Author: Steve Zonnevylle

Letter to Myself

Posted on by Steve Zonnevylle

Photo by Natasya Chen

You’ve made it through Term Three. Congratulations! Some of you are beginning Surplus Staffing processes, some of you are fending off complaints, some of you are working through the appointment tightwire, some of you are arguing dollars in the budget cycle, and some are just finding it hard to find time to breathe!  All of us are trying to look like the swan on the water, majestic on top, but frantic under the surface!

But nonetheless, congratulations, you’ve made it through the Term.

Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about how we’re often so hard on ourselves. I guess this is because we have huge expectations. Some would say we care too much. And because of this we’re either as hard as steel or we beat ourselves up, or some gooey substance in the middle. So I wondered if it would be useful to write a letter to myself, and put it in my top draw, to be opened on the last day of school 2024. What would it say?

This is what I’ve written:

.   .   .

Dear Steve,

I write this to you, to be read at the end of the Term. I want you to know that by the time you read this you will have made it.

You will have survived.

You will have made it through a really tough Term. No doubt there were times when you thought you wouldn’t, and that everything was so insanely intense that your eyeballs were about to explode. 

But they didn’t. 

The sky didn’t fall in, even though it threatened to. 

You dropped the ball during some important plays, but yet you were still there when it was time to catch the next one.

There were too many times when you forgot to smell the roses, and the daffodils, even though there was a lot on offer to smell. They’re your nectar that will get you through when you come back. 

Sometimes you let distractions guide you away from who you are and where you want to go, but then you came back to it all and you should be proud of that.

You made it, alive and kicking, to the end of the Term.

You should be proud of that. Ka rawe!

So take time off and have some holidays, time away to learn to breathe again. And every now and again, if those doubts begin to linger during your break, take a read of this story by one of your 7 year olds.

“Once upon a time there was a castle in the middle of a jungle. It was heavily guarded by a dragon. It’s a fierce dragon. The dragon looked enchanted and he was glowing. The dragon had smooth scales and lime green eyes.

One day a little girl was exploring the jungle. She saw a huge structure. She walked closer until she saw it was a big castle guarded by a dragon! She was brave enough to go up to the dragon.

The dragon was friendly.”

And once you’ve finished reading that, tell yourself, “There are a lot of dragons to slay, but make sure you’re not one of them.” Have a break and then come back sword sharpened. Be proud of what you’ve achieved, don’t dwell in the shadows. You did it, and that’s something to celebrate!

Love Steve

What would you say in a letter to yourself if you were to write it today, to be opened at the end of the Term 4?

Steve

 

The Dunking Machine

Posted on by Steve Zonnevylle

There’s something about sitting on a Dunking Machine at your own school Fair waiting to be unceremoniously dunked by a huge line of kids, that is a great leveller. In fact it’s more than that – it’s a great lesson in the need for us all to never take ourselves too seriously.

As I sit there, waiting for the kids to take aim at the target, hoping like heck that they’ll miss, I understand fully that any degree of “seriousness” on my behalf will in no way help me. Instead I understand fully, that if the target is hit, and the bucket of cold, cold water above my head pours over me in an excruciating waterfall that the only way forward is to laugh and marvel at my own vulnerability.

Leadership is essentially one big Dunking Machine. People and actions take aim at us all the time. Most of the time this aim is not vicious or nefarious – it’s good hearted and sometimes tinged with love. At other times it comes with a venom, and you know that it’ll sting. 

You have options, that is true, and some of the shots taken will require a lot of patience and dexterity, and even seriousness. Some matters are incredibly serious and need to be handled with great care. But none ever require you to remain in that state – there are times, even in the most serious, that you can find ways to lift the mood. 

So, take time to take the occasion seriously, and you might even want to convey to others that you are serious, but you don’t have to take yourself seriously.

Steve

How Burnt Do You Like Your Toast?

