown in routine, forgetting not only about the happiness of their students, but also about the happiness of their families, as well as their own. Thus, this problem needs to be addressed in a timely manner.
References:
- Ivantsova V. I., Ivantsov, V. M. (2017) Methodological support for the activities of teachers in the system of advanced training [Рedagogy]. Krasnoyarsk: (in Russ).
- Pavlova E. P., Shchurkova, N. E. (2020) How to bring up a happy person [Рsychology] – Moscow: (in Russ).
- Sushchenko L. B. (2018) Organization of the life of the class team on felixological grounds [Рedagogy]. Moscow: (in Russ).
- Suvorov A. V. (2003) Alienation, humanity, personality [Рsychology]. Moscow: (in Russ).