Founded by a teacher for teachers, Happy Teachers Happy Schools is a purpose driven company offering 1:1 and small group coaching, staff training and school improvement consultancy services.

Why happiness?  Because I think we all deserve to be happy and because it makes me sad, and also a bit mad, that so many teachers and school leaders aren’t finding happiness at work.

But we need to get clear on what happiness is, and isn’t.  Don’t make the mistake of seeing happiness as something that is ‘out there’.  Happiness isn’t a prize, a feeling, or a state of mind. You don’t get happy because you achieve things or buy stuff – sure you get a boost of positive emotions when something good happens or you achieve a goal – but that’s just one part of the happiness jigsaw.  And don’t think you can’t be happy because you come from a long line of no-so-happy people. Happiness is a skill and like all skills, the more you practice, the better you get!

According to the National Health and Safety Executive, teaching is the second most stressful profession in the UK.  There are so many different demands on us throughout the course of a day, and often we get so caught up in doing things for other people and making sure that everyone else is happy, that we forget to look after ourselves.  That pattern of behaviour only leads to burnout. You can’t pour from an empty cup. Prioritising your own emotional health and happiness isn’t an extra, or a bonus, and it certainly isn’t selfish: it should be the foundation of your success in teaching and in life.

If you want to make a difference, not just in the lives of others, but in your own life, then don’t put off happiness until you’ve marked those papers, written that scheme of work, updated those policies, entered that data or got through parents evening.  Now is the time to make an investment in your happiness.