Posted on by Steve Zonnevylle

 

I’m sitting in a Board meeting. It’s probably mid 2017 sometime. A report from the NZEI (the New Zealand Primary Teachers Union) has just come out and it’s painting a pretty bleak picture about stress levels in New Zealand Schools. In particular, things look remarkably dim for our nation’s Principals. The report suggests that our Principals are in an incredibly unhealthy state of affairs.

The report talks about the pressures of the job; the vulnerability of the position; the loneliness that Principal’s find themselves in; the emotional “bullocking” (my term, not the reports!) that Principals experience daily.

I’m presenting the report to my Board. The Board is made up of the elected representatives from the families at my school. They’re all good people. There’s no denying that. And they all want what’s best for their children who all attend the school.

Members on my Board nod and make “concerned” like comments. They can see a direct link between the well being of their teachers and their principal and the outcomes that they want to foster for their kids.

There are a couple of Board members who are silent though. And after a while, one decides to say something. He is also the Presiding Member of the Board, and so whatever he has to say always comes with a bit of clout.

I’m curious as to what he wants to say. Sadly I’m not particularly surprised to hear what he says.

He tells us all that the results in this report are EXACTLY what he would expect a Principal, as CEO of a business, would be experiencing and feeling. He says he would be very surprised if this wasn’t the case.

He is a CEO himself and he talks from his own learned experience. However in one foul swoop he’s managed to legitimise everything in the report that teachers and principals should in reality expect and warm to these very findings. 

He tells us that this sort of stuff goes with the territory. 

I remember this conversation like it was yesterday. At the time I was gobsmacked. Sadly I had nothing to counter it with. I just wasn’t quick enough on my feet.

I let my Board Presiding Member get away with his statement, and as a result, I watched the conversation quickly move from the well being of the staff of the school to the bulging photocopier budget.

We didn’t talk about well being again for at least another year at our Board meeting. We talked about the photocopier budget a lot though.

In the vacuum the message was bold – leading schools is tough, get over it and get on with it.

I’ve never been a fan of this message.

A couple of months ago a new survey was released in Australia about the well-being state of Principal’s, throughout the land.

The report can be read here.

The title of the report is “I have been ground down’: about 50% of Australian principals and other school leaders are thinking of quitting”, and quite frankly, says it all.

It seems that what is happening in New Zealand is also eerily similar to what is happening in Australia.

Reading the report it seems like this has been happening for a long time. No surprises there.

As a profession we talk a good game; we talk as though we’re passionate about our health. Yet the evidence shows that we’re still doing three things that is getting in the way of making any real difference:

  1. We’re not advocating for the health of our profession loudly enough
  2. We let ourselves be bulldozed into any shiny (or not so shiny) new idea that comes along
  3. We actually think that being professional equates to having to put up with crap

Most of our well being is in our hands. Yet we let others turn up the heat dial on the side of our “toasters”, leaving us with, unsurprisingly, a pretty awful burnt taste in the mouth.

It’s time to take control of your own heat dial.

Steve

Catching Glimpses

Posted on by Steve Zonnevylle

Photo by Amada MA

Last week I found myself down on the lower field throwing gumboots and measuring distances. Ok, so I wasn’t throwing gumboots – my school was. It was part of a fun afternoon we were running, celebrating the Olympics. No doubt schools were doing something similar all around the motu.

Being a rural school, we made sure that our events had some sort of agricultural flavour – hence the gumboots, the wool bale sacks, and the hobby horses. None of this mattered to the kids. They didn’t worry that our particular brand of the Olympics was far removed from what they saw on tele in Paris.

I’d brought my dog along, an excitable golden Cocker Spaniel, and she played freely amongst the relays and fun. No one seemed to bat an eye.

As I was measuring a fifteen metre gumboot throw it struck me (not the gumboot!) how far removed this was from the mountain of papers on my desk, and the weight of the unread emails in my inbox. This was the “real deal” stuff – the stuff that all the kids would remember; their very own Olympics.

As we handed out the Two Dollar Shop medals at the end of the day I joked with the kids that this was our inaugural Olympics and that in a hundred years time the new students of the school would look back on this day and marvel at the athleticism of us all – just like how in the Paris Olympics we look back at the ancients in awe.

