SWB Essential Questions by Ameerah SharaineeZain Sha https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by Reflections on SWB en-us 2022-02-15 20:35:28 UTC 2025-10-06 12:45:55 UTC hello@padlet.com Please Read ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1 https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2049518776 Choose one article to read and reflect on the following questions:
1. Think - What are your thoughts about what you have read?

2. Puzzle - What questions do you have? OR Based on the thoughts shared (Qn 1), what are some ideas you find puzzling?

3. Explore - Based on "think" or "puzzles" what would be interesting to explore?]]> 2022-02-15 20:39:58 UTC https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2049518776 How to Post ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1 https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2049521177 MUST HAVES
1. Click on (+) to add a post under your name
2. Copy and paste the question stems into the title ' Subject', one question per post. So you should have three posts under your name.
3. Add in your sharing for each question in the space below

AMAZING
1. Read through what others have posted.
2. (Add comment) to respond to an existing post with any similarities and/or differences from your post to theirs.]]> 2022-02-15 20:41:35 UTC https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2049521177 Think (Article: Nef: Well-being at Work) ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1 https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2057023854 As I was reading the article, I was thinking about what does it mean by well-being. In our school, staff-well being looks at these aspects 1. Staff Health and Safety, 2. Staff Bonding 3. Staff Welfare 4. Staff Recognition. The article I read provides a literature of well-being at work, what it entails and the benefits of well being.
Well-being at work presents a valuable opportunity to benefit societies by helping individuals feel happy, competent, valued and satisfied in their roles. Evidence shows that in good standards of well-being, employee are more likely to be creative, loyal, productive and provide better customer satisfaction. Since well-being considers people's feeling and function how then can well-being be evaluated. The article shares 3 aspects: hedonic (feelings), endaimonic (sense of purpose and meaning) and evaluative (job satisfaction). Improving well-being at work takes a rounded approach which is more than just engaging employees. This includes maximising personal resource (work-life harmony), organisational structure and providing a positive overall experience at work. ]]> 2022-02-20 05:38:18 UTC https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2057023854 Puzzle ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1 https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2057026154 Bearing those aspects in mind, some things I find puzzling are organisational system and work functions that I didn't previously connect it with staff well-being.
Under organisational systems there are some things that it is beyond the school's control such as job design (fair pay, job security-->Under MOE's perview). However things like management system, providing quality feedback, manager's behaviour providing a safe work evironment are probably things that we can control. ]]> 2022-02-20 05:42:47 UTC https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2057026154 Explore ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1 https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2057028225 Interesting ideas that our SWB peer leadership could probably look into would be looking into the management system. Management system is critical to the success of any oraganisation. Some areas would be feedback (are there regular check ins with teacher's and ROs, can teachers give feedback of their ROs like a 360 feedback), managers behaviour (transcational vs transformational managements styles), work functions (i.e. working relations with others). ]]> 2022-02-20 05:47:42 UTC https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2057028225 THINK (Article: How to Promote Well Being) https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2068145466 The article focuses a lot on how to promote employee and manager wellbeing and how being open about mental health helps more than half of the employees feel motivated and highly likely to recommend their workplaces to other colleagues. While reading the article, I think about how our school has also practiced the strategies stated by the article.

1.     We dedicate a group of teachers to look into the well being of teachers. Surveys are administered to find out the likes and dislikes of the teachers and also to give them a voice in deciding the activities the school should implement to promote well being
2.     Our Principal sends regular emails on positive thinking and strategies that we can adopt to help us relax ourselves. In the emails, he includes a link for teachers to share their thoughts with him. He also invites us to his office for chats on issues he raised in his emails. 
3.     During pre covid times, we have a group of teachers who advocate weekly exercise programmes which include group games such as basketball, badminton, soccer, etc.
4.     Our school has a programme called Odyssey @ Riverside where a mentor is matched to a mentee/
5.     Our newest addition by the SWC committee is cup noodles / drinks at the staff lounge to encourage teachers to take lunch break

The actions taken by our school is very much in line with what the article advices.
]]> 2022-02-27 12:44:00 UTC https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2068145466 PUZZLE https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2068149842 Despite the school taking steps to promote wellbeing and activities to enhance staff welfare, we will still have grouses such as the activities do not suit the individual, some staff taking advantage of the ‘free food’ at the staff lounge, rendering the food running out of stock very quickly, staff still do not feel at ease in sharing their thoughts about the school systems. 

