I’ve been to over 100 primary and secondary schools here in Melbourne Australia running my Pozitive Kidz are happy kidz and wellbeing programs.

And I’ve discovered an endangered species – smiling teachers.

Many teachers who attend my student workshops look stressed out.

They’ve lost their smile and they look like they are only occupying space and time.

It’s a tough job.

I’m lucky because I am the fun guy who is there only for a brief time.

They are there day in and day out ‘in the trenches’ trying to teach students.

Sometimes I get the impression that their main job is crowd control.

On closer examination, their other jobs include dealing with:

• parents
• bureaucracy
• disruptive students
• lesson plans
• being a counsellor
• school culture
• lack of time
• high expectations from others and themselves
• organising
• motivation
• discipline
• etc etc etc

And oh, yeah, they are also there to educate our children.

Is it any wonder that many teachers have lost their smile.

For those who think teaching is easy then they should spend one day in a classroom and teach.

Especially when children are misbehaving.

How can those teachers who have lost their smile regain it?

Well, provide the resources required so they can do the job they were employed to do.

And that can only happen if there is the political and public will to provide these resources.

Until that happens the only thing that may return the smile to teachers is for them to focus on the reasons why they are teaching.

And if those reasons are they love kids and love to teach then that may help return their smile.

I know that when I meet students for the first time in a workshop I need to smile.

Because when I smile they smile.

Then we are ready to learn and have fun.