Teachers Supporting Teachers  S. 5 E. 62

Teacher support is more important now than ever before. Listen to this episode to learn some simple ways you can support other teachers.

Show Notes:  

Episode Summary:

Let’s face it, teaching is not easy. Teachers are stressed. Teacher support is crucial, and who better understands our joys and frustrations than other teachers? Teacher relationships are a special kind of relationship. We are best when we are supporting each other. Teachers need each other and we need to support our colleagues and teacher friends, especially during stressful times.

In this episode, we share our favorite and most effective ways to support the amazing teachers in your teaching team, your building, or even in your family. We are best when we lift each other up so let’s dive right in and explore the best ways to help each other shine.

Note:  As always, the following show notes are just an outline of the podcast episode. We share many examples and stories as we go through the discussion.  For the best experience, we encourage you to listen to the episode.

In this episode:

We usually end our episodes with a quote or disperse quotes throughout the episode but today it’s important to start this episode with a quote.

Author and renowned educator, Robert John Meehan noted the importance of teacher support when he said, “The most valuable resource that teachers have is each other. Without collaboration our growth is limited to our own perspectives.”

No matter how many days, months, years or decades we have been teaching, we have all experienced the highs and lows of teaching. When this happens to you, who are your supporters? Who holds you up, encourages you, laughs with you, problem solves, listens and maybe even cries with you?  We are guessing that you just imagined at least one teacher friend who has really understood and supported you.

Teaching brings many challenges and struggles.

We are all well aware of the struggles that teachers face on a daily basis: As we read this list, think about teachers in your life who may be experience these struggles:

• Overwhelm
• Exhaustion
• Curriculum challenges
• Content knowledge
• Behavior management
• Lack of confidence
• Doubt
• Many demands on their time and talents
• Unrealistic expectations
• Exhaustion/Burnout
• Struggles with work/life balance
• Collaboration with many people
• Professional development expectations/pursuits

Teacher support is clearly needed, and teachers can support each other with practical and effective strategies.

The people in your educational world can create a support system that works both for you and with you as you support each other.

Today we offer some ways to support your teacher friends and colleagues as they face adversity. By modeling these strategies, you are not only helping them but you may just be setting a precedent for how they help you in return when you are struggling.

You will notice that we are skipping some of the obvious things, like a Starbucks gift card or a scented candle, flowers for their desk, or bright new post it’s just to make their day. Those are all wonderful short term encouragement boosters.

However, what we’re talking about today are sustainable ways that you can communicate with your colleagues and teacher friends to let them know that you are there to support them through whatever struggles teaching throws their way. These are not “one-offs.” They are ways of being and interacting with your teacher people in meaningful and supportive relationships.

Encouragement

• Encourage them to ask questions.
• Remind them that all teachers struggle at times.
• Praise their good efforts.
• Remind them of their love for their work and how you see the positive impact of that work.

Sharing

• Share curriculum materials, strategies, and ideas.
• Share energy and enthusiasm.
• Share or offer a fresh perspective.
• Participate in Intentional shared learning opportunities such as lesson studies, book studies, or Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s)

Listening and Learning Together

• Listen- sometimes to solve a problem and sometimes so they can just vent.
• Listen without judgement.
• Help them set priorities.
• Model new technologies, techniques and strategies.
• Observe each other and share notes.

 Set up or Capitalize on Existing Communication Structures:

Either utilize or suggest your school consider these school wide structures that support communication and support between teachers:

• Joint team planning or departmental planning time
• Co-teaching models
• Strong, ongoing mentoring programs
• Interdisciplinary teaching

There are so many forms of teacher support, and many of you are engaging these types of practices on a daily basis.

When we look at this list, we are reminded of so many things we hope to do through this podcast. We built our work around the need for teacher support and our desire to support teachers in the best ways that we can.

Though we aren’t there with many of you face to face, we do hope that you feel inspired by our encouragement, our sharing, our listening and learning together, and capitalizing on our available communication the best way we can through this modality of podcasting.

