BSME Talks | Staff Wellbeing in Times of Crisis

In this episode of BSME Talks, we explore Staff Wellbeing During Times of Crisis. Host Kirsty Crosby, Professional Learning Lead at BSME, is joined by Sofiah Shakeel, Early Years Student Wellbeing Coordinator at Repton Dubai and BSME Wellbeing Network Lead, and Ilia Lindsay, Head of Psychology at Komodo Wellbeing, for a timely and thoughtful conversation on supporting staff through uncertainty.

Sofiah shares her first-hand experience of navigating recent challenges within a school community, reflecting on the transition between online and in-person learning, and how this period compares to the COVID-19 pandemic. She offers practical insights into how Repton Dubai is preparing students for a return to school, alongside the strategies she has personally adopted to maintain a sense of normality during disruption.

Ilia brings a wellbeing specialist’s perspective, exploring how leaders and colleagues can recognise when someone may be struggling, whether through changes in behaviour, increased withdrawal, or over-engagement in work. She discusses practical ways to approach these situations with care, reduce additional pressures, and create environments where asking for help feels accessible and supported.

Together, this episode provides honest reflections, actionable advice, and reassurance for educators working to prioritise staff wellbeing during challenging times.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:12

Hello and welcome to this episode of BSME Talks. I'm Kirsty Crosby, professional learning lead at BSME. For many of us in the GCC at the moment, it's been several weeks unlike any other. And so firstly, I hope from wherever you are listening that you're doing okay. The BSME team are safe and well and will continue to offer support to our schools, their staff and students and our partners wherever we can. We have a page on our website dedicated to updating you on free, relevant resources and webinars available, as well as updates on exam board decisions. The ongoing uncertainty, alerts in the night, and the isolation that comes with distance learning is taking a mental toll on many teachers across the region. Teachers are being asked to juggle a multitude of unprecedented tasks, not least having to support their students and colleagues, as they too have to navigate in the realities of this conflict. Today I'm joined by a wonderful pair of experts who are perfectly positioned to help us dissect what we're experiencing and introduce us to some effective well-being strategies. I'm delighted to introduce Sophia Shakil, class teacher and early years student well-being lead at Repton Dubai and the BSME Wellbeing Network Lead. And I'm also joined by Ilia Lindsay, who's head of psychology at Komodo Wellbeing. Thank you both for joining me on BSME Talks. Sophia, as you're based in the region, can you start by walking us through your experience so far and introduce us to some of the biggest challenges yourself and the wider teaching community are facing right now?

SPEAKER_02 1:41

Thank you so much for the warm introduction. I think one of the biggest challenges that teachers are facing at the moment is the uncertainty of the situation. Nobody really knows what's going to happen next, how long this situation will go on, which does make it difficult when you're trying to plan for future weeks as well. Right now it's been approximately five to six weeks for most schools in the region that they have on remote learning. And today I know everybody's eagerly awaiting a decision from the KHDA as to how we will return. Is it going to be a phase return? And I think that uncertainty is definitely the biggest challenge at the moment. And I do think the switch to remote learning this time has been a lot smoother than in previous years in COVID situations. I think schools and parents and students are better prepared and have had experiences of remote learning. So it's not necessarily a new thing or the first time that they are being online. But I think the suddenness that everything has happened so quickly and the uncertainty is definitely the biggest challenge.

SPEAKER_01 2:37

And you sort of alluded to this, but how does it differ from the other periods of uncertainty, such as COVID, as you mentioned? Are you employing different strategies that maybe weren't in place last time?

SPEAKER_02 2:49

I think for me, I was in the UK, actually in London when it was COVID, and I worked in quite a deprived area in Barking and Dagenham. So it was a very different demographic of students and families. A lot of my students at the time didn't have access to devices. We actually provided work on paper in PACs and delivered it to students' homes. Whereas this time it's been very seamless to go online. We're using platforms that the students have been familiar with throughout the year, age-appropriate platforms. For example, in early years we're using Seesaw, and it's been a very quick transition to live lessons online, almost following a timetable that we would have normally during the school day. Whereas in COVID, I think it came as a big shock for everybody, and that transition wasn't as smooth.