Why do these group of staff think this way? There are two train of thoughts:
One is the mindset - Staff carry the preconceived idea from their former school to this school and it is a natural reaction to think that all organisations work the same way. 

Two is the personality of people – Self entitlement and resistance to change

In my opinion, the initial stage of gathering the buy in from staff to be open, share ideas, get involved in staff bonding activities may seem challenging, but gradually, we will see staff opening up in terms of communication and being more tolerant and understanding to one another as misunderstanding clear up.

]]> 2022-02-27 12:52:10 UTC https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2068149842 EXPLORE https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2068155604 Something to explore is why would some staff think in certain ways. This is where time has to make way for one-to-one interaction with staff. For work to be meaningful, staff must feel valued and recognised. Rewards is one way. In order to tackle the root of the problem, the culture of the school has to be set right. From the article, a culture of openness is the key. The part on communication and having a forum for teachers to voice out keep surfacing in the article too. We could explore a designated time during CT for staff to have a structured one to one interaction with KPs/SLs on a decided topic (just like how we think of questions and engage our students in our semestral one to one interaction) and a forum where staff spend some time together penning down our thoughts and then during the following CT, these issues can be further discussed. The purpose of this is to hear from the teachers on the ground as some of them have really good ideas on how to improve some systems.]]> 2022-02-27 13:00:59 UTC https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2068155604 I read the article on Educator Well Being, looking at the historical background. This article resonated with me as it had similar threads of thought to another article that I had read, The Teachers Series by S'pore Counselling Centre. In the article we are supposed to read, it is evident that teachers have been affected immensely by the pandemic. Main fears: 1. fear of self-care vs fulfilling the role they are called to do is a big worry for teachers, 2. burnout as a result of double hatting and 3. insufficient help resources for teachers suffering from mental health. The article talks about change being needed at policy making level to look into the mental health of teachers. The article also questions the holistic approach schools take into looking emotional well-being of students. However, when it comes to teachers, this isn't the case. In our school, it is good that we have the staff welfare comm that looks into the well-being of trs. They take time to hear trs voices on their interests and plan activities to bring trs together to do meaningful activities that are de-stressors. These are all good. However, we need to be more open in having conversations about mental health and not be shy to say that yes, I am going through an issue and I need help. Perhaps, our own Asian culture and historical background should be broken down first to pave way to addressing mental health issues. https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2070504210 2022-03-01 00:33:49 UTC https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2070504210 Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1 https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2106673128 Read: https://hbr.org/2007/10/manage-your-energy-not-your-time
1. What were your thoughts about maximising productivity at work/managing workload before reading this article?
2. After reading the article, what are some of your thoughts? 
3. How can we do to help teachers to cope with the rising demands of workload? ]]> 2022-03-22 03:48:12 UTC https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2106673128 THINK : Educator Well Being eity_norhyezah_asyurah1 https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2106701154 The article I chose to read was Educator Well Being as it ties in with Staff Welfare. As I read the article, I was struck by the similarities to what thoughts I've had since the start of the Covid pandemic. As educators, we had to relook at our teaching strategies. Along with this, came a certain level of stress. As staff welfare members, we ask ourselves. Is the stress experienced by our educators being taken seriously? How to we help our colleagues overcome their fears? Do we have policies in place which can help our colleagues who are feeling overwhelmed? 

The article also emphasizes on work culture. When educators have meaningful relationships with colleagues at work, it provides them with an outlet to talk and discuss of the problems they face. This will make them feel less lonely. School leaders too play an important role. Do they encourage and promote mental well being among the staff? How can they provide support? ]]> 2022-03-22 04:11:05 UTC https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2106701154 PUZZLE eity_norhyezah_asyurah1 https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2106715384 Our school has a Staff Welfare committee that looks after the welfare of our teachers. I also think that the SLs does a lot to look after our staff's well being. Despite this, we will always have certain individuals who will give negative feedback on why their well being is not being taken into consideration. They will inevitably start comparing what our school's SWC has done to their previous school or their friend's school.

I think gathering these feedback and asking staff what they want and would like to see being done in a survey was a good idea as it makes us aware of the staff's wants and needs. Even if not all may be done or acceded to, we are able to get new ideas on what we can do to ensure our staff's happiness.

