My BRiTE Toolkit

Date: 19/05/2020 5:23 PM

Module "R": Relationships....................................................................................................................... 2

Module "R": Relationships
Maintaining support networks
Strategies I have for maintaining support networks
· Using technology has been essential for me to keep closer contact with people I can ask for help
from in teaching and for contacting friends and family I usually do this online or in person when
possible
My thoughts on "I have friends I haven’t seen for weeks …"
· Organise a quick catch up time like over coffee
· Skype/facetime or have a phone call rather than texting to hear/see them
My top 3 strategies for maintaining support networks
· One strong support person
· Work life balance
· Informal professional and personal support networks
· Sending random messages to check on people, brighten their day or let them know they are on
your mind
· Having more frequent catch ups for shorter periods of time if possible or if not having longer catch
ups less frequently if this suits better
· Talking equally about each person and supporting one another equally
My Support Network
· Nadine (Mum): My go to for everything
· Dina (Friend): Mental support
· Neisha (Friend): someone to relax and have fun around
· Breana (Girlfriend): Emotional and go to for everything
· Kay (Friend): Empathetic friend
· Hannah (Friend): empathetic and fun friend
· Beryl (Grandma): Go to for emotional support and debriefing
· Jed: Fun and understanding
· Taylor: Fun and a laugh
· Steven: Fun and emotional support
· Dana: debrief person
· Lachlan: advice
· Murdoch: university advice
· Shannon: teacher advice
Strategies
· "Professional networks and social media.

Informal and formal professional networks can also be an invaluable source of support as they
provide opportunities to reflect with others, share ideas and resources, get feedback and learn from
more experienced teachers. Professional networks are usually very welcoming and supportive of
early career teachers.
Social media is becoming a widely used tool for connecting, networking and learning in education.
Even if you are in a large school, social media can help you connect with experts in your field and
can play a useful role in support as well as continuing your professional learning.

Connecting, networking, learning…”  (Teacher Feature AITSL, 24 September, 2012)

 Social media advice
Download this Social Media Advice for Pre-service Teachers from the Office of the eSafety
Commisioner.
You may also like to read this article: Teachers – let’s talk Facebook by Tania James.

BuildSupportNetworkProfessional

"
Tips
· "Failure is the mother of all successes. Be glad to fail, since you will learn something new and
progress.(Thanks to Yong)"
· "Be around people who bring out the best in you and want the best for you. These are the type of
people that will never get tired of listening to your minor or major problems, these are also the
same people who will always be there to support you!"
· "When things are very hard and you are really feeling it, remember that the emotional memory of
this event will help grow your sense of compassion, and will encourage you to support other pre-
service teachers. "
· "Find one or two colleagues that will nurture and nourish your growth not squash you. When you
come across more difficult relationships, having these "go to" colleagues will help you remain
professional.(Thanks to Deanna)"
· "Sharing ideas, problems and solutions on social media opens up doors for discussions between
teachers from all over the world."
· "When using social media such as online study group chats, be mindful to respect other peoples
views and opinions as well as their privacy online."
· "Do not provide too much personal information. (Thanks to Louise)"
· "Online networks is great for sharing ideas and always stay positive... "If you have nothing nice to
say... don't write it on social media""
· "Find your 'marigolds' in the school you work in who you can go to for support and help and stay
away from the 'walnut trees' who are pessimistic and will poison your thoughts and positive
attitude. Suggestion: read the article that discusses this in detail called 'Find your Marigold' by
Jennifer Gonzalez "
Quotes
· "I can ring my friend anytime and discuss my silly problems without fearing that she’s going to
judge me … there are just some things you don’t want to ask your school colleagues …"
· "There’s an incredible strong group of us from Uni, … we regularly talk to each other or catch up …
they’re mentors to me in the sense that we can talk about things, because we seem to be at a
similar emotional phase of our development … so I can call them and just sort of briefly run
something past them and they say, ‘oh yeah, that’s about where I was in Week 4 Term 1’"
What do the experts say?
· "Bernard (1993) argues that having at least one strong support person in an individual’s
environment can have a positive impact on resilience. Having a caring network of friends and
family can assist teachers in managing the challenges of the profession (Howard & Johnson, 2004)
and can enhance teacher commitment (Day & Gu, 2007). Supportive family members can also help
teachers maintain work-life balance (Gu & Day, 2007).
Papatraianou and Le Cornu (2014) argue that informal professional and personal networks
contribute to early career teacher resilience through providing emotional support, advice and
professional knowledge, as well as providing a forum in which teachers could be listened to and
appreciated. Furthermore, informal support networks help early career teachers feel more confident
and competent."
Building new relationships
Strategies I use for building relationships in new environments.
· Talking about interests and introducing yourself, making a good first impression, being kind
· joining school community groups
· engaging in conversations
My thoughts on "Put your best foot forward…"
· Make a seating map, ask students to have temporary names on their desks using paper, or play
name memory games to engage students and develop early positive relationships and let you learn
names
· Try and find one mentor figure to help you
· Join a school community group/committee if possible
My strategies and actions for building new relationships.
· Always putting my best foot forward and showing that I am making an effort by trying to remember
names and engage in conversations
Strategies
· "And when you are qualified …. When you begin employment, some schools will have a formal
mentoring system but you will also find that developing informal relationships with colleagues at
your school, or at another school, will enable you to find other advisors and supporters. Regardless
of how you find your mentor or mentors, a mentor-mentee relationship takes time to develop.
Often mentors report that they have learnt a lot from their mentees! This shows the reciprocal
nature of the mentoring relationship, where both mentors and mentees can benefit from
professional conversations that lead to professional growth.
Here are some ideas for working well with a mentor."
· "Positive communication with parents.