You do not have to be an experienced teacher to support other teachers. There is a lot of support we can gain from teachers who have been teaching longer and less time than us.

Conclusion:

We started this podcast with a quote from educator Robert John Meehan. It only seems fitting that we end with one of his quotes as well. He said, “A key to growing as a teacher is to keep company mainly with teachers who uplift you, whose presence inspire you and whose dedication drives you.”

It is our sincere desire that you walk away from this podcast with ideas of how to best support the teachers in your life. We are all better when we support one another.

Recap:

There are seasons in our teaching when we need support from other teachers and there are times when we get to support other teachers. As teachers, we are each other’s best supporters. In this episode we explored ways to support our teacher people through encouragement, sharing, listening and learning together, and capitalizing on or setting up existing communication structures. Who better understands our joys and frustrations than other teachers? Teacher relationships are a special kind of relationship. We are at our best when we are supporting each other.

Quote:

“The most valuable resource that teachers have is each other. Without collaboration our growth is limited to our own perspectives.”

“A key to growing as a teacher is to keep company mainly with teachers who uplift you, whose presence inspire you and whose dedication drives you.”

Robert John Meehan

Connect with the Inspired Together Teachers Community:

Download our FREE resource: The Inspired Teachers Guide to Taking Back Your Life.

Website: https:www.inspiredtogetherteachers.com

Instagram: Inspired-Together-Teachers

Facebook: Inspired Together Teachers

Facebook Teacher Warriors Group: Teacher Warriors Facebook Group

Linked In:  Inspired Together Teachers

More About Inspired Together Teachers:

Are you a teacher struggling to balance your best work with your best life?

If you are dedicated and caring but often overwhelmed and exhausted, join us at Inspired Together Teachers. We’ll give you inspiration, strategies and tips that help you navigate life’s challenges as a stronger, more confident, and more joy filled person, both in and out of the classroom.

Inspired Together Teachers will give you practical tools to experience more of what matters most in your life.

Co-hosts Paula Schmidt and Michele Vosberg are award winning educators with the experience and skills to help teachers thrive in life and work. They’ve taught at all levels, worked with thousands of teachers, and conducted workshops around the world. They are also the authors of the #1 best-selling book The Inspired Teachers Journal: A Weekly Guide to Becoming Your Best Self.

Paula and Michele would love to have you to join them on their quest to lived inspired lives.

The Enneagram Harmony Triads S.3 E.38

Listen to this episode to learn how the Enneagram Harmony Triads can help you find balance in your life. 

Show notes:

Episode Summary:

Have you been following our Enneagram for Educators series? In today’s episode, we’re going to wrap up the series and bring our knowledge and understanding full circle so that you can access the best of the Enneagram and use it for both personal development and to improve relationships with your family, friends and even your students. Ramp up your knowledge and learn more about how to apply the Enneagram in your life in today’s episode.

In this episode:

Please note that this is not a word-for-word transcript. If you would like to hear all of the discussion and the examples, listen to the podcast. The notes below are highlights of the information we share in this episode.

This is the fifth episode in our Enneagram series. In previous episodes, we’ve shared the three types of wisdom in our discussion of the head, heart, and gut instinct types. We’ve also discussed each of the nine Enneagram types including their basic fears and motivations. If you haven’t listened to those episodes, you will want to go back and listen to those. Today we are exciting to bring some of this information together as we discuss the harmony Triads.

What is the Enneagram Harmony Triad?

Even if you have studied the Enneagram, you’ve probably never heard of the Harmony Triads. This is part of the Enneagram model that we were trained to teach and that we think is very helpful in finding balance in our lives.

You may heard of the wings and arrows model of the Enneagram, or you have heard of people saying, “I am a 3 wing 4”, or something like that. Basically, the wings are the numbers on either side of your main type- so if you are a two, your wings would be one and three. Those types influence your main type and you may have characteristics of one of those types. This is one model of the Enneagram that is commonly taught.

We’re not going to go into wings and arrows, because we prefer the Harmony Triads model.

