Developing inter-collegial friendships to sustain professional wellbeing in the academy

ABSTRACT

In this self-study, we explore the benefits associated with developing inter-collegial friendships for sustaining our wellbeing in the academy. We have used anticipatory reflection to imagine what our idealised working situation might look like and then taken measured steps towards supporting one another to achieve our goals. Our research focus - to question how collaborative, professional friendships can help us achieve professional satisfaction and sustain us in times of personal and professional flux – has given rise to new understandings about ourselves. These new understandings include firstly, how taking care of ourselves physically has made us aware of our embodied knowing about the roles we take in the academy. Secondly, we describe the importance of showing appreciation and being affirmed by others to counter the culture of constant evaluation. Thirdly, we have negotiated a more horizontal relationship with our institutions, cognisant of the parameters prescribed by our roles and circumstances. We are learning to care about ourselves so that we can offer our best to our students, our institutions and to our families and friends. We share our findings here in the hope that they may help other academics achieve wellbeing in the workplace.

KEYWORDS:

• Anticipatory reflection
• inter-collegial friendships
• self-study of teacher education practices
• sustainable well-being

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Dawn Garbett

Dawn Garbett (PhD, Monash) is an Associate Professor of teacher education in the Faculty of Education and Social Work, at the University of Auckland. She is a National Tertiary Teaching Excellence award winner and educational leader of the Augmented Human Lab's Kiwrious Science project.  Dawn also leads an international memory-work self-study research project exploring wisdom forged through experience. Her research interests are sustaining well-being, fostering healthy relationships and balancing the challenges of academia in a volatile environment. Dawn is New Zealand’s International Study Association of Teachers and Teaching representative.

Lynn Thomas

Lynn Thomas is a full professor in the department of pedagogy at the Université de Sherbrooke in Sherbrooke, Quebec. Dr. Thomas frequently participates in self-study research and is now involved in a research project using collective memory-work to explore experiences as a teacher educator.  She is also currently researching the literacy experiences of students in intensive language learning programmes and involved in a study on the influences of programme requirements on the development of reflective practice in student teachers. Lynn is a past president of the Canadian Association of Teacher Education and currently past president of the Canadian Society for Studies in Education.