SPEAKER_01 3:34

And also in terms of the fact that obviously COVID was a global disease, if you like, and this is more bespoke to the UAE. Do you think that's been different for maybe teachers and the students?

SPEAKER_02 3:46

I think so. And I think we have to remember that there are many teachers who've chosen to go either back to the UK or a different country and are working remotely. I have many of my students in different time zones as well. So whilst we are delivering live lessons, it's also being recorded so that they can access it at a time that works for them and their family. And I think it's really important that we bear in mind in a class, in a typical class, there are students experiencing the online learning in different ways. Some are choosing to watch recorded lessons, some are doing the work remotely whenever it works for them and submitting whenever it works for them, some are on the online lessons, but in different time zones. So I definitely think a hybrid model moving forward is probably the best approach as well. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 4:30

Ilia, from your perspective then, what does staff well-being actually look like during times of crisis?

SPEAKER_00 4:37

I think it's really interesting because when you think of well-being, normally we think, you know, like day-to-day, what do I do to keep myself well? And I think the reality is probably a lot of those things you would have typically done either can't be done right now or are challenged for kind of various reasons. And I think so actually changing, changing the goalposts, changing what the aim of well-being actually is is really important. And so I often see, and similar to what you were just talking about, Sophia, is that the biggest strain isn't the crisis itself, but the uncertainty of what's next and for how long is what's next going to unfold, kind of thing like that. So I think with those two things in mind, the first thing that we can do if it comes to well-being in crisis is one, get real clear on my expectations of myself, both in my role, but also for my family and also for what I need to keep moving in a time of high stress, high uncertainty. So I think first step, clarity, and that's maybe something that we is a bit of a given when we're not in times of crisis. So actually starting there is really important. I also think reframing well-being at this time is not about removing stress, because a lot of these stresses you can't remove. So instead, it's how do I increase my capacity to manage the stress that I know will continue to be here for a little while longer. And I mean, when we're talking about stress in that regard, it's it's interrupted sleep or not being able to go about your daily or weekly routines and those little things that we do that top up our well-being that are just harder to access at this time. So, yeah, step one, get very clear on the expectations of what you can do in a time like this. And then kind of step two is remember it's not about eliminating all stress, but actually, how do I find these little increases in my capacity to manage right now? And they might be really small things that you do to kind of protect your space and your energy throughout the day that, as we said, may have almost been taken for granted in the past, but actually make such a massive difference now.

SPEAKER_01 6:48

And do you think there's anything that a school can do kind of on a as a whole community? So obviously, individuals can employ their own strategies, but as a as a school, you know, where there's lots of stuff, is there something you think they could do?

SPEAKER_00 7:02

Yeah, definitely. I think it's very important even to just say that up front that at a time like this, well-being shouldn't actually just sit on the individual. It actually should sit across the system and across your leadership in particular within your school system. And I think, again, same principles apply, um, having clarity around your expectations and having leaders who can help guide that clarity and set those expectations and almost give permission. Because I think that's the other thing, is we often we get into education because we want to do the best by our young learners and we want to give as much as we can into that space. And so when we can't, we feel guilt, we feel shame, we feel, you know, all these extra secondary emotions start coming on. So actually, if your system, your school leadership can give permission on what that kind of those expectations or clarity should look like, one, it takes off the mental load for you, but two, again, it just shifts, shifts the expectation and the goalpost of where we're working to. But I I think kind of aside from the clarity piece, the one thing we can all do is, and we learnt this through COVID, I suppose as well, is we find new ways to connect. We find those different ways, whether it is online, whether it is messaging, whether it's setting up group chats and group discussions and things like that, it's it's getting creative because even with the physical distance, we are humans, we still require human connection. And if you have your colleagues who truly understand what you're going through right now because they're living it with you, they are the best people to be connecting with. I know from even my own experience when you're trying to connect with people who aren't living and breathing it, they try to be helpful and they try to be validating, but sometimes can miss the mark. Um, so being able to find those creative ways of connecting with your people within your school network who really get it. I think that's great advice. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 8:57

So, whilst physical distance can obviously make this difficult, as you just mentioned, what are some of the telltale signs that a staff member may be struggling? And how could somebody support them, whether that's an individual, support another individual or on a larger community basis, support an individual?

