The world of education is a busy one. Many teachers, principals, and staff members find themselves overwhelmed by the ongoing responsibilities that come with the profession and their career.
The noise of the everyday buzz can be so loud that often when asked “What drives your passion in education?” many don’t have an answer.
Ms Peta Jeppesen, founder of Beyond the Classroom Australia, is no stranger to asking educators this exact question. Through her business she facilitates coaching programs, workshops and events to support educators in feeling purposeful in their careers. Drawing on her 20 years of experience in the industry, her programs focus on helping educators overcome unique challenges through strategies, goal setting and improved wellbeing.
In her initial coaching session, she often asks this question to gauge workplace satisfaction, as well as checking in to see if educators have any specific goals they’d like to bring to life. The question is often met with hesitation.
“I’ve found many teachers who are overwhelmed are having trouble connecting with their passion in education. It creates a barrier of connection to their real goals and their ‘why’ for entering the profession,” Ms Jeppesen says.
When met with this lack of clarity, Ms Jeppesen promotes a space of emptiness for educators, meaning they should drop all non-obligatory work and create more time to ponder where they want to go. Her approach is counterintuitive, instead of telling them to go out and “find themselves” she prescribes more stillness.
This approach can prove challenging for many who are still faced with a busy workload and life to lead. The goal is not to do nothing at all, but rather create more space for downtime and contemplation. Some tools Ms Jeppesen shares with her clients are transition breaks – taking short pauses throughout the day to rest, breathe, or journal. As well, scheduling in time for spaciousness outside of school by going for walks in nature or sitting with a cup of tea.
Particularly in her 1:1 Coaching Programs for Principals and Teachers, Ms Jeppesen has found clients come back with some big revelations. As she works with educators in a term-long format, throughout six 90-minute coaching sessions, with ongoing email support, she follows the unfolding of the realisations that bloom from stillness with educators.
Ms Jeppesen has noticed a few trends – some educators feel a renewed sense of passion for education, others come back wanting to make a career shift within education, and sometimes they want to exit education all-together.
The 1:1 Coaching Programs are designed to support educators to fulfil all these different pathways.
“The goal is not to keep doing the same thing, but rather support educators to dig deep inside for their true north. From there I’m able to assist them in renewing their passion for education in their own unique ways,” Ms Jeppesen says.
Discover more about Beyond the Classroom Australia and its coaching programs here.
More reading: Beating burnout: a coaching success story with St Mary’s Principal Katrina Dunne