As well as informal contact with parents, there are times when parents might come to you with
particular concerns. The S-I-B framework, developed by KidsMatter provides a very useful tool that
can be used when conducting parent interviews.
S Setting the scene for cooperation by communicating empathy, encouragement and showing a
desire to work with the parent/carer on the issue of concern. I Identify interests (the
concern/issue/wants/needs) focus on the parent/carer’s viewpoint, check your understanding by
paraphrasing what they say, use attentive body language and active listening (see Communication
Skills). B Brainstorming options in an open and honest way (and avoid criticizing and judging).
Watch this video that illustrates the SIB model in action.
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Responding to parent and carer questions - the S-I-B model(KidsMatter, 2014)

If you are working with Indigenous people in your community, this information sheet will be helpful:
‘Brighter futures: Engaging with Aboriginal Children and Families’ (NSW Department of Community
Services, 2008)
"
Tips
· "Identify a like-minded colleague at your workplace who you are comfortable talking to - and
remember to listen as well."
· "Celebrate victories in the classroom with other teachers. Don't just focus on the negatives. "
· "Be inclusive! The school is made up of more than just teachers, establish relationships with the
libarians, nurses, chaplins and cleaners.(Thanks to Roisin)"
· "Be part of the school culture and make sure you be friendly, helpful and appreciative."
· "Take an interest in your work colleagues as people outside of teaching. It's nice to be able to
discuss things that are not school related with your peers. It may also provide a common interest
you can share in a social setting. (Thanks to Rosalie)"
· "Try to be available to listen and share ideas if other teachers need it. Be the friend you want to
meet! "
· "Take time in the morning, lunch breaks and staff meetings to positively interact with other
colleagues. "
· "If you wish to try some approaches to teaching and learning that your students may not have
previously experienced, discuss this with your mentor teacher and seek advice about how the
students may respond. You may need to do some careful negotiation with your mentor teacher,
depending on their view. Be prepared to justify why your approach will be beneficial for student
learning."
· "Don't discard advice and ideas given to you by your mentor. It may not be something you see as
useful right now, but may be advice that can be used in future stuations. (Thanks to Annie Jones)"
· "Take constructive criticism. You may disagree with their thoughts or strategies at first but later in
your career that idea just may work out for one particular child. Mentors are there to support you
and help in ways they feel necessary to help you become the most effective teacher. "
· "Seek help from them if you're struggling on an idea and how to teach it- they were once pre-
service teachers too, they understand how you feel. "
· "Set some goals that your mentor can assist you with. Use these to plan mentoring sessions in
advance, so you can be most productive in the time you spend together."
· "Know that constructive feedback is there to help and support you in areas you can choose to
strengthen."
· "Feedback given from mentor to mentee will help both of us expand our knowledge. The best way
to learn is through experience."
· "Do not take feedback as personal attacks which can lead to low self-efficacy. View all feedback as
constructive and helping you on the road to becoming the best teacher that you possibly can be. "
· "Write down in advance a couple of bullet points to discuss with your mentor teacher when you
meet.(Thanks to Rosie)"
· "Be a team player
Show that you’re a team player by volunteering to help out with school activities – but choose those
that won’t be overly time consuming especially when you are starting out. Taking notes at a
meeting for example, is a simple task that can be achieved in a short period of time."
· "Attend events run by the school, such as a family picnic. Take this opportunity to connect with
families and other staff."
· "Use every new experience as a learning opportunity. "
· "Be friendly to everybody and make an effort to get to know people. "
· "Remember, every one has been new to the school too, so they will understand that you are
nervous.(Thanks to Stephanie)"
· "Establish positive, trusting relationship with parents. "
· "Volunteer and provide help where it is needed. Begin to build a rapport with your community and
start developing those networks!"