SPEAKER_00 9:16

I think we're talking first about those telltale signs. It's thinking like where is the differentiation from their normal? And we see it in both directions. So, seeing we know typically teachers are really good at putting on a front in front of their class and being able to get through what they need to. So these signs can be really, really subtle. But what you may see is a shift on one end of the spectrum where people become more withdrawn or they become uh quieter, less engaged than what you would have previously seen. Or we see actually the other end of the spectrum where people are overactive and they're not switching off from work and they throw themselves into this because this is the one thing that I can do or I can focus on. So it's it's being mindful that it's not all going to look the same. But we think about what is the normal and have we differentiated, have we moved from that? The other thing I think with that is everyone is going to have difficult days, difficult mornings or evenings. So the other thing we're looking for is that persistence of change any time of the month or year, if we have a difficult sleep or we miss breakfast, you know, things can be harder for us. So we're also looking at that kind of sustained persistence in that difficulty. But I suppose to the second part of your question around like how do we support someone? Yes, physical distance is there. So for me, that becomes like how and what we say can become really, really important. And there's a few perhaps cheesy but catchy phrases that I like to keep in mind. And the first one is around notice and name. So notice what you see and name what you see. So rather than saying you look like you're struggling, like well, what does what does struggling look like? It's I notice that you missed the morning meeting this morning. Are you okay? Or I notice that you're signing in later at the end of each day, or you know, so name the behavior, notice it and name it, and that helps drop the judgment, it helps drop defensiveness, it helps drop those kind of secondary emotions around shame or guilt that can sometimes be attached to that as well. So kind of notice a name, and then my second catchy phrase is to be curious and not corrective. So listen without trying to solve. And I think as human beings, we naturally go to solve. So we see a colleague struggling and we go, how can I fix it? Tell me what to do. And actually, that question is quite hard to answer. If you if you're struggling, someone then telling asking, kind of, well, what do you need? I actually feel quite panicked because I don't know what I need. And now there's this extra layer of struggle kind of going on. So let's actually not try and fix and just be curious and listen and kind of validate. It makes sense that you would feel that way. It makes sense that it's difficult to get online on time, given that you're juggling your own family or whatever it might be. You don't solve anything, but the person feels seen and they feel heard, and we know that that then drops the emotional intensity that is going on. So you don't actually have to solve anything, but just stay in that curious and not corrective kind of place. And then the last thing I was thinking about with this question was more from that kind of leadership or strategic level is where can you reduce the load? Like from a practical perspective, how do we remove the stuff that is not essential right now? How do we strip back? Again, it's it's just changing. It doesn't have to be forever. We're not changing standards or asking people to lower standards, but it's just let's get rid of the stuff we don't need right now. We can add it back on when we all have capacity to again. But actually, what is important that we get through or that we continue, even in this time of remote learning or hybrid or whatever kind of comes next.

SPEAKER_01 13:04

Brilliant. Thank you. So at the time of recording, the UAE is due to return to in-person learning on the 20th of April. And I'm sure that many other countries are hopeful for the same in the near future. That transition from online to in-person, though, can be tricky, especially after the difficult collective experience we've all had. So, Sophia, what measures are Repton Dubai preparing to ensure that the entire school community is supported, you know, when the in-person actually does return?

SPEAKER_02 13:34

So we've been discussing different models and eagerly awaiting the KHDA decision to see how we can implement those models. Definitely moving forward, we were doing a hybrid approach. I would say at least a quarter, or even maybe more, of our students are in different countries. Some have chosen to return to their home countries, some are in neighbouring countries, awaiting the decision to see whether they feel comfortable to return. And that's definitely something that's come out of our online lessons. So we have to be mindful that maybe not everybody will feel immediately comfortable to return back to on-site learning. So moving forward, we'll have, if we are able to, have on-site learning, and alongside that, still have our recorded and online lessons available, just so that there's continuity of learning for all the students. We've also been talking about which years might come back first. So even though exams have been cancelled, there is a portfolio of evidence that needs to be completed for those years. So looking possibly at early years coming back, as we know it's the most challenging for the younger students being online, it's very different to their normal day. So looking at early years coming back first and the exam years so that they can complete whatever evidence they need to submit, maybe staggering it as well so parents and students feel comfortable and safe to come back.

