This is the 4th installment in our blog series for Educators
When people are stressed and overwhelmed by the circumstances being presented to them, they instinctively move into survival mode. Patience is low and their focus is placed on merely getting through the day. Sometimes the advice of “make time for yourself” just isn’t plausible. Life is swirling and demands are being made from every direction; “time” is a precious commodity and there simply isn’t enough of it in a day. The minimum requirements needed to be completed to make it through the day seem unlikely to happen. The whirlwind of stress continues to push us down the path of burn out. This is where the Enneagram comes in.
The Enneagram is an ancient personality typing tool that provides multi-dimensional insight into behavior and motivation while is unlocks a new level of self-awareness. Healthy levels of self-awareness can create positive relationships both professionally and personally. It is a valuable tool used to gain both personal insight as well as an understanding of personalities that exist around us. Having a strong understanding of self is essential to creating a healthy and strong mental mindset. Being armed with this insight allows people to navigate even the most challenging of circumstances with more patience and grace.
Teacher burnout is at an all time high. An education in the enneagram will not only support personal coping skills, but it will help greatly with classroom management and conflict resolution. If embraced, the Enneagram can support the entire educational environment in countless ways.
The Enneagram should be seen as a vital tool to help teachers better understand themselves, their inner motivations and their instinctual tendencies when they are both feeling happy as well as when they are under stress. It can help illustrate their personal path and provide an understanding of where they are mentally moving- in both the positive and the negative. It is a tool that may help to both guide and steady the course. It also provides insight into the behavior of others, thus creating stronger relationships personally as well as professionally with colleagues, parents, and administrators. By understanding the Enneagram of their students’, they may also approach both behavioral issues as well as creating a classroom experience that will meet their students where they are.
The value of the Enneagram should not be overlooked. It provides a knowledge that is invaluable when navigating even the most challenging of circumstances, thus giving an inner strength that prevents burnout and adds a new dimension of understanding to those in our world.