The Harmony Triads model gives you three types, your main type and two others. You can tap into the intelligences of each of the three types.

Most of us focus on one type of intelligence- we lead with our head, or heart or gut. Growth can come from accessing all types of intelligence. Who doesn’t want to be smarter?

If you want more about this- see episode 17 Get Out of Your Head about the three types of intelligence.

Think of the Enneagram types as a baseball team. We all have our own baseball team. You have nine players on your team (the 9 Enneagram types). The star of the team, your MVP,  is your main Enneagram type. The key supporting players are your two other Harmony Triad numbers.

The three Harmony Triads are Types 8, 5, and 2, types 9, 3, and 6 and types I, 4, and 7. You can see them in the triangles connecting the numbers in the image below. Each triad has one head type, one gut type, and one heart type. Accessing all three types of wisdom helps you to be stronger and when you are balanced and in harmony, you can be the best version of your unique self. Your baseball team is using the best strengths of its players, which makes it a winning team!

How the Harmony Triads work:

We’ve talked about the Enneagram as a tool for personal growth. This is where the Harmony Triads really come into play. This is one of the ways you can apply your knowledge of the Enneagram to improve things in your life.

We all talk about finding balance, and having harmony and being our unique selves in the best possible way. Isn’t that what we all want? The Harmony Triad helps with this.

Let’s look at examples of the 8, 5, 2 Triad.  

Type 8

• 8s have great confidence and leadership. They lead with their gut instinct. On their edge, they can be demanding, controlling and act without thinking.
• 8s can access the heart intelligence of the 2. This can remind them that people matter- you can’t just bulldoze through everyone. The 2 energy also encourages them to work for the betterment of others in things that matter so they can use their strong sense of justice for good.
• The type 5 energy comes into play when the 8 needs to think through things more carefully. Instinctual decisions can often be good, but sometimes you need to think through the consequences. 8s can benefit from accessing the knowledge and wisdom of others.

Type 5

• Fives have great knowledge and wisdom. It is easy for 5s to overthink and get stuck in their head and struggle to make decisions. They can also be self-contained and very cautious with relationships.
• The type 8 energy gives 5s the confidence to more forward and trust their knowledge. This increases their potential to bring the best of what they know into the world and act on it.
• The 2 energy reminds fives to connect with their feelings. It can help 5s to improve personal relationships and become kinder and more caring to others.

Type 2

• 2s are heart centered and focused on helping others. They are kind and caring, and self-sacrificing which can be exhausting. On their edge, they can be resentful.
• 2s who tap into their type 8 energies can become effective leaders. They can use their helpful ways for the good of an organization. They can see a need and then fill it.
• 2s can use their type 5 to love learning and access information. The 5 energy helps 2s to analyze and systematize that information.

Examples of the 1, 4, 7  Harmony Triad:

Type 1

• Type 1 is conscientious and good. 1s like to do things the right way. They may have perfectionist tendencies, and hold themselves to a high standard. They sometimes take that to extreme by demanding everyone else meet their impossible standards.
• Tapping into their 4 energy reminds 1s to be connect with the heart, to build relationships and have empathy- not tear down those who don’t meet their high expectations.
• Ones on their edge can overwork, becoming intense and overly serious. They need to tap into some of their 7 and bring the joy! They need to relax and have fun and be social and remember that the work will be there later. They can lose the harshness but still keep their strength of good work that is well done.

Type 4

• 4s are creative, tuned into emotions and have strong empathy.
• On their edge, fours can be self-absorbed or overly intense. The 7 helps them to stay in positive, fun energy. 4s hold on tightly to emotions, and 7 energy relaxes them.
• 1 energy helps 4s to become more focused and productive. They aren’t wallowing in feelings and become effective workers and creative problem solvers. 4s at their best are unique and inspiring!

