Don't forget your wellbeing

Prioritising your own health and wellbeing is paramount to successfully completing your teacher training. Not only will it help you perform at your best as a student but also as a teacher. We hope that all the resources you find here will encourage and inspire you to carry a philosophy of self-care and wellbeing from training all the way in to practice.

6 ways to stay positive during your training course

1. Keep a diary.
   There’ll be a lot to remember so you’ll need to keep organised. The first thing you should do is put in the dates/times of your university sessions, placements, and assignment deadlines. Every time you get a task, write it in there so you know you what you’ve got on – knowing what you have to do will help you to start getting on with it.
2. Plan.
   Don’t leave things to the last minute. There will always be lots to do, don’t let it stack up, you’ll just get stressed out. If two assignments are due in at roughly the same time, get one done early.
3. Keep yourself informed.
   Check your university’s webpages and your e-mails at least once a week – lots of vital stuff will be posted on these or sent to your inbox.
4. Reflect.
   This is perhaps the biggest tip of all. Good teachers think about what worked and what didn’t and then act on the changes needed. Bad teachers don’t. Most students will just do this automatically, but will end up focusing on negatives – remember to think about the positives as well.
5. Try and ignore the course grapevine.
   Most of the time it’s wrong. Normally people have only got part or none of the truth and what’s left over then causes a lot of concern. Get the facts from your tutors.
6. Don’t forget to save time for relaxing.
   Everybody needs to unwind and get refreshed – you’re no good to anyone if you don’t. This will be true when you’re teaching and it’s just as true on the course. Sort out times for going out and enjoying yourselves with friends and family. Appoint some social secretaries in your group.

*These ideas are an extract from Succeeding on your Primary PGCE