SPEAKER_01 14:49

And in terms of obviously, I know I've got two children myself and they're desperate to go back to see their friends. So they've been able to continue their learning at home, which has been great, but what they've really missed is the social element of school and the physical, actually, you know, the PE and the ECAs. Is there anything you think a school can do to support children in that uh element, you know, when they go back to make bring back that social connection?

SPEAKER_02 15:16

I think that's a really great point. A lot of my students just want to have a chat, no matter what lesson we're in, we have registration. We've got 30 minutes to have a chat, but whichever lesson we're in, they just want to have a chat. Um and I think it's something that often gets overlooked, that social element, particularly again in early years as well. A lot of families now may be isolated from their normal friend groups, their social circle. So the children aren't necessarily getting that really high-quality interaction with other children as well, which is really important. So that's something that we will definitely be looking at to facilitate as much as possible when we return. Screen time, we've had a lot of discussions about that as well. In early years, we rarely use any screens, then all of a sudden we've gone to using the screen quite a lot for a large portion of the day and never want to see the screen again when we get back to school. So we'll definitely be looking at ways to making it as practical as possible and sort of making the children being able to mix as much as possible across a coho, across a group, and because I know that they have definitely missed that interaction. We actually had a lovely online whole year group uh Zoom where we read a story together and they all got the opportunity to speak to each other. Um, particularly at Repton, we have a lot of shared areas. So the children, whilst they mix with their class, they mix with other classes as well and other year groups, and that's something I know that they've really missed.

SPEAKER_01 16:33

Oh, that's really nice.

SPEAKER_02 16:34

Yeah, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 16:35

Okay, we're approaching the end of the episode, but before we close, we always finish with our BSMA talks episodes with this question: Who was the most influential teacher during your schooling and why? So, Sophia, can I start with you, please?

SPEAKER_02 16:50

I had an RE teacher who I would say was the most influential teacher, and I always remember her lessons were so engaging, and you never quite knew what was going to happen when you walked into her room. And I think every lesson was so different that I can vividly still remember a lot of the lessons and what we were talked about. And I think one of the reasons why she was so inspiring and just had this ability to get any student interested in what she was teaching, it was just no two lessons were the same. There was always a novel aspect. Every lesson we were doing something different, and there was always opportunities for the students to discuss and talk to each other. And I even now when I'm teaching, I always think back to what would she do if she was doing this lesson. And I think it's one of those things that teachers have such a long impact. And even I've been teaching 15 years now, but I still think back to that teacher that I had in high school.

SPEAKER_01 17:44

Great, thank you. And Ilya, what about you?

SPEAKER_00 17:47

I loved this question, by the way, when it came up. I was like, this is so fun. I loved it. Um, and I instantly had a teacher that came to mind, and that was my year three teacher in primary school. And I I remember school being quite a scary place when I was younger, and then I got into Miss Dungey's class, and she made school just this really fun and exciting place. And I remember, I really remember the shift of loving school then and loving going to school. And what was actually very special is my oldest daughter is actually in her class this year, which is so cool because I get I get to see this in a completely different lens. So I saw as a child like this warm, fun teacher, and then as a parent, I'm now watching and understanding what she does. Like that room is a safe haven, that room is full of warmth and connection, and you can just see, of course, how much easier learning is when that's that's your foundation and that's what you walk into. And I just as it's it's so cool as a parent now watching that play out, and I see her experience the same thing that I got to experience many, many, many years prior.

SPEAKER_01 18:58

Yeah, that's amazing. I was thinking about it as well. I had a history teacher who always comes to mind straight away. And I think what you said about or both of you is the way a teacher creates an atmosphere in the room, um, and you feel safe, and that then just makes you want to learn and helps with the learning, which I think will be really key going back after this situation that teachers think about the space so that the children feel comfortable again back in an environment that hopefully most of them love. That's brilliant, it's really nice to hear. Okay, thank you both for offering your honest, thoughtful reflections on these challenging times. I've taken a lot away from this episode, and we really hope that you found it valuable and supportive as you navigate this uncertain phase of learning and what's to come. So, just a reminder that the resources on the BSME response to the regional tensions page are continuously being updated. So please do check those and feel free to get in touch with any of the BSME team if you feel we can support you in any way. Thank you all for listening and happy teaching.