Teachers with Boundaries Podcast

With the never ending workload, pressure and scrutiny that teachers face, the job can feel like it has taken over your life. However, some teachers manage to develop a positive work-life balance that empowers them to treat teaching like the job it is whilst enjoying life outside of the classroom. This episode explores some of their secrets.

What you will learn in this episode:

• How some teachers manage to have a happy work-life...

It is often said in teaching that the only ways to get a work-life balance is to go part time (and work on your days off) or quit. The statistics appear to support this view as 1 in 3 teachers are leaving in their first five years. However, there is another way: boundaries.

What you will learn in this episode:

• Why teachers may quit or go part time
• The importance of having a work-life balance in teaching
• Steps you can take to c...

Sometimes saying no in teaching just feels wrong. It feels wrong to disappoint someone. It feels like you are saying no to the students and that is the worst thing a teacher can do. Yet, when you keep saying yes to school, you risk saying no to your own needs, which can ultimately impact the quality of your teaching and work-life balance.

What you will learn in this episode:

• How saying no to yourself may be impacting you
• The v...

Finding a happy work-life balance in teaching is tricky. It feels like the job is a never ending onslaught of tasks, emails and paperwork. And that's before you get into the classroom! There may be things in your way that are preventing you from creating the work-life balance you crave. This episode explores some of these and the small steps you could take to make valuable changes.

What you will learn in this episode:

• How you ...

Christmas and New Year begin to feel like a distant memory this week. The enjoyment of the festive season pales as the new school term takes hold. It is important to take stock and explore how you can create a work-life balance that enables you to enjoy teaching and life during the new term.

What you will learn in this episode:

• How physical boundaries can help you create a happy work-life balance
• Why having boundaries benefits...

The New Year can fill you with optimism, hope and excitement. And you may begin the New Year with high expectations for yourself. Sometimes though this can result in disappointment. Yet, there is a fine balance to be had that will help you to thrive in teaching as you begin 2023.

What you will learn in this episode:

• How to make time for yourself

• The importance of setting boundaries in the new school term

• How to thrive in teac...

Christmas is a festive blur. You spend the run up to Christmas frantically buying presents for family and friends, buying and decorating a tree and buying enough food for everyone. Then before you know it, the New Year is in and you're back at school having hardly taken a moment of pause for yourself. In truth, Christmas is just plain exhausting for most of us. It can be challenging to find space for ourselves during this time.

Wha...

No matter how much you look forward to Christmas, teacher guilt can follow you into the festive season. You feel guilty for having left some items on your to-do list. You feel guilty that there is a bag of marking in the corner vying for your attention. Let's face it, teaching can put a dampener on the festive season!

What you will learn in this episode:

• How to switch off from teaching guilt free over Christmas

• The importance o...

The B.O.U.N.D.A.R.I.E.S. Framework has been created to empower you to thrive in teaching. It aims to help you to create a work-life blend that works for you, switch off from teaching and switch on in your life and also reduce your workload.

What you will learn in this episode:

• How the Framework helps you to create clear boundaries

• How the Framework benefits schools

• What you can do to put the B.O.U.N.D.A.R.I.E.S. Framework int...

Whether you are a Christmas Elf or a Scrooge, there is no denying that the festive season is finally upon us! It is now completely legitimate to stick on Wham!, deck the halls and begin wishing anyone and everyone a Merry Christmas. (Is it obvious yet that I am, in fact, a Christmas Elf?) Yet, the time of Advent can give us some valuable reflections when it comes to teacher wellbeing.

What you will learn in this episode:

• How Adve...

Teacher presenteeism is rife. Education Support report that 46% of teachers always go into work when unwell. Although this may seem admirable, it is actually having a negative impact on your teacher wellbeing and that of your colleagues. In order to thrive in teaching, you must put your needs first.

What you will learn in this episode:

• The pressures to go into school when you are unwell

• How going in when you are unwell is not i...

Despite schools being full to the brim of human beings, the sector is guilty of not always treating its occupants in the most compassionate and humane manner. Data-driven, results-based, progression-centred: the education sector has lost its heart. Although schools are dedicated to the needs and wellbeing of their students, it's not always so easy to see this care being given to staff. In order to retain staff and help them to thri...

Teaching can often feel like a never-ending to-do list. More seems to be added at the top with not enough things being ticked off at the bottom. It can feel like an endless cycle. If you feel like this, you're not alone. According to TES, 37% of teachers reported that they work more than 51 hours a week and a total of 68% say the volume of workload was a "major reason" for considering leaving the profession. When this is the case, ...

Despite the attractions of teaching, the education sector has a retention crisis on its hands. The government is trying to make teaching appealing to graduates with the increased pay for NQTs and the EC.  Yet, 1 in 6 teachers are still leaving the sector in their first year. Although there are no easy fixes or short-term wins that will immediately alleviate the crisis, teacher boundaries will help to reform teaching and empower tea...

In teaching, it is easy to fall prey to saying yes to everything: saying yes to SLT requests and demands, saying yes to opportunities that may bring you your next promotion or saying yes to students. Yet, there are consequences to saying yes all the time: too many plates to keep spinning, overwhelm or a never ending to-do list! Saying no is tough in teaching but it is vital for creating clear boundaries.

What you will learn in this...

When you are trying to create clear boundaries for yourself in teaching, it can often feel like you are coming up against a system that does not support teachers having boundaries and work-life blends. 1 in 3 teachers are leaving in their first five years of being in the classroom. The education sector currently struggles to recruit enough teachers. Teacher wellbeing is at a low with 77% experiencing symptoms of poor mental health ...

Teaching is an incredibly fulfilling career but it has a tendency to take over your life if you let it. Learning to switch off is vital because it empowers you to thrive in teaching and enjoy a long, fulfilling career.

What you will learn in this episode:

• What may be stopping you from switching off

• To remember that you are enough and are worthy of switching off

• 3 steps you can take today to help yourself switch off from teach...

Work-life balance can feel like a pipe dream for many teachers. Teaching can often seep into all areas of your life simply because it is a valuable element of your life and can be all consuming at the same time. So, how do you create a work-life balance that works for you?

What you will learn in this episode:

• How you can create a work-life blend that works for you

• The power of choice that you have

• Steps you can take today to ...

Having clear teacher boundaries is hugely beneficial. Not only do you feel better about school and get to have a life outside of school, but studies have shown that your students also benefit when you have better wellbeing.

What you will learn in this episode:

• How you can benefit from having clear teacher boundaries

• The positive impact it can have on your students and colleagues

• The extensive benefits boundaries can have for ...