Leading and Teaching in Challenging Environments 7.3.2023

Teaching is not merely a matter of behavioural skills and competences, but actually is a highly complex art form in which craft knowledge and skills are underpinned by a range of personal qualities and characteristics. The Hay McBer (2004) study identified values, vision, passion, motivation and self-image as being key to teacher effectiveness. These skills and competencies are critically important to teachers but are even more vital when they are faced with challenges, personal and professional, in their particular schools.
This presentation for primary and post-primary teachers will reflect on some experiences that can lead to disillusionment and burnout but will focus on how we can engender hope and resilience as teachers and as leaders within the school community.

Learning Intentions:

To deepen awareness of the personal and professional skills and competencies of teachers.
To discuss a range of strategies that might be adopted in order to prevent stress and burn-out.
To show the critical importance of continuous learning in order to strengthen our ability to respond to difficult situations.

 Facilitator:   Carmel Lillis, Advanced Dip. in Personal Leadership and Executive Coaching, M.Ed, B.A. Carmel has worked as a school principal and as a part-time lecturer on leadership courses in Maynooth University. She now works as an independent consultant and coach. Carmel also pursues research with Dr. Gerry Jeffers, MU.  Their recent research 'Responding to Educational Inequality in Ireland; Harnessing teachers’ perspectives to develop a framework for professional conversations' has been published by Education Studies:  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03055698.2021.19310