I’m sure some of the children thought I was serious. It didn’t matter whether they did or not. The point I was really trying to make is that these sorts of events are fantastic for giving our tamariki experiences and opportunities where children get glimpses of themselves being great. There’s a sense of hope, wonderment and awe in these glimpses. It’s a human thing!

None of that could be found in the piles of paper on my desk or in my emails. And so as I put the medals around the necks of the kids I took a little moment to pause in my own mind as to how special this all was, and how good it feels too, for our own wellbeing.

Our schools are full of special things. We don’t have to run a mini Olympics every week to prove it, but we do have to get out of our offices, and away from the piles of paper to see it. 

That’s where the real education is – not in the unread emails in our inboxes, the forever growing to-do-lists or the piles of paper on our desks. And maybe when you find those places of real education, you’ll also see glimpses of yourself, being great.

Steve

Be The Sky

Posted on by Steve Zonnevylle

Photo by Sam Schooler

“You are the sky. Everything else is just the weather.” – Pema Chodron

This quote popped up in my life sometime this week. It seemed particularly relevant as I opened the window, poked my head outside and felt the full force of the winterly southerly blast on my face. Woah! It certainly has been a week of weather extremes.

Our roles are the same. Sometimes we poke our heads out of our offices to find a full on winterly southerly blast blowing through our school – metaphorically speaking.

The important thing of course is to remember that you are not the weather. As a leader you need to do all that you can to avoid becoming the weather. Rise above it. You are the sky – the blue sky that sits above the weather.

You need to recognise that while thoughts, feelings, and experiences come and go, they do not alter the fundamental nature of who you are, or the role that you have. Following this quote and being the sky speaks to the idea of remaining grounded and centred, recognising that the ever-changing aspects of life are not your core!

So, get on with it! Be the sky and go out there and make a difference!

Steve

It’s Your Duty

Posted on by Steve Zonnevylle

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The famous Stoic, Marcus Aurelius, once said “Never shirk the proper dispatch of your duty, no matter if you are freezing or hot, groggy or well-rested, vilified or praised, not even if dying or pressed by other demands.” Basically he was saying do your duty and do it as best you can with the resources that you have. 

I’m picking that each and everyone of you who has been leading a school during the last Term has been doing just this. It’s been your duty to lead and you have done so with great energy and passion!

But now, as we head into the break between Terms, you have the choice to change your duty – even if it’s only for the two week break, and so do it. Go on! Change your duty. Change it from being a leader, to being a full on “you”. Put yourself first over the next couple of weeks. You know that you deserve it, so go ahead, make this time yours. Change your duty and have a fantastic holiday!

Steve

Live More Fear Less

Posted on by Steve Zonnevylle

Photo by Lan Gao

This week I’m writing from the top of the gondola in Queenstown, watching the group of kids that I’m with zooming down the luge.

It’s hardly tropical as I watch, and the wind chill must be less than zero.

Yet the kids are all happily zooming past… most in shorts, a couple in tee shirts. We told them to dress warmly but they’ve somehow missed the memo. It’s not stopping them from taking each and every one of their 5 allotted runs.

Around us there are AJ Hackett signs saying things like Live More, Fear Less. And I’m wondering where and when, we, as adults, lost this impulse. The students in front of me appear to not even know that living more and fearing less is even a thing. They’re doing it already, in spades, and relishing and thriving as a result of it.

At the same time I’m wondering what The Science of Learning would make of all this. I’ve just read Megan Gallagher’s excellent blog, The Science.

In it she bemoans this monolithic like culture shift that has suddenly become a “thing” in our world of education. It suggests there is a silver bullet called THE Science of learning – a one size fits all approach even – and that it will be the answer to all our education woes.

