Leaning In

Autorentext

About Helen, Dr Helen Street is an internationally recognised behavioural scientist, author and expert in school wellbeing and learning engagement. With a background in applied social psychology and more than 25 years' experience working with schools around the world, she is the co-founder of Positive Schools and the founder of Contextual Wellbeing.Helen has been a leading voice in reshaping the way schools think about and support wellbeing. Her work challenges approaches that locate wellbeing primarily within the individual and instead advocates for systemic change; creating the social and learning environments in which people can thrive. Through Contextual Wellbeing, she has helped move the conversation beyond individual wellbeing programs towards a deeper consideration of the cultures, relationships, policies and everyday practices that shape how students and staff experience school.Helen has worked with schools across four continents, including in every Australian state and territory, building long-term partnerships that translate research into meaningful, real-world practice. Her work focuses on creating inclusive and equitable learning environments that support wellbeing, motivation and engagement for both students and staff. She works with educators through keynote presentations, workshops, consultancy and whole-school development.Helen is the author of several books on wellbeing and education. Her fourth book, 'Contextual Wellbeing (2018)', became an international bestseller in education, and her sixth, 'The Positive Schools Big Wellbeing Handbook (2024)', offers educators a practical guide to building contextual wellbeing and learning engagement in classrooms and across whole school communities. 'Leaning In: The Educator's Guide to Loving Stress' is Helen's seventh book.Helen has a longstanding relationship with The University of Western Australia. She worked within the Faculty of Medicine from 1999 to 2011 and has been an Honorary Fellow in the Graduate School of Education since 2010.Today, Helen continues to work with educators, schools, education departments and organisations across Australia and internationally, supporting meaningful, sustainable change in the way wellbeing is understood and developed. She lives in Perth, Western Australia, with Neil, their three daughters and a very cuddly cavoodle.

Klappentext

Teachers are being told they are stressed, overwhelmed and burning out-and the usual response is to help them reduce stress. But what if stress isn't always the problem? In Leaning In: The Educator's Guide to Loving Stress, social psychologist, author and educator Dr Helen Street challenges one of the most entrenched assumptions in contemporary wellbeing: that a good life should contain as little stress as possible. Stress is an inevitable part of caring deeply, attempting difficult things, learning, changing and doing work that matters. The question, Helen argues, is not simply how much stress we experience, but how we understand it, how equipped we feel to meet the challenges in front of us, and whether the environments around us help or hinder our capacity to respond. Drawing on psychological research and decades of experience working with educators and schools, Leaning In explores the science of stress and the powerful roles played by belief, appraisal, self-efficacy, identity, motivation, relationships and context. It shows why the same demanding experience can leave one person feeling threatened and overwhelmed while another feels energised and engaged-and why simply telling people to become more resilient is never enough. Along the way, Helen offers practical ways for educators to build their capacity for challenge: from reframing and deliberate practice to feedback, values, movement, rest, connection and self-determination. She also turns the lens towards schools themselves, asking how culture, relationships, expectations and working environments can support educators rather than placing responsibility for wellbeing solely on individuals. This is not a book about tolerating chronic stress, accepting unreasonable demands or putting a positive spin on burnout. It is an invitation to develop a richer relationship with challenge. To build the capacity to meet difficult moments rather than simply trying to avoid them. And ultimately, to discover that some of the stress in our lives is there for a very good reason: because we are doing something that matters.