Inside the Staffroom
Build A Positive Staffroom
Environment
By Chassie Selouane
of certificates such as; Best Dressed,
Best Attitude, Hardest Worker, Most
Humorous, Most Helpful, Most
Friendly, and so on. Be consistent and
try to give the awards on a monthly
basis. You can create a staffroom blog
on which you welcome nominations
and post the photos of the awardees.
After a while, most of your colleagues
will look forward to them and the
competition will hopefully help keep
the attitude positive and friendly.
Night Out or Night In
Attitude is contagious.
~ Chassie Selouane
T
his is a mantra that I use to
guide my outlook on life. I use
it constantly with my students,
colleagues and administration.
Your attitude directly affects your
students, colleagues and that of your
students’ parents’.
A teacher’s job can be very stressful
at times. From lesson and assessment
planning to CPD sessions, PTA
conferences to staff meetings, and the
list goes on, it would seem as though
there is not enough time to get all that
is required done. Add to this the hustle
and bustle of sharing a staffroom with
15 to 20 other teachers.
Constant motivation to stay positive
is important in creating a positive
staffroom environment. Here are a few
ideas that may help in creating and
maintaining a welcoming and vibrant
staffroom experience.
Physical Motivation
Motivational posters and quotes
are not just for the classroom walls.
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Encourage teachers in the staffroom
to share some of their favourite
motivational posters. You can create
or designate a special board inside
the staffroom for this. Having physical
reminders that inspire and remind
everyone to keep positive, is a good
way to spread hope especially on long
and challenging days.
Eat Together
Sharing a meal together is a good way
to establish connections and maintain
friendships. It also promotes a forum
that allows you to learn more about
your colleagues. Plan with staffroom
colleagues to have a social-food event
weekly, monthly or every academic
term. It could be somet [