· "Be a good listener to parents and hear their concerns or queries. Respond in a positive manner, to
create an open platform for parents and teacher to find a solution. Keep the parent updated with
the progress of this, and reschedule any other meetings if necessary. "
Quotes
· "It’s so important to have a supportive network of people around you, … that’s really important
because you’re isolated quite a bit in the classroom and sometimes you think, “Is it just me” and to
be able to walk out of the classroom at recess for example and say “this just happened” and for
someone else to go “Don’t worry about it, that always happens to me” so I think if you felt that you
couldn’t do that, it would be very isolating"
· "A resilient teacher is one who can develop meaningful relationships within the school to help
provide support when required and one who can contribute support to others when required"
What do the experts say?
· "Collegial relationships also play a vital role in teacher resilience. Work colleagues can provide
inspiration and hope (Anderson & Olsen, 2006), can boost morale (Howard & Johnson, 2004) and
can help with managing challenges and sustaining commitment (Brunetti, 2006).
McCormack, Gore and Thomas (2006) found that ‘unplanned learning’ from colleagues was
reported by early career teachers as a very significant form of support. Support from school
administrators has also been shown to be important (Prather-Jones, 2011)."
· "“Mentors and/or positive relationships with significant adults can have be immensely beneficial for
early career teachers. Mentors can provide a source of support and assist in the reflection and
improvement process and can help mitigate the impact of job stress (Hong, 2012; Huisman, Singer,
Catapano, 2010) and influence the likelihood of teacher retention (Albrecht, Johns, Mounsteven &
Orlorunda, 2009).
Tait (2005) argues that a strong mentor relationship is crucial to help early career teachers foster
their resilience. The literature also acknowledges that the quality of the relationship between the
mentor and the mentee plays a big role in determining the success of mentoring programs for early
career teachers (Devos, 2010).”"
· "In her 2013 paper, Le Cornu describes some of the challenges cited by early career teachers with
regard to school parents. These include establishing relationships and maintaining communication,
responding to parents’ expectations, “learning to relate to parents with different views, negotiating
different family structures, and dealing with behaviour and custody issues” (p. 9). Relationships
with parents can also influence early career teachers sense of efficacy in positive and negative
ways. Schuck, Aubusson, Buchanan & Russell (2012) suggest that pre-service teachers be taught
how to build relationships and cooperate with parents."
· "In their study of early career teachers, Sharplin, O’Neill and Chapman (2011) suggest that that
strategies helping new teachers successfully integrate into new environments include seeking help,
obtaining relevant information, building relationships, reflecting, engaging in professional learning,
maintaining a healthy lifestyle and establishing boundaries.
Jarzabkowski (2003) suggests that in geographically remote locations, strong collegial relationships
have great significance for teachers. In her study conducted in a remote Australian school on the
edge of the desert, staff described how collegial relationships which facilitate emotional and
practical support are especially important when school life and personal life are so closely
intertwined. Ebersöhn (2012) contends that resilience is a collective experience and that the
capacity to ‘flock’ (as opposed to fight or flight) is a powerful way for teachers to share resources
for collective resilience."
· "Many researchers have emphasised the importance of relationships in teacher resilience (see for
example, Day & Gu, 2014; Ebersöhn, 2012; Le Cornu, 2013; Papatrianou & Le Cornu, 2014).
Some researchers have discussed the importance of ‘relational resilience’. This means that
resilience is characterised as not an exclusively individual trait, but as a process that occurs in
relationships with students, teaching colleagues, peers, family, leaders and parents (Le Cornu,
2013). Le Cornu argues that positive relationships provide early career teachers with passion,
pleasure and enthusiasm to sustain their career and consolidate their sense of self-worth,
connection and belongingness. Furthermore, Day and Gu (2014) contend that relationships lie at
the centre of teachers work and lives and that teacher resilience building processes are relational."