Welcome to The Flourishing Teacher's Field Guide.

This week, we're exploring something that's transformed my teaching practice - learning to be emotionally agile rather than emotionally fixed.

If you've ever felt stuck in rigid response patterns or wished you could handle challenging situations more flexibly as a teacher, this one's for you…

When Did Your Responses Become So Rigid?

You know that feeling when you're faced with a challenging situation, and you automatically fall back on your standard response?

Maybe it's maintaining strict authority when students act up, or always trying to fix things when colleagues share problems…

That was definitely me for a long time. 

I had my go-to responses, and I stuck to them religiously. Until I realised something crucial: having just one way of responding was making my job harder, not easier.

Because here's the thing about teaching - no two situations are ever exactly the same. So why should our responses be?

As we've explored in our recent articles on Understanding Your Emotional Dashboard and The Hidden Cost of Emotional Labour, recognising our patterns is crucial. But recognition isn't enough - we need the ability to shift between different responses based on what each situation actually needs.

Here's how to develop that flexibility...

3 Evidence-Based Strategies For Building Emotional Agility

1. Emotional Vocabulary Expansion

Our emotions are complex. But I used to think of them in simple, fixed terms (I was often too shattered to be creative). 

Instead, I’ve learned to think of emotions like colours. 

The more shades you can identify, the more nuanced your picture becomes. Instead of just seeing 'angry', you might recognise 'frustrated', 'irritated', or 'exasperated' - each calling for a different response.

And when we redefine the language we use to describe ourselves, making it less reductive in the process, we throw out our old responses and build new, more rewarding ones.

Here's how I learned to expand my emotional palette:

Instead of just "Angry" with a class or situation:

• Frustrated (with the situation)

• Irritated (by repeated behaviours)

• Exasperated (by lack of progress)

• Indignant (about unfairness)

• Challenged (by an interaction)

Instead of just "Worried" about a person or context:

• Concerned (about specific issues)

• Anxious (about unknowns)

• Apprehensive (about future events)

• Uncertain (about decisions)

• Excited (about an opportunity)

The more precisely you can name your emotion, the more choices you have in how to respond to it.

2. The Response Flexibility Framework

Just as a skilled driver has different gears for different terrains, we need different responses for different situations. Here's how to build your response repertoire:

Challenging Behaviour Examples:

• Authoritative Response (Clear boundaries)

• Curious Response (Understanding causes)

• Empathetic Response (Emotional support)

• Collaborative Response (Problem-solving together)

Let me share how this works in practice…

Last week, I had my ‘difficult class’, and so I’d spent a bit of time beforehand trying to redefine how I thought about them. I learned a long time ago that when I think of a class as difficult, challenging or unreceptive, I bring that expectation into the lesson and more often than not I help to generate the very atmosphere I hope to avoid.

So I was doing my best to be open to the positives when one student (who I know I get a bit edgy around as, honestly, she knows how to push my buttons) began to get disruptive. Instead of automatically going into strict teacher mode and consistently stating my expectations, I paused and consciously chose to challenge their behaviour with curiosity. 

Instead of reminding her of the need for her to behave, I chose to ask her what I or others had done to put challenges in her way and how I could help her overcome those challenges. That one shift in approach led to a conversation about the difficulties they were facing, which led to a conversation about her anxieties which began to transform her behaviour.

3. The Recovery Design Method

Being emotionally agile isn't just about responses - it's about recovery too. Here's my personal recovery toolkit:

Quick Resets (2-3 minutes in-between classes or meetings):

• Deep breathing sequences

• Physical stretches

• Mindful hand-washing

• Window gazing (I like to count chimneys. Honestly…)

Medium Resets (5-15 minutes at lunch or break):

• Staffroom chat with colleagues

• Brief outdoor walk

• Journaling

• Creative doodling

I always, always make time to do one of these things every day. Even when the pressure’s on. It gets me more in touch with myself and gives me the reset I need to engage with the first two strategies.

Full Resets (After school):

• Exercise routine

• Nature time

• Social connection

• Hobby engagement

At least one of these is non-negotiable every single day. When I take a minimum of 30 minutes for myself, it gives me the capacity to give more of myself the following day without being resentful of the time or energy I’ve expended.

Why not do a combination of these and more? After all, research shows teachers who have multiple recovery strategies show greater emotional resilience than those who rely on just one or two methods.

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Thank You For Everything

As we wrap up our February focus on emotional intelligence and energy management, I'm struck by how much skill it takes to navigate the emotional landscape of teaching. Every day, you're reading situations, adjusting responses, and maintaining your authenticity through it all.

The fact that you're here, working to become more emotionally agile, shows incredible commitment not just to your profession, but to your personal growth. Because when we develop emotional flexibility, we're not just becoming better teachers - we're becoming more resourceful human beings.

So, if no one else acknowledges the emotional intelligence you bring to your classroom every day, we do. Your willingness to grow, to try new approaches, to stay flexible in the face of challenges - that's what makes teaching the transformative profession it is.

Here's a quick reminder of our strategies for building emotional agility:

Remember, you're more than your marking, your lesson observations and your planning.

You're you. And that's all you need to be.