Module "R": Relationships

Maintaining support networks

Strategies I have for maintaining support networks
 Talking to family several times a week
 Meeting up with friends to catch up
 Use social media to check in with those around you

My thoughts on "I have friends I haven’t seen for weeks …"

 Give yourself time out
 Go to a movie, or to a meal with friends and allow yourself to have time off

My top 3 strategies for maintaining support networks

 Give myself a break, and make time for friends or a date.
 Keep in contact with family and friends through social media
 Call family every once in a while to chat about what is going on in your lives

My Support Network
 Tammy (Mum): There to talk whenever needed
 Susan (Nanna): Happy to meet up anytime for a chat
 Elisabeth (Sister): Happy to listen to any frustrations
 Thomas (Brother): Good to talk to
 Isaac (Brother): Takes mind off of problems
 Daniel (Boyfriend): There for me in whatever capacity is required
 Louise (House mate): Always around for a chat
 Georgia: Talks through assignments
 Hannah: Talks through uni classes
 Lynette: Mentor
 Robin: Lecturer
 Jacob: Good to lean on

Tips
 "When using social media such as online study group chats, be mindful to respect other peoples
views and opinions as well as their privacy online."
 "Do not provide too much personal information. (Thanks to Louise)"
 "Remember if you put something out on social media, it's there forever!(Thanks to Tori)"
 "There's only one you so be your best self, don't wear someone else's shoes, yours fit just
fine!(Thanks to Lucinda)"
 "Consider who it is before sharing too much.(Thanks to Lucinda)"
 "Make sure constructive feedback has a positive twist. "

Quotes
 "I have an incredible amount of support from home … my husband has taken a huge role in the
house, domestically and so-on, and just laughs and says to me, ‘I’ll see you next year!'"

My Notepad
 What lessons can be learnt from Lisa’s experience? Lisa did not practice self-care. It is important
to, when sick, take time out and allow yourself to feel better and when you feel isolated to reach
out to family and friends to lend you support.

Building new relationships

Strategies I use for building relationships in new environments. ·
  Getting to know people
 Being friendly towards others
 Communicate with others
 Join in group activities
 Be empathetic towards others
 Be a good listener

My thoughts on "Put your best foot forward…"

 Speak to your colleagues
 Get to know people at a personal level
 Get involved with community activities
 Build rapport with students
 Get to know students families

My strategies and actions for building new relationships.

 Learn colleagues and students names early
 Get to know a little about each person you speak to so that you can bring up your past discussions.
 Be respectful towards others
 Listen to others

Strategies
 "Positive communication with parents.
As well as informal contact with parents, there are times when parents might come to you with
particular concerns. The S-I-B framework, developed by KidsMatter provides a very useful tool that
can be used when conducting parent interviews.

Setting the scene for cooperation by communicating empathy, encouragement and showing a desire
to work with the parent/carer on the issue of concern. I Identify interests (the
concern/issue/wants/needs) focus on the parent/carer’s viewpoint, check your understanding by
paraphrasing what they say, use attentive body language and active listening (see Communication
Skills). B Brainstorming options in an open and honest way (and avoid criticizing and judging). Watch
this video that illustrates the SIB model in action

Responding to parent and carer questions - the S-I-B model(KidsMatter, 2014)

If you are working with Indigenous people in your community, this information sheet will be helpful:
‘Brighter futures: Engaging with Aboriginal Children and Families’ (NSW Department of Community
Services, 2008) "

