Welcome to The Flourishing Teacher’s Field Guide.

It’s time to reward yourself with some life-changing content!

This week, our focus is on how you can use rewards, large and small, to boost your motivation and live your very best life.

Let’s jump in…

The Remarkable Power Of Rewards

As teachers, we know the feeling of accomplishment that comes with helping a student overcome a challenge or mark an important milestone.

It’s why we do what we do.

But when was the last time you truly celebrated your own achievements and progress?

I get it. We’re so busy that it's all too easy to brush off personal wins and immediately shift our focus to the next task.

I lived and worked that way for years - it was my way of ignoring the important things in life!

However, recognising and rewarding yourself for your successes, no matter how small, is a powerful practice that can boost your motivation, productivity, and overall wellbeing.

It’s a relatively small change that made a huge difference to my professional and personal life.

The Psychology of Rewards:

Here’s the thing…

The human brain is wired to seek rewards. When we achieve a goal or engage in positive behaviours, our brain releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter that creates feelings of pleasure and satisfaction.

This dopamine hit acts as a reinforcement and makes us more likely to repeat the behaviour that triggered the rewarding feeling.

In other words, when we associate an action with a benefit, we’re more likely to repeat the action.

And, while extrinsic rewards like treats or gifts can be effective motivators, research shows that intrinsic rewards – those that tap into our innate desires for growth, connection, and autonomy – can be even more powerful drivers of behaviour change.

Finding ways to derive intrinsic satisfaction from your work, whether through positive student interactions, intellectual growth, or a sense of purpose, can create a self-perpetuating cycle of motivation.

So let’s unpack the best route to brilliant rewards…

Unlock Your Motivation And Achieve Your Goals

Incorporating regular rewards into your life can have numerous benefits, both personally and professionally:

• Increased productivity and focus: Knowing there's a reward waiting can help you power through challenging tasks and maintain concentration.

• Reduced procrastination and improved time management: The prospect of a reward provides an incentive to stay on track and avoid unnecessary delays.

• Boosted self-confidence and sense of accomplishment: Celebrating your wins, no matter how small, reinforces your capabilities and can motivate you to set and achieve even higher goals.

• Enhanced overall well-being and work-life balance: Allowing yourself to enjoy rewards can reduce stress, prevent burnout, and foster a healthier relationship with work.

Choosing Effective Rewards:

For rewards to be truly motivating, they need to align with your personal interests and values. A reward that doesn't excite you or feels forced will almost certainly fail to provide the desired psychological boost.

It's also important to balance immediate gratification with delayed rewards.

While it can be satisfying to treat yourself right away, building in the occasional longer-term reward – like saving up for a weekend getaway – can cultivate patience and resilience.

Ensuring that rewards are meaningful and sustainable is crucial. What works for me (video games, theatre trips, good coffee) might not work for you.

However you choose to reward yourself, you need to avoid rewards that contradict your goals or lead to negative consequences.

For example, rewarding yourself with an unhealthy treat after meeting a fitness milestone could easily undermine your progress.

Finally, consider tailoring the scale of the reward to the difficulty and significance of the goal achieved. Small wins might warrant a simple indulgence like enjoying a favourite snack, while major accomplishments could call for a more substantial celebration.

Examples of Positive Rewards for Teachers:

• Leisure activities: Read a chapter of an engaging book, watch an episode of your favourite show, or take a relaxing bath after a long week. We all need to be pampered now and then!

• Social connections: Meet up with friends for coffee or brunch, or plan a fun activity with your family.

• Self-care activities: Treat yourself to a massage, take a yoga class, or simply spend an afternoon outdoors in nature.

• Indulgences: Enjoy a special meal at your favourite restaurant, buy yourself a small gift you've been eyeing, or splurge on a luxurious dessert.

• Professional development: Attend a conference or workshop in your field of interest or enrol in an online course to expand your skill set.

Tracking and Celebrating Progress:

To ensure your reward system remains effective and motivating, consider setting up a visual tracking method like a chart or calendar.

I’ve actually got my own sticker chart stuck on my fridge, and it totally works for me!

Engaging colleagues or friends can also provide valuable accountability and provide a shared celebration of your accomplishments.

As you work towards your goals, be intentional about acknowledging milestones along the way. Celebrate intermediate wins, reflect on the progress you've made, and don't be afraid to adjust your rewards as needed to maintain momentum.

And Remember…

When it comes to us teachers, self-care and personal fulfilment are often overlooked, but they’re essential for sustainable success.

We’ve just got to keep on pushing for what we know we need.

Just remember that incorporating a self-reward system can be a powerful tool for boosting motivation, productivity, and overall well-being.

The key is to experiment and find what works best for you. Some may thrive on small, frequent rewards, while others prefer grander, delayed celebrations.

The most effective rewards will align with your unique interests, values, and lifestyle – so don't be afraid to get creative!

What Are You Waiting For?

We believe that teachers achieve extraordinary things under challenging circumstances and that we all deserve to be valued, supported and celebrated.

That’s what this newsletter is all about.

If you haven’t subscribed yet, why not join the Marigold community? You’ll get weekly strategies for sustaining your wellbeing, avoiding burnout and flourishing as a person, not just a teacher.

And best of all..?

It’s free and always will be.

You can find out more about what to expect in this weekly newsletter here, or just go straight to our sign-up form.

Our Favourite Socials

I couldn’t not repost this great image from Dr Lucy Kelly. She does some wonderful work on teacher wellbeing, and this post really spoke to me…

And if you need a daily dose of happiness personified, you absolutely need to follow Gurdeep Singh. He’s fab.

Thank You For All You Do

It’s easy to take teachers for granted, so if no one else has said it today, a huge thank you from us for all you do, every single day.

Seeing you all flourishing is 100% our greatest reward, so thank you as well for all your kind comments about the work we do.

You’re wonderful!

Here’s a quick reminder about why you should develop a personal reward strategy…

Next week’s issue is all about how we can cultivate the self-belief we need to sustain tangible personal change!

Until then, remember, you’re more than your marking, your lesson observations and your planning.

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