Schools as Community Resources
Professor Rob Moodie is inaugural Chair of Global Health at the Nossal Institute for Global Health. Rob is an internationally renowned public health expert with almost 30 years experience in planning and evaluating health programs in Australia, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. He has an interest in the control of AIDS globally and was the inaugural director of country support for the UN program on AIDS in Geneva. He is currently on the technical advisory panel to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's HIV prevention program in India. Rob is a regular contributor to 774 ABC Melbourne on the subject of parenting.
"Most teachers would innately know that when kids are well physically and emotionally, they'll do better as students, they'll interact in class better, they'll behave better and they'll be easier to manage. It's the classic win-win situation where kids are thriving and teachers are thriving, and parents will thrive as a consequence. Promoting student wellbeing is about changing the culture sufficiently so that it becomes the norm rather than the exception for every school to strive to become a core social centre, to have a school environment that is respectful and motivating and where teachers and students feel they want to be there. There will always be huge barriers, but on the other hand most of us thrive in cultures where there is an optimal level of creative tension."
How are schools getting it right?
"Schools that get it right are like organisations that get it right; they pay attention to the culture which exists in the school. They establish good values and then live them instead of pinning them up on the board and forgetting about them. They are interested in the physical and psychological safety of students and good student and teacher regard which is based on sound effective relationships, respect, tolerance, diversity and a sense of team and common purpose."
In a climate where schools are subjected to ever-increasing demands of time and resources, how do they accommodate an emphasis on the wellbeing of their students?
"Much attention has been placed by parents as much as by voters and governments on literacy and numeracy outcomes. There's no doubt you need to be numerate and literate to cope in our society, but you need to be more than that. The demands are focussing on a narrow set of outcomes without realising that done properly you can get both; a well-balanced school that promotes student wellbeing and does very well with learning outcomes. We've already seen that in some of the schools involved in the SACSC (Schools as Core Social Centres) project. We've seen good involvement of parents, improved performance of kids, decreased trouble in the school yard and less bullying. With those sorts of outcomes it's not a case of 'either or', it's a case of 'and'. Smart principals and smart teachers look to create a positive school culture that enhances communication and respect and also enhances performance and activity. Kids are running around the oval, walking to school, playing musical instruments. Good schools become community resources not learning prisons. It's the notion of people feeling very welcome and wanting to take advantage of the opportunities offered by schools, for example using school ovals seven days a week instead of five makes them community assets. Obviously finances are a big issue and schools in disadvantaged areas are doing it harder, but the more the school is engaging with the parents the more it can engage the parents to support the school in a meaningful way.
What is the role of school leadership in creating a positive school culture?
There are many schools that are doing wonderful things, and these are characterised by the principal at the front gate; the principal who knows everybody as they walk in and walk out of the school. I'm a firm believe that leadership can come from anywhere in an organisation. It's harder from the 'shop floor' but a good principal with no support from within the school can't do anything either. Teachers at an individual level can make their classroom better by welcoming every student as the come in the door. They can create an environment that is safe and encouraging. Whatever changes teachers can make on an individual level are very important, but it also requires good leadership because they have a capacity to influence all the teachers. Good teachers in a classroom can be a fabulous example to others."
How does the wellbeing of teachers impact on the wellbeing of students?
"Teacher wellbeing is important for student wellbeing. All these are interconnected by virtue of teacher wellbeing being linked with student wellbeing. Teachers play a vital role in our society and they need to look after themselves emotionally and physically. They need to invest in their own emotional and spiritual lives every day in some form just as we should be doing in our physical and social lives."