Type 7

• 7s bring joy and positivity to the world. They love to experience all life has to offer. On their edge they can become unproductive, unreliable, or undisciplined.
• The type 1 energy helps 7s to be productive and visionary leaders. They have great ideas and can apply them.
• 7s are often very social, and tapping into their type 4 energy makes them sensitive and caring friends and colleagues. Rather than ignoring their negative emotions, tapping into the 4 energy helps 7s to face and feel all of their feelings. They can learn that it is okay to feel their feelings and that they are better for it.

Examples of the 3, 6, 9, Harmony Triad.

Type 3

• Type 3s are super achievers with a strong control of their image. Threes get things done! At their edge they can be workaholics who strive to impress others.
• Accessing the energy of the 9 reminds 3s to slow down and relax, a message they often need to hear.
• Tapping into their 6 energy helps 3s to examine their actions and connect with their rationale side. When they do this, they can see why they are making the choices they make and decide if they are making choices that best serve them.

Type 6

• 6’s are loyal and faithful. They are excellent workers and great problem solvers. On their edge, they may become overly fearful and anxious.
• Accessing the energy of the 3 or 9 will get 6s out of their head and out of over-thinking.
• When 6s tap into 3 energy, they become very productive and accomplish a lot. Their sense of dedication makes them great leaders.
• When 6s tap into their 9, they can relax and have fun. They can become very social and enjoy life, which relaxes their fears and anxiety.

Type 9

• 9s are friendly, social and relaxed. They are great mediators and want to avoid conflict at all cost. On their edge, they can become stubborn and passive, preferring to avoid interactions if there is the threat of conflict. They can numb themselves to avoid dealing with anything that causes disharmony.
• Tapping into 3 energy helps 9s to be their best. They can become efficient, productive workers. The heart centered three also helps them to be warm and considerate to others.
• Accessing their 6 energy helps 9s to become great problem solvers. Rather than ignoring problems, they can actively work to prevent them or deal with them in a positive manner.

All of these examples are typical of ways that the Harmony Triad can help us to be at our best. The more you get to know and understand the Enneagram, the more you can apply it in your own life.

We realize that we have barely scratched the surface of the Enneagram, and there is so much more to learn. We’re considering a weekend Enneagram retreat where we would take the time to explore and discuss the Enneagram with a group of educators.  And of course we plan to have fun too! We haven’t made any specific plans, but we are looking at a northern Chicago suburb retreat center as a location. If you are at all interested, drop us a note and let us know if you would like more information.

Recap:

The Enneagram Harmony Triads helps us to find balance and harmony and be our unique selves in the best possible way. Accessing the best of your three Harmony numbers will help you to live your best work life, and home life so, you can live your best life.

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

Inspired Together Teachers podcast:

Episode 17 Get Out of Your Head 

Episode 34 The Enneagram for Educators

Episode 35 The Enneagram for Educators Types 8, 9, and 1

Episode 36 The Enneagram for Educators Types 2, 3, and 4

Episode 37 The Enneagram for Educators Types 5, 6, and 7

Connect with the Inspired Together Teachers Community:

Download our FREE resource: The Inspired Teachers Guide to Taking Back Your Life.

Website: https:www.inspiredtogetherteachers.com

Instagram: Inspired-Together-Teachers

Facebook: Inspired Together Teachers

Facebook Teacher Warriors Group: Teacher Warriors Facebook Group

Linked In:  Inspired Together Teachers

More About Inspired Together Teachers:

Are you a teacher struggling to balance your best work with your best life?

If you are dedicated and caring but often overwhelmed and exhausted, join us at Inspired Together Teachers. We’ll give you inspiration, strategies and tips that help you navigate life’s challenges as a stronger, more confident, and more joy filled person, both in and out of the classroom.

Inspired Together Teachers will give you practical tools to experience more of what matters most in your life.

Co-hosts Paula Schmidt and Michele Vosberg are award winning educators with the experience and skills to help teachers thrive in life and work. They’ve taught at all levels, worked with thousands of teachers, and conducted workshops around the world. They are also the authors of the #1 best-selling book The Inspired Teachers Journal: A Weekly Guide to Becoming Your Best Self.

Paula and Michele would love to have you to join them on their quest to lived inspired lives.