Today was supposed to be my lighter day at work — but I got roped in to participate in this Staff Well-being Circle. ⭕️
Well, 1 in 3 Singaporean teachers have stated their intention to leave the teaching service — according to a survey. Which makes the higher-ups anxious to boost staff morale and retain staff. Which also makes it ironic that the school principal has to take away my precious afternoon to fulfill his job scope.
But I digress. Without further ado, my principal got us to stand in a circle (from the most senior to the most junior), in which we maintained a standing position for about 45 minutes. About 15 of us were there, and we stood in respectful silence and spirited acknowledgement as we heard our colleagues respond to four questions posed to us by the principal:
- What made you join teaching?
- What was one memorable experience that stands out from your years of teaching experience?
- What do you think we want to achieve collectively from this session?
- What is one word you will use to describe the school atmosphere?
He then enlightened us that what he had been doing for the past 45 minutes was a technique called organisational narrative. Basically, through our candid responses, we had helped him surface the narrative of our system.
Oooookkkkkay.
I was none too impressed. Not only did I have to reveal my vulnerabilities to my colleagues, but I also had to do it standing up. 🆙
Has anyone undergone a similar experience before? How will you describe the vibes of your organisation?