There’s nothing wrong with a solid and robust science approach to education. But I do wonder what governments will say as they get the bill for the cost of it all. I’m pretty sure The Science of Learning will be expensive. Not only will it require major investment in teacher training, but also in class sizes, physical infrastructure, social housing, access to cheap and equitable health systems, healthy foods, the well being of all, the resolving of years of cultural trauma – the list goes on. You know, all that stuff that needs to be sorted so that all of our kids get educated on an equal and equitable footing from day one.

In the meantime, as the kids from my school whizz pass me, oblivious to this thing called the Science of Learning, I wonder again if AJ Hackett and his marketing team have got it right; Live More, Fear Less.

Maybe this is what “the science” will actually say once all the research is done, and analysed, and the findings have tried to be implemented on a shoe string, because that’s what governments do. And we find that the science of Learning isn’t just found in the four walls of a building and a strict curriculum, but in everything that we touch around us. Maybe we’ll find that if we provide more opportunities to live more and fear less that everything will be just fine. Maybe.

I wonder how long it’ll take for the science to say this? And then I wonder what we’ll do with this information?

Steve

Make Time to Journal

Posted on by Steve Zonnevylle

Photo by Jan Kahánek

We do so much writing in our professional lives that whenever I hear the word “journaling” my mind kind of freezes over. We write reports, newsletters, strategic plans, opinions, instructions, curriculum documents, more reports – we’re constantly writing.

Turns out though that “journaling” is one of those things that can really help us with our well-being at work. Studies show that journaling can be a powerful tool for enhancing well-being by promoting emotional expression, self-reflection, stress reduction, problem-solving, goal setting, and gratitude. 

It has a versatility and adaptability about it that means you can almost do it anywhere and at any time.

I reckon we should make time to journal our thoughts at school – during our professional day.

Tapping away on your keyboard, or writing longhand into a book, no-one needs to know. Journaling has the advantage of making you appear to be “busy” to anyone who might poke their head through the door and make some sort of judgement about how you’re using your time!

Making time, just for you, to get your thoughts, concerns, wonders and ideas down daily sounds easy. You just need to make that time, and then get on to it.

So what could you write about? The great thing about journaling is that you don’t need to follow the same theme every day. Just getting your thoughts down onto paper is immensely beneficial to your well-being.

In fact I’m getting benefit from just writing about journaling – it’s helping me clarify my own thinking as my fingers bounce across the keyboard finding ways to turn words into ideas. 

So, as I said, what could you write about? Well, how about these ideas for a start: 

  • Gratitude Journaling: Keeping a gratitude journal, where you regularly write about things that you are thankful for. This has been linked to increased happiness, reduced depression, and improved overall life satisfaction.
  • Structured Thinking: Writing down your problems and finding potential solutions can help you greatly in building up problem-solving skills. By doing this it allows you to organise your thoughts logically and approach your professional challenges more systematically.
  • Cathartic Release: How about just writing as a process to release pent-up emotions and stress. Write down exactly what you’re feeling – no-one else will ever read this. Go-to-town with how you’re feeling.  This act of releasing stress can lower physiological stress markers like cortisol levels .
  • Cognitive Restructuring: Write about  the challenging situations that you find yourself in. By doing this you can help yourself  reframe negative thoughts and develop a more positive outlook, which in turn contributes to better mental health and resilience .
  • Positive Emotion Amplification: How about focusing on some of the positive experiences and accomplishments that you’ve been through recently. Amplify these positive emotions and it’ll help you to foster a more optimistic outlook on what you’re going through.

As I said, there doesn’t need to be any rhyme or reason to your writing in terms of what you write about, it’s all up to you. But studies do show that regular journaling will make you feel better and will promote resilience, so why wouldn’t you find time in your “busy” day at work to put pen to paper?

All you need to do is start. Close the door of your office, set your timer for twenty minutes and write. Go on, do it! You won’t regret it.

Steve

 

Mindfulness in Bed

Posted on by Steve Zonnevylle

Photo by Alexandra Gorn on Unsplash

Last week David wrote a powerful piece called 4am. It’s well worth reading if you haven’t already done so! It reminded me a lot of the sleep pattern/habit that I’m currently in and which I find really annoying!

Most mornings I find myself lying awake in bed, about an hour before I’m meant to get up. This happens a lot, and as I said, I find it very annoying; primarily because instead of enjoying the last hour of sleep that I need, I lie there scanning the day ahead of me looking for dangers.

I’m not sure why my brain does this, but I suspect that I’m probably not alone. The dangers that my brain is looking for are most probably rooted in the mists of time, well before I was even born. It’s an evolutionary thing that modern brains have held onto and into the modern age, God only knows why.

The dangers that my mind is scanning for aren’t found on the savannah, behind some bushes, or in a cave. Yet you’d think the way that my mind works at this time of the morning, here in the 21st century, that these dangers still exist.

That unwritten board report – it’s a sabre toothed tiger.

That maths lesson with the class from 3G – it’s a Haast Eagle.

That talk that I need to present at a staff meeting – it’s an empty food basket.

I really should just get up out of bed and shut these thoughts off. I always feel better once I’m moving and the light of the day shows itself. But yet I lie there, in the dark, hoping that I can find that last hour of sleep before the alarm goes off.

It’s a bit like I’m at the start line for a race. I’m waiting for the starting gun to explode, a whole hour before but my brain has already begun the run. I’m lying there trying to train my mind not to start the run until the starting gun goes, but my brain doesn’t want to listen. 

You’ve got to wonder – who is in control of these thoughts?

So, I’ve turned to Chat GTP3.5 and I’ve asked for a list of mindfulness techniques that I can use in bed. I’m going to give these a go over the next few days. I’m hopeful that I can train my mind over time to switch on for the big dangers only when I need it too.

What do you think of this list? Could these help you?

  1. Deep Breathing: Focus on your breath and engage in deep breathing exercises. Inhale deeply through your nose, allowing your abdomen to rise, and exhale slowly through your mouth, releasing tension with each breath. Counting your breaths or using a mantra can help keep your mind focused.
  2. Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Start from your toes and work your way up to your head, tensing and then relaxing each muscle group in your body. Pay attention to the sensations of tension melting away as you consciously release each muscle.
  3. Body Scan Meditation: Bring your awareness to different parts of your body, starting from your toes and moving up to your head. Notice any areas of tension or discomfort, and consciously release the tension as you focus on relaxing each part of your body.
  4. Mindful Observation: Use your senses to observe your surroundings from your bed. Notice the feeling of your sheets against your skin, the sounds of the night, and any subtle scents in the air. Allow yourself to fully experience the present moment without judgment.
  5. Guided Imagery: Visualize yourself in a peaceful, calming place such as a beach, forest, or mountaintop. Imagine the sights, sounds, and sensations of this tranquil environment, allowing yourself to become fully immersed in the experience.
  6. Gratitude Practice: Shift your focus away from worries or stressors by practicing gratitude. Reflect on three things you’re grateful for, no matter how small they may seem. Cultivating an attitude of gratitude can help promote feelings of peace and contentment.
  7. Mindful Listening: Tune in to any sounds you hear in your environment, whether it’s the hum of a fan, the rustling of leaves outside your window, or the sound of your own breath. Allow the sounds to wash over you without trying to change or analyze them.
  8. Relaxing Visualization: Picture yourself in a calming scenario, such as floating on a cloud or drifting in a peaceful stream. Imagine all your worries and concerns melting away as you immerse yourself in this serene visualization.

Steve

The Staffroom Term Planner

Posted on by Steve Zonnevylle

It’s the beginning of a new Term. 

You find yourself standing in the staffroom looking at the Term planner. It’s full of rows and columns, numbers and days. 

At one point, very recently, the planner was pretty much empty. Now you look at it and you see the empty boxes made up by the intersecting lines (the days) filling up with stuff; special events, deadlines, meetings, discos, camps, school productions, more meetings, working bees, school reports and other meetings. 

Maybe it’s colour co-ordinated. Maybe you have a key to the side that tells everyone what the colours mean. Maybe there’s a friendly motivational quote adorning the top of the board just to soothe the busyness of it all. Maybe.