Tips
 "Make sure you visit the staff room every day and quickly find out staffroom etiquette around coffee
mugs, seating positions, etc."
 "Identify the social networks between staff and keep a neutral position in any potential disputes."
 "Try not to get drawn into negativity – find colleagues who have a positive approach to their work and
actively seek them out for conversation and company."
 "Always be respectful of your mentor teacher’s approach to teaching and established classroom
practices and routines. Even if these practices are not ones you intend to use when you start your
career, it can be a valuable learning experience to enact these and reflect on the effect on teaching
and learning."
 "Maintaining existing routines and practices can also assist you with classroom management in the
short term. If your mentor teacher is happy for you to make changes, do this gradually and evaluate
as you go."
 "If you wish to try some approaches to teaching and learning that your students may not have
previously experienced, discuss this with your mentor teacher and seek advice about how the
students may respond. You may need to do some careful negotiation with your mentor teacher,
 depending on their view. Be prepared to justify why your approach will be beneficial for student
learning."
 "Use the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers to frame the feedback you receive. View
‘Illustrations of Practice” on the AITSL website to see how each standard can be demonstrated at the
graduate level. You will also find some good ideas to help you improve."
 "Set some goals that your mentor can assist you with. Use these to plan mentoring sessions in
advance, so you can be most productive in the time you spend together."
 "Where possible, ask your mentor to observe your teaching. Ask if you can observe your mentor in
his/her classroom – this is a great way of learning! Are there opportunities for team teaching?"
 "Your mentor should give you constructive feedback about your teaching. If you mentor observes
your teaching, you may like to ask for specific feedback such as lesson strengths and an area(s) for
improvement. Use the discussion after the lesson to brainstorm ideas for improvement – note these
and try them out, sharing the results with your mentor in the next meeting."
 "Be respectful Respect everyone you work with, even those who are sometimes difficult to get along
with. Respect the expertise and experience of your colleagues."
 "Be supportive Help your colleagues where you can. This will make it easier for you to ask for their
assistance too."
 "Be approachable Let others get to know you on a personal level, rather than just as a colleague."
 "Be patient If something goes wrong, don’t blame others, but try to find a workable solution."
 "Some staffrooms can be negative places and people are not always as welcoming as they could be.
Becoming negative is sometimes a result of not having a range of resilience strategies to manage
challenges. You might not be able to do anything about others’ negativity, but you can decide how
much you let it affect you. Try to manage negativity by focusing on what you can control, building
strong relationships with your students and looking for opportunities for positive experiences. There’s
more about this in the ‘E’ module."
 "Attend events run by the school, such as a family picnic. Take this opportunity to connect with
families and other staff."
 "Make a confident first impression and introduce yourself to colleagues you haven’t previously met."
 "Know that constructive feedback is there to help and support you in areas you can choose to
strengthen."
 "Accept constructive feedback and reflect on how it may assist your current situation. (Thanks to ali)"
 "Just remember, the mentor can learn too, and don't be afraid to express areas of concerns. "

Quotes
 "A resilient teacher is one who can develop meaningful relationships within the school to help provide
support when required and one who can contribute support to others when required"

What do the experts say?

 "Collegial relationships also play a vital role in teacher resilience. Work colleagues can provide
inspiration and hope (Anderson & Olsen, 2006), can boost morale (Howard & Johnson, 2004) and can
help with managing challenges and sustaining commitment (Brunetti, 2006).
McCormack, Gore and Thomas (2006) found that ‘unplanned learning’ from colleagues was reported
by early career teachers as a very significant form of support. Support from school administrators has
also been shown to be important (Prather-Jones, 2011)."
 "“Mentors and/or positive relationships with significant adults can have be immensely beneficial for
early career teachers. Mentors can provide a source of support and assist in the reflection and
improvement process and can help mitigate the impact of job stress (Hong, 2012; Huisman, Singer,
Catapano, 2010) and influence the likelihood of teacher retention (Albrecht, Johns, Mounsteven &
Orlorunda, 2009).
Tait (2005) argues that a strong mentor relationship is crucial to help early career teachers foster their
resilience. The literature also acknowledges that the quality of the relationship between the mentor
and the mentee plays a big role in determining the success of mentoring programs for early career
teachers (Devos, 2010).”"
 "In her 2013 paper, Le Cornu describes some of the challenges cited by early career teachers with
regard to school parents. These include establishing relationships and maintaining communication,
responding to parents’ expectations, “learning to relate to parents with different views, negotiating
 different family structures, and dealing with behaviour and custody issues” (p. 9). Relationships with
parents can also influence early career teachers sense of efficacy in positive and negative ways.
Schuck, Aubusson, Buchanan & Russell (2012) suggest that pre-service teachers be taught how to
build relationships and cooperate with parents."
 "In their study of early career teachers, Sharplin, O’Neill and Chapman (2011) suggest that that
strategies helping new teachers successfully integrate into new environments include seeking help,
obtaining relevant information, building relationships, reflecting, engaging in professional learning,
maintaining a healthy lifestyle and establishing boundaries.
Jarzabkowski (2003) suggests that in geographically remote locations, strong collegial relationships
have great significance for teachers. In her study conducted in a remote Australian school on the edge
of the desert, staff described how collegial relationships which facilitate emotional and practical
support are especially important when school life and personal life are so closely intertwined.
Ebersö hn (2012) contends that resilience is a collective experience and that the capacity to ‘flock’ (as
opposed to fight or flight) is a powerful way for teachers to share resources for collective resilience."

