E = Education Tip 💡
A couple of weeks ago, I shared this post about marigolds and walnut trees, and it took off in a way I never expected. Hundreds of teachers were tagging their colleagues or saying it was just the reminder that they needed to hear!
The idea is simple. In any staffroom, some colleagues are marigolds. Plant yourself near them and you grow. They leave you lighter, they mean it when they offer to help, and they remind you why teaching can be so magical.
Others are walnut trees. They leave you heavier - the “that won’t work”, the constant criticism of the kids, the leadership, the system. Spend enough time near that sort of negativity, and you start to absorb it too.
Now, a few people read that as me telling teachers to be unkind or to pick sides. An ‘us’ vs ‘them’ sort of thing. So let me set the record straight, because anyone who knows me knows that kindness is one of my core values!
How you treat people and who you lean on are two different things. You can be warm and genuinely kind to everyone in your staffroom, and still be thoughtful about whose energy you take on when the day is already hard.
Walnut trees aren’t villains. Usually they’re just worn down by a relentless job, and I have real compassion for that. I’ve had plenty of walnut tree weeks of my own. The walnut tree on a Monday can be the marigold on a Friday. We all move between the two.
So here’s the tip. Surround yourself with the people who leave you lighter. The ones who remind you this job can still be a good one. Protect the energy you’ve got, so there’s enough left for your students… and for you!
And, wherever possible, avoid getting caught up in other people’s negativity. That isn’t being cold. It’s how you last.