There’s something about the staffroom Term planner that seems to keep everyone on track. If it’s not on that planner then it may never ever happen. If you want something done, it needs to be somewhere on that piece of board.

If you’re lucky you’ll be looking at two or three weeks towards the end that aren’t quite filled in the same as the initial weeks. There’ll be a few blanks.

If you’re wise you’ll keep it that way.

If you want to help your team get through the term without feeling fried, frizzled, overworked, over stressed, burnt out, exhausted and crawling on all fours, then jealously guard over those blank spaces. And if you can’t do that, then write into the blanks imaginary “stuff” that only you know aren’t true – call them space savers. 

No one else needs to know.

Your future self will thank you.

Steve

 

Creativity Rebellion

Posted on by Steve Zonnevylle

Photo by Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona 

Ok, so I’m a bit of a slow learner. That’s probably no surprise to some of you, let alone me!

I’ve just come across OSHO’s wonderful quote. He says; “Creativity is the greatest rebellion in existence.”

Ooooh! I like that! I’ve always fancied a bit of rebellion, or at least the prospect of it – that feeling that you’re doing something out of the norm, out of the ordinary, pushing the boundaries, shaking the tree.

I like that a lot.

Osho, for those of you like me who didn’t/don’t know, is an Indian Spiritual Guru and this quote comes from his best selling book “Creativity, Unleashing The Forces Within”.

Google tells me that “Osho highlights the fact that creativity is much more than a simple act; it’s a profound form of rebellion against the conventional boundaries and the restrictive nature of our daily existence”.

I like that too! I like that a lot.

So, in this changing world impacted with the likes of AI, I wondered where in education the greatest rebellion might be currently found.

Unsurprisingly I found it where it always has been; in our Early Childhood Centres and Kindergartens.

In these places you walk through the door and you see un-abound creativity everywhere, and anywhere. 

I think you’d struggle to find anywhere on the planet where such unabashed creativity is produced in such an unrestrictive and supportive manner.

What’s more, these creative souls (yes it’s the 2-5 year olds I’m talking about) go about their acts of daily rebellion in a constant state of “I don’t care”. 

Yeah, sure, they’re learning to care – as they look for the acknowledgement like signs from their teachers, care-givers and parents. But on the whole I can’t imagine any three year old in the world who starts their finger painting masterpiece with the thoughts, “how will this be accepted? and is it acceptable?”

Around these three year olds is a lovely caring and supportive bubble wrap like layer of safety. It’s provided by the state, or the private institution and it comes in the form of the teacher. This layer of safety allows for our children to be almost as rebellious as they want as they go about making sense of their new world.

As I said, it’s hard to imagine a place on earth that is so free in regards to this creativity. 

As children get older and they move through our education systems, the significance of the safety bubble wrap and its use, becomes diluted.

This dilution, or constraint, is done on many different layers; by peer pressure; by family expectations; by societal “norms”; and by the institutions themselves who are also under the same constraints.

Creativity is inherently fueled by risk taking. Our three year olds are encouraged to take risks – in fact they often don’t even comprehend that a risk is even there. 

This is called play. And they learn about risks by doing stuff in their play.

By the time our kids find themselves further up the school system this risk taking/play aspect of creativity is often non-existent.

And to compound things more our teachers are often so risk-averse themselves that the creativity rebellion is well and truly about to be extinguished.

Enter AI stage left.

On first glance it appears that maybe, just maybe the rebellion is about to be reignited!

But on closer inspection I wonder if AI just gives us the opportunity to take risk taking out of the creative equation altogether.

I’ve always thought that the risk taking part of being creative is the part that makes us truly human. It’s the part that adds the spice to the process!! It’s like the wrapping on a present at Christmas time – until the wrapping is taken away there’s always the uncertainty left about what has been created; it’s an anticipation that is intoxicating.

Being creative has never been totally risk free – unless of course we’re all living in a kindergarten world – so why would we allow AI to take this away from us?

