Please enjoy this week's

Leader Wellbeing Thought September 19 2025, Slide

by APPA President Angela Falkenburg

Howdy surfers of the slide

We’re in that odd patch of the year, not the exciting launch of Term 1, not the triumphant end of Term 4, but the Wednesday afternoon of the school year. Energy dips, tempers fray, and even the coffee seems to be working half-time.

It’s what I call the September Slide: motivation is a little slippery, and the to-do list feels like it’s reproducing overnight. Staff, students, and leaders all feel it.

The good news? Slides can be exhilarating. The trick is choosing how you land. A few ideas:

• Pace yourself: don’t sprint the marathon. Break big jobs into “September-sized chunks.”
• Change the scenery: take a meeting outdoors, swap the desk for a walk-and-talk, go on an actual slide.
• Find small sparks: celebrate little wins; they matter more than ever right now.
• Laugh on purpose: *humour really is a wellbeing strategy. Sometimes the best leadership move is a shared guffaw in the staffroom.

The September Slide is normal. Instead of resisