L-R: Naomi Ward and Martyn Reah

From hashtag to handbook

Popular #Teacher5ADay hashtag turned into book to help teachers manage stress

Posted by Stephanie Broad | July 01, 2016 | Health & wellbeing

• #teacher5aday
• #hashtag
• #handbook
• #stress
• #teachers
• #workload
• #wellbeing
• #education

This week marks the launch of the #Teacher5ADay Journal and Handbook; a new book of health and wellbeing tips designed especially for teachers and crowdfunded by many in the profession.  

The not-for-profit publication was created by Naomi Ward, a teacher from Hampshire, in response to teachers’ requests for support with stress following a highly successful Twitter campaign, #Teacher5ADay, which teacher, Martyn Reah, started in 2014.

The ideas shared by teachers on Twitter form the basis of the book which encourages teachers to focus on five areas in their daily life. It offers guidance on how to set goals and aspirations that they can work towards and how to improve wellbeing plus a range of useful tips on leadership, reflection and reducing workload.    

Sharing her thoughts behind the new book, editor Naomi Ward, said: “The number of teachers leaving the profession is growing with 77% of teachers reporting that workplace stress levels are one of the key reasons behind this.  

“The #Teacher5ADay Journal and Handbook is crowdfunded by teachers, for teachers and is full of authentic, honest information from the teaching community. The hope is that by sharing helpful tips on well-being and work-life balance with the wider teaching community, we can prevent more teachers from leaving a profession they love.” 

Martyn Reah, the teacher who created the #Teacher5ADay hashtag, said: “I think of teachers and pupils as two sides of the same coin. If the staff are happy, the pupils are more likely to be happy too. Our aim is to bring happiness back in to the classroom.”  

Ross Morrison McGill, the teacher behind the popular @TeacherToolkit Twitter feed with 136,000 followers, said: “The wonderful #Teacher5ADay campaign reminds all teachers to find balance in their working life and spend more precious time with loved ones. It encouraged me to focus more on my own well-being as a teacher and I am delighted that the valuable advice it captured is now more widely available to others.”