Surely, if we are going to embrace AI into the creative realm (and to be honest it looks like we have no choice), then the time is now to be actively encouraging our teachers to take real life risks in their classrooms.

This means looking at what “Being Creative” really looks like. It means celebrating this often – as in, getting really excited about human creativity! 

And it means reigniting the flame and letting the rebellion take hold.

Steve

The BIG List of Little Things That Matter

Posted on by Steve Zonnevylle

Photo by Anna Samoylova 

It’s been almost two years since I was last on school camp. And to be honest, the last time I was on camp I wondered a lot whether it would be my last. Turns out it wasn’t and it isn’t.

I’m pretty grateful about that. I do like a good school camp. Yes there are always the “issues” that arise; homesickness, car sickness, grumpy kids, grumpy adults, sleep deprivation, shared bathrooms – you get the picture.

But on the whole it’s always a lovely, almost inspiring event. You see people, in this case mostly little people, in an element that you’ve never seen them in before. By going on school camp you’ve gently ripped them out of their safe worlds and you’ve introduced them to something completely new in terms of environment and experience.

It’s during school camp that I notice the little things. Those things that may not seem to be all that important on the face of it, but on closer investigation make the way that we see, do and feel about our experiences all so much more vivid.

These things aren’t the iPhone we hold in our hands, or the car that we drive; the street that we live in, the holiday we’ve just been on, or the job that we do.

And in our schools they’re not the fancy interactive whiteboards that we were once told we’d all need, or the funky open plan like classrooms that seemed like the answer to everything, or even the shiny strategic plan that we pour ourselves all over in planning for the many hypotheticals ahead.

Nope they’re the little things; the way that we talk to each other, the way that we support each other, the way that we celebrate the very fact that we’re all in this together.

Here’s a list of the little things that made such a big impact on me when I was on camp.

  1. Morning coffee that hits just right 
  2. A heartfelt compliment from a parent
  3. A genuine smile from a kid accomplishing something new
  4. Unexpected acts of kindness
  5. That perfect playlist that boosts your mood instantly as you drive to school camp
  6. The feeling of a spontaneous adventure that school camp brings
  7. The laughter of the kids at something irresistibly, but unexpectedly funny
  8. Seeing a beautiful sunrise or sunset
  9. Finding the last piece of homemade baking in the camp pantry
  10. Watching the stars on a clear night

These are all things that made my school camp experience so much more vivid.

I wonder though, what are all the little things in our schools that make such a big difference? What might your Big list of little things that matter look like in your school?

Steve

 

It’s All Bite Sized

Posted on by Steve Zonnevylle

Photo by amirali mirhashemian 

I used to like reminding my students, when they’d tell me that things were too hard or just simply too much, that the key to beating this sort of stuff is to think of it all as a hamburger.

Yup a hamburger. Stick with me here.

What I used to tell them is that when they (or anybody actually) bites into their favourite, huge, big, gigantic hamburger, that they never swallow it all in one big bite. Nope, they take little bites. And they take these little bites because their mouth is simply far too small to cram a whole big hamburger into their gob.

Unsurprisingly it’s the same for Leaders too. When we eat a hamburger – when we eat anything actually – we tend to chew off as much as we can, and no more. And if we’re really clever we’ll also take a little moment to savour what we’re eating while we’re at it.

This is the same for those times when the task in front of us is simply far too big, or far too much. There’s no way you can tackle the whole task in one big bite – so don’t even try. Break it down into “mouthful” pieces. And although the task might not necessarily be as tasty as your favourite hamburger, you can still take time to savour, or get some meaning, out of the situation.

There’s no challenge in front of us that can’t be tackled in bite sized chunks. So stop looking at a task and thinking it’s far too big, or onerous, and instead take a little bit of time to wonder where you’d be best to take that first bite.

Steve

The Tide Comes In and The Tide Flows Out

Posted on by Steve Zonnevylle

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The tide comes in and the tide flows out. 

