What is Your Well-Being Index?

Remember the game show Family Feud?  Two opposing families would guess what the most popular answers to questions were and then the host would reveal the answers and announce, “And the survey says…”  This morning I read some results from a survey that I wanted to share with you. This survey was done by the Gallup Poll and over 175,000 people responded. Basically the survey investigated the well-being of folks in different occupations. In all but two of the categories the profession that claimed the highest level of well-being was…. (drum roll) teachers.

Teachers scored higher than any other occupation when it came to optimism about life.  They scored highest in the section about having what they need for a healthy life (food, shelter, clothing, etc.). They scored highest on emotional well-being and in making healthy lifestyle choices (exercising, eating right, etc.) The ONLY area where they did not receive the highest scores concerned their work environment.

In this section of the survey people were asked if they are satisfied with their jobs, if they get to use their strengths at work, if their supervisor treats them more like a boss or a partner, and if their work environment is open and trusting. Given that conditions in an employee’s work environment are directly related to his or her engagement level, the finding may have implications for students and administrators. Teachers who are given the opportunity to do what they do best at work (91% say they get to use their strengths at work) may be more likely to engage students in the learning process. (http://www.gallup.com/poll/124778/Teachers-Score-HigherProfessionals.aspx)

As a former teacher who also happens to be from a family of educators, what this says to me is that teachers would have a perfect sense of well-being if they were given the right work environment. How is that achieved? That’s a million dollar question, probably closer to billions when you consider how much money public education requires.

I don’t claim to have the answers but from my years in the classroom I did learn a few things.  Here are just a few things I learned about the work environment and I’m guessing that most of these ring true in other professions, not just teaching.

1. I taught in a trailer with holes in the floor where mice lived and in a brand new building with shiny tiled floors.  The new building was safer and nicer but the kids learned just as well in the trailer. I’m not advocating we use trailers for schools but sometimes I think we forget that all over the world students are learning in facilities not nearly as nice as the trailer I taught in.

2. Teachers are ducks and swans. The swans sail through the obstacles as gracefully as they can. The ducks go around quacking and trying to stir up the other ducks on the pond.  Swans see the obstacles but deal with it. Ducks just quack about it. (How about it guys and gals? Ever known any ducks?)

3. Many students deal with serious problems at home. Expecting them to come to school ready to learn when they haven’t slept all night, eaten since yesterday and had a bath in a week is just plain old wrong.  Legislators can “mandate” until they are blue in the face but it won’t do a bit of good if a child is living a nightmare at home.

4. The best teachers made their own happiness. No matter what was going on around them or what was demanded of them, the best ones took a deep breath and went about their business; loving kids and teaching.

Okay, I will step down off my bandwagon now but before I do ask yourself a question. What is your well-being index?  Think about it.  If all we have is this moment shouldn’t we spend it at peace?