My Notepad
 Read Scott’s story. Are there issues here that might happen to you? What proactive strategies
might be helpful?
Talk to colleagues about your experiences
Look online to find strategies other teachers use
Don't place the burden entirely on yourself and seek assistance
 What skills and behaviours do you think you can use to build and maintain a positive relationship
with a mentor?
Be respectful
 What skills and behaviours do you think you can use to build and maintain a positive relationship
with a mentor?
Be respectful
Cooperate
Be friendly
Be empathetic
 What skills and behaviours do you think you can use to build and maintain a positive relationship
with a mentor?
Be respectful
Cooperate
Be friendly
Be empathetic
Listen to feedback
Take on feedback and incorporate it
 What strategies does this teacher use that might be useful for you?
Call home when students are doing well as well as when things aren't
Check in with parents before and after school
Build trust
 What might be some benefits of having a two-way communication strategy?
Parents and teachers are on the same page with students and therefore can feel comfortable to
discuss any issues as it allows the parents and teacher to be on a 'team.'
 Schools also need to consider approaches that are contextually and culturally appropriate. How
does this school connect with their parent community?
Being contextually and culturally appropriate shows respect between the school and the parents.
 What did you learn from this panel?
Ensure that you listen when you need to rather than rushing to solve a problem to allow parents or
students to speak. It is important to find out whether a parent wants you to find a solution to their
problem or to just listen.
 What did you learn from this panel?
Ensure that you listen when you need to rather than rushing to solve a problem to allow parents or
students to speak. It is important to find out whether a parent wants you to find a solution to their
problem or to just listen.
 Watch this video that illustrates the SIB model in action. What do you want to remember about
this? When setting the scene it is important to show the parent/carer that you appreciate them
contacting you and remain positive. When identifying interests you must check that you
 Watch this video that illustrates the SIB model in action. What do you want to remember about
this? When setting the scene it is important to show the parent/carer that you appreciate them
contacting you and remain positive. When identifying interests you must check that you are both on
the same page with what the issue of concern is. Ensure that you listen throughout the SIB model.
When brainstorming you don't have to have the answer, it is just important for the parent/carer to
know that you have understood and care about the issue.
 Having difficult conversations with parents can be challenging even for highly experienced teachers.
Make note of the process suggested in this video. Is there anything you would add?
Speak to students other teachers to see if the issue is occurring across the classes or just within yours.
 What do you consider to be the most important characteristics of student teacher relationships?
Mutual respect, good rapport,
 What do you consider to be the most important characteristics of student teacher relationships?
Mutual respect, good rapport and enthusiasm.
 Are there other challenges you might face being in a new community? What might you do to
manage these?
Feeling lonely. I could manage this by meeting new people and building new relationships.
Feeling homesick. Call home often and get involved in the community.
Feeling nervous. Become a part of the community