This happens twice a day; not quite like clock work, but as close to it as possible without a human hand guiding it. To be honest it’s better this way.

So too do emotions. And the confusions that flow with them. Sometimes you find yourself completely assured and reassured by what you feel, and then there are other times when you really don’t know; let alone know why.

The other day I found myself in a situation where I should’ve been calm but I wasn’t really. I didn’t know why. I wasn’t sure what was feeding all of this. I had everything that I needed. It was all right there. But yet I still had this “thing”; this feeling.

I doubt I was the only one in the world feeling this way. I doubt that I was the only person in the world who felt this confusion.

Viktor Frankl said “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

I like to think about this wise saying if I’m unsure about the origins of an emotion or feeling coursing through my body. It’s especially useful when deciding what my next action should be.

For example the other day when I really had no idea what it was that was making me feel unsettled. There were some possibilities, as there always are, but they all seemed to be way too far away in the future to be of any real interest. 

The feeling that I was having was a result of some sort of thought stimulus that I was having, albeit an unknown one. The response I was giving to this uncertainty was making me feel crap. I needed to look into the space between in order to give myself some well needed clarity.

And it was in this space I found a moment of peace. It was just enough time to take stock of where I was, and what I was doing. But it did the trick. Soon after I felt the crappy feeling lifting.

This sort of thing happens in our professional and personal lives all the time. Next time it happens to you, give yourself some extra time to take stock. 

So just wait for the tide to come back in. Give yourself some time and watch it flow in. Go on! You’ll be just fine.

Steve

 

It’s Been Quite a Year

Posted on by Steve Zonnevylle

Photo by Nils 

It’s been quite a year. In fact, it’s been quite a few years now. And it looks like next year, and the following, will also be quite a year or two as well!

Congratulations. You have made it through this “Quite a Year” phenomenon. Well almost. A week or so to go, but I’m placing bets that you will indeed make it through. Hold on, it’s all going to be ok.

No doubt 2023 has been full of Herculean tasks. Those sorts of jobs that have required Herculean like efforts. Hercules of course, is the Greek and Roman demi-god  famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. I imagine that this might sound just a little bit like a Principal or a Leader. 

But why stop there with the Greek/Roman task analogy.

I wonder how many of you have also participated in these following sorts of tasks throughout the year? (I’d like to take credit for these, but I can’t. They come from a comment section on a Facebook group called P#ucked Up and Filosophical. I couldn’t help myself – they all ring true in some form or another to me!)

Icarian Tasks: Whereby you’ve undertaken a task that you know you’re going to fail in but you do it anyway in a spirit of unabandoned fun! (Icarus was known for being  excessively ambitious. “An Icarian mentality that could only lead to a crash and burn”)

Cassandrean Tasks: Whereby you’ve had to deal with people who you know won’t listen to you, even though you’ve given them accurate information – and you’ve had to watch them fumble about even though you’ve told them the solution right from the start (Cassandrea prophesied the fall of Troy, but no-one bothered to listen.)

Dionysian Tasks: Whereby you’ve worked while a bit tipsy on wine – hoping none of us have undertaken this sort of task – but no doubt there have been times when it seemed it was the only way to get through! (Dionysus was the Greek god of wine!)

Pandorean Tasks: Whereby as soon as you start, the task goes all pear-shaped with heaps of surprises jumping up from anywhere and everywhere. (Think here of Pandora’s Box and the crazy “gifts” that popped out of these.)

Gilgameshian Tasks: Whereby you went and slayed the task against all odds, but you did so with the help of an incredible colleague. (Apparently Gilgamesh and Enkiduwere great friends who fought Humbaba, a giant who guarded the sacred trees. They successfully slayed the giant!)

Odyssean Tasks: Whereby you began a task as a group, and it took a really long, long, long time … so long that in the end you were the only one left doing it.

Narcissian Tasks: Whereby you work tirelessly on something but your efforts go unnoticed by someone too smugly entranced by their own intellect.

Can you think of any others? We’d love to hear from you.

Steve

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