]]> 2022-03-22 04:22:48 UTC https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2106715384 Interesting read: How Company Culture Shapes Employee Motivation ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1 https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2107912805 https://hbr.org/2015/11/how-company-culture-shapes-employee-motivation]]> 2022-03-22 16:19:30 UTC https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2107912805 Manage your Energy, Not Your Time ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1 https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2112713318 For this reflection, I will be trying to manage energy not time as my KP change project that Mr Tan has created for the KPs. These are my thoughts that I shared during my reflection with Mr Tan:

Pinpointing some of the changes that I would like to make is easy. The difficult question is “What does it take for me to really change? Or how can I ensure that the change is REAL and LASTING.” In an article by Knight (2022) “To change, start where you (really) are”, it stated, “If we want to make changes that make a difference and last, we must start by getting a clear picture of reality.” By having a clear picture i.e. our strengths and shortcomings, one is able to see a gap between where they are and where they want to be. 
 
I shared with my change buddy, Shai, that one of my strengths is also my weakness. One thing I take pride in is that I am a workaholic. Sometimes I get caught up with doing work that I can forget about everything else for example eating or sleeping. I often feel guilty when I do not do any work for example during the weekends. This is a real problem because working longer hours causes/have caused me to suffer from poor physical and mental health. As a result, instead of being productive, I will eventually suffer from burn out and this would lead to declining levels of engagement in the work that I do. Hence, managing my physical and mental well-being is something that I want to work on or at least make small changes in my behaviour.  
 
What is my game plan and how can my change buddy ensure that the change is real and lasting? To manage my physical and mental well-being, I have told my change buddy that I am working on managing energy levels. In order to do that I need to develop behaviours or change in habits to better manage my energy.  To improve my physical well-being, these are three things that I am going to do (1) eat regular meals instead of skipping meals (2) maintain a healthy weight by exercising at least 3 times a week or ensuring that I clock at least 10,000 steps on weekdays (3) get at least 6 hours of sleep. To improve my mental well-being, these are three things that I am going to do (1) make learning a priority by reading at least one article a week or reading a book for a term (2) put 30 minutes aside for twice week to practice the cello (3) put distractions aside (i.e. handphone) to spend quality time with my loved ones. 
 
Hopefully, I will feel energised and fall sick less often cause I really really really hate falling ill and missing school.......
]]> 2022-03-24 22:24:16 UTC https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2112713318 How Company Culture Shapes Employee Motivation tang_wai_san1_1 https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2116472752 Reflection and questions after reading the article:- We all agree that "company culture" affects " staff motivation". But i think it is important to let staff / everyone to understand the "why" . Everyone wants to know that their efforts are driving towards something. Everyone will know what needs to be done, but there's this need to explain further; the need to communicate the ‘why’ of each task. The why is the company’s overall mission. If everyone knows how their individual actions can personally add to the overall goal of the company, it brings much-needed motivation to even the most simple task.

The next ultimate question is just how does one measure and maintain staff motivation?Annual surveys are too infrequent, too hard to measure and too long. By the time you ask for feedback in an annual survey, staff may have been living with those problems for up to a year and they may be having detrimental effects on the organisation. How about a confidential pulse survey tool?It'll let you conduct short, frequent surveys, and make it easier for relevant personnel to quickly gather and act on vital feedback about what makes staff tick. Most often than not, staff may find it difficult to be honest in face-to-face interviews, so confidential questions are a great way to get a full picture of the organisation.]]> 2022-03-28 06:11:34 UTC https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2116472752 Reflection on "How Company Culture Shapes Employee Motivation" https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2116649619 1. Think: My thoughts about what I have read are people's motives in working actually affects their work performance which in turn affects the culture of a company as well. There are 3 good motives - Play, Purpose and Potential, while there are 3 bad motives - Emotional Pressure, Economic Pressure and Inertia. Thus, it is important to ensure that employees have the right motives in doing their work, and even if their motives belong to the "3 bad motives" category, the company should still try in one way or another to motivate or steer them into the "3 right motives" category. However, I feel that sometimes it is difficult to do so because not many people enter the profession because they really like the job alot or really think that the job is going to give them a sense of satisfaction. I am just thinking aloud, if MOE takes away the ranking and PB from the education system, how many teachers will still stay in the profession and continue to teach according to their "calling"? 

2. Puzzle: The question that I have is "How do you help those with the "3 bad motives" to move towards the "3 right motives"? 

