I know we don’t talk about Bruno.
But can we please talk about ‘Encanto’?!
If you have not seen the newest release from Disney, you must.
Watch it this weekend.
Make a cup of tea, pour a glass of something, fetch snacks. Don’t have children? It doesn't matter! Kids are 35 years old and work for a corporate bank? Invite them over and watch it together! You’ve already seen it 18 times because you have a 12 year old daughter who wants to be in musical theatre? Who cares! Watch it with her anyway! (That last one can’t just be me?)
Why am I so enthused? Because there is just so much to say about it, so many excellent messages to discuss, so many important points about culture and belonging and family.
And don’t get me started on the music…
I won’t give too much away, but the film centres around a family, the Madrigals, who have been chased from their home due to a (intentionally) faceless but violent threat. They find a new place to live, one that is full of wonder and beauty, and through this they all receive a magical gift - except Mirabel. And that is all I am going to say about the plot.
The movie is set in Colombia - a purposeful decision by the directors / writers Jared Bush, Byron Howard, and Charise Castro Smith. Past Hollywood representations of Colombia have been, shall we say, less than favourable. Depicting it as a place of murder, drug trafficking and terror puts bums on seats. Yes, the writers of ‘Encanto’ show us a family displaced by violence, but it is a family that finds a home with love and magic in a defiant and colourful display - it is heroic and joyful.
The film has caused a social media outpouring of happiness and celebration. As a cisgender, white, heterosexual woman (and although I am under-represented in some places) I see myself plastered all over Disney films. I am the villain, the princess, the queen, the comedy side-kick, the dusky maiden, the love interest, the rescued and the rescuer. But for some children, and indeed adults, ‘Encanto’ is the first time they have seen themselves represented in these movies which for many of us are such a memorable and cherished part of our childhood.
I cannot imagine what it is like for children to see themselves on the screen for the first time, not as a caricature but as themselves, as a family who are not just surviving but thriving. As one reviewer put it. ‘there’s no denying that there is power in seeing your own world elevated to the ranks of iconic fairytales and animated blockbusters.’
As a recruiter and a teacher of 20 years I took different messages away - and please no groaning as I pluck a recruiting analogy out of a Disney film. You’ll see…
There are two messages that I took away.
The first was that you cannot take on everyone’s load - it will break you.
When you are good at your job, there is a tendency to say yes to everyone, and then those people will just pile on more with a flippant ‘Don’t worry X will do it’. It is just not possible to continue this - it will break you at some point. Even if people are not taking your for granted and piling the work on you, educators (of all levels) have a tendency to pile the pressure on themselves because ‘it’s for the students’.
I read a ‘motivational’ quote the other day that said ‘A good teacher is like a candle. It consumes itself to light the way for others.’
Nope.
The age of the completely selfless teacher has to end. If the pandemic has taught educators and leaders anything, it is that teacher wellbeing is paramount. Burned out teachers do not make for a happy classroom or indeed a happy school and they certainly do not make happy students. So, just like Luisa in the movie, learn to be strong but not put upon. Learn to share the load, to speak up when you are not OK and most of all learn that it is completely acceptable to say ‘No. I can’t do that at the moment.’
And what about from a recruitment perspective? (I said no groaning).
It is so important to recruit or coach a leadership team that understands this too, that tries to reduce the workload wherever possible, that leads with empathy in all of its forms, that listens like Mirabel listens.
Recruit a leadership team that teachers don’t just want to work with but love to work with.
We have no idea what the future of education holds, we don’t know what is going to happen from one day to the next at the moment; outstanding leaders, the ones that people look to in times of crisis, have never been more important.
And leaders, you have to look after yourselves too. When the weight of the world is on your shoulders, when you are holding up your staff and students, answering to the governors and the parents, and making 1000 decisions a day, you also need to take time, to say no, to breathe. You have such an important role and people look to you, so it is important to model how to look after yourself.
The final message that I learned was from all of the characters, from the beautiful Isabela to the quirky Pepa.
You are enough.
Everyday we take on a plethora of roles - teacher, leader, daughter / son, husband / wife, parent, brother / sister, friend and colleague, and each of those roles is split into another hundred tiny roles. I used to think to myself, ‘I have three main roles - teacher, mother, wife.’ I used to judge the quality of a day by how well I feel I had fulfilled each of those roles. I don’t think I ever had a day when I said to myself, ‘Well done. You have succeeded at all three.' That is both sad and untrue. Because down that way madness lies, I decided to spend some time each day thinking about what I had done well. Today for example, I walked my daughter to the bus, we had a chat, I kissed her on the forehead and she was happy. I came home and wrote this fantastic blog. I made my husband a cup of tea. They do not have to be massive gestures - from little things big things grow.
No matter what your role at school, whether you are a teacher or a leader, you are doing your best. These are tough times and we still haven’t really recovered from the last two years of tough times. Give yourself a break.
Do not think that you have to be someone else or act like something you are not to get respect, to be successful, to achieve your goals. Be your authentic self.
You are enough.
So, go home, get comfy, switch on the TV. Get ready for some serious earworms and catchy little songs that you’ll be singing under your breath as you walk to your classroom on Monday.
All together now,
‘Pressure like a drip, drip, drip that'll never stop, whoa
Pressure that'll tip, tip, tip 'till you just go pop, whoa…’
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