A Positive Approach

1
A Positive Approach

• Helping Each Other Stay Purposefully Engaged in
  Head Start

2
A Positive Approach

• Is our work .
• A Job a place to make money?
• A Career - a place where well have the
  opportunity to advance?
• Or is work
• A Calling - a place where well be engaged in
  personally fulfilling and socially meaningful
  activities?

3

• The quality of peoples lives improve when they
  are purposefully engaged -
• when they have a calling to do what theyre
  doing.

4
What interferes with purposeful engagement?

• Emotional and physical exhaustion
• Unpleasant or strained relationships
• Role conflict or role ambiguity
• Feelings of powerlessness and pessimism
• Work that appears unvalued or meaningless
• Which can all lead to
• BURNOUT

5
How can we help each other stay purposefully
engaged ?
6
We can take care of ourselves and each other

• Relax and breathe
• Incorporate exercise
• Fix our environments
• Look for and create opportunities to smile
  and laugh
• Get more sleep

7
We can nurture our relationships

• Guard against isolation keep connected
• Listen
• Capture areas of agreement
• Address issues and give honest feedback
• Use thoughtful words and speak gently
• Maintain appropriate boundaries

8
We can address role conflicts and role ambiguities

• Think about asking.
• Are job responsibilities (big and small) clear?
• Are there discrepancies between peoples ideals
  and the work they are actually doing?
• How can we resolve conflicting expectations of a
  job?

9
We can empower each other

• Make sure people have the resources and authority
  needed to do their work
• Consult with people on decisions that will impact
  them
• Encourage activities such as mentoring and
  networking, which support a sense of
  accomplishment and professional identity

10
We can be realistic about limitations

• Acknowledge the things we can and cant -
  control
• Focus on work we do well rather than on tasks
  for which we are marginally capable
• Honor our own responsibilities by not taking on
  someone elses obligations
• Admit to having limited resources and needing
  encouragement and advice to do our work well

11
We can encourage positive thinking

• Use Yes AND rather than Yes BUT
• Nurture smiles they spread inwards and outwards
• Change your perspective reframe the picture
• Evaluate words and thinking rephrase negatives
  as positives
• Dont sweat the small stuff

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We can celebrate the value and meaning of our work

• Keep a running list of staff, child, and/or
  family successes (big and small)
• Ask questions about the good things
• Pass on good news and research
• Stop and watch the children

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We can talk about

• The challenges we relish as well as the ones we
  dread
• The tasks we learn easily as well as the ones we
  struggle with
• The work that gives us the most pleasure
• The work that leaves us asking, When can I do
  this again?

14
Resources

• Understanding and Preventing Teacher Burnout
  http//www.vtaide.com/png/ERIC/Teacher-Burnout.htm
  
• Staying Motivated and Avoiding Burnout
  http//www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/
  content_storage_01/0000019b/80/28/71/b9.pdf
• Strategies to Prevent Teacher Stress and Burnout
  http//www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/
  content_storage_01/0000019b/80/1b/c3/2d.pdf
• Choose your response for greater stress relief
  http//www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-relief/SR0
  0037
• Positive thinking Practice this stress
  management skill http//www.mayoclinic.com/health/
  positive-thinking/SR00009
• Laugh your way to stress relief
  http//www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-relief/SR0
  0034
• Improve your supervisor relationship and reduce
  stress http//www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/WL0
  0049
• Self-esteem Boost your self-image with these 5
  steps http//www.mayoclinic.com/health/self-esteem
  /MH00129