3. How can we make use of the 6 motives to identify our people so that we can know our people belong to which motive, from there we can also learn to build up the culture of our school. ]]> 2022-03-28 07:56:40 UTC https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2116649619 Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time gayathiri_anasooya_mohanaruben1_1 https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2136319463 Before reading this article, I maximize productivity at school by prioritizing what needs to done first. I used to keep it all in my head. But now I create to do list on the desktop to keep track of what I've completed and what more do I need to do. This has helped me to feel lighter on the head as I don't have to remember so many things that I have to do.
When I read this article, I can relate to some of the rituals that were mentioned. Before the covid pandemic started, I used to take a 20 min break to leave my desk and go out of school to buy pastries. Getting out of school for some fresh air made me feel rejuvenated compared to sitting in an air conditioned room which makes me feel cold on the inside and outside.]]> 2022-04-08 13:19:13 UTC https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2136319463 Think - Thoughts about what I've read gayathiri_anasooya_mohanaruben1_1 https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2136343464 I agree with the fact that many people have failed to pay attention to their body, mental and spiritual health as they are running the rat race. It is not worth cutting corners when it comes to leading a calm ad peaceful life. That is the natural way of living. Not living under a lot of pressure and stress and not being able to speak to your loved ones wholeheartedly.
Sadly, many have been leading their lives following a ritual that depletes their energy. So what can they do to put as stop to practices that drains your energy? This is the question I asked myself. Believe it or not but when you ask a question to yourself genuinely with good intentions, you will always get the answer from the 'inside'. Nothing beats this! I'm still working on it and have always been guided from the inside to take take one step at a time. There were challenging moments but I trust that it comes with a silver lining to mould me.]]> 2022-04-08 13:34:21 UTC https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2136343464 Puzzle - Some Ideas I find puzzling gayathiri_anasooya_mohanaruben1_1 https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2136366008 Why do people continue with the same old habit even though they find those methods depleting their energy? 
I often hear some of our colleagues using the same words continuously during conversations or whenever we meet on the lift landing etc. Eg. " Aiyah It's so hot!", " Aiyoh why must it rain now?" "These group of students are a big headache!" , " I tell them so many times and they never listen". I feel these are perspectives of people. How we perceive things change how we feel. So why then continue to give way to thinking negatively?]]> 2022-04-08 13:47:34 UTC https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2136366008 Explore - What would be interesting to explore gayathiri_anasooya_mohanaruben1_1 https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2136371555 People must stop exploring the outside and start exploring themselves on the inside. Observe the kind of words you use; the decisions you make at different points in your life; how you react or respond to certain situations; most importantly how do you feel due the actions taken by you. :)]]> 2022-04-08 13:50:50 UTC https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2136371555 Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2156669676 1. Before reading this article, at work, I will prioritise meeting colleagues for in depth discussion over a project / matter and marking books over taking care of my own physical and mental well being. I end up skipping my meals just so that I can squeeze in a meeting with a parent or colleague during. Once I’m in school, I would expect endless WhatsApp messages, endless discipline cases to manage and many meetings coming up. 

2. After reading the article, I realised that whatever I am practising in point 1 is significantly depleting my energy level. While reading the article, I asked myself a few questions. 
a) Do the systems in the school that needs improvement? Colleagues are frustrated because of the lack of information and the last minute information. Something I learnt in other organisaions is to disseminate information at least 3 to 5 days in advance. Allow others the time to digest the information at their own time.

b) Quick buzzes around the staffroom sums up that the attitudes and behaviors of students are the number one energy sappers in teachers. I believe that discipline starts from home at a young age. When the home does not teach, the school takes over the baton. Do all teachers sing the same tune? Or do some teachers leave the discipline solely to others? What are each of our perspective towards discipline?

Recently, I have been practising mindfulness with my students. I also practise together with them. The soothing audio and imagery reduces my anxiety and also helps my students refocus their energy levels. It ends with deep guided breathing exercises.

3. How can we help teachers to cope with the rising demands of workload?
My two cents worth: Listen to their voices and suggestions and act on them. As far as I know, many are receptive to suggestions. Some teachers give very good suggestions that help to improve the school's systems. Recently, Mr Tan just sent an email about what a colleague wrote. It was about the FTGP period. As a fellow FT who is an acting AYH, I feel the crunch. Searching for emails and always having to ask around what is supposed to be done for the next FTGP lesson depletes energy. Fortunately, my level has a very responsible and competent FTGP IC who spells out everything very clearly and explicitly to us every Thursday before the week of the FTGP lesson. That's how she helps us to manage our FTGP lessons. 

Lastly, in order to manage the teachers' workload, perhaps within the KP team, we might need to work out some systems and procedures first before instructions go down to the teachers.

]]> 2022-04-25 14:34:26 UTC https://padlet.com/ameerah_sharainee_zain_sha2_1/3v3ot9jc12f9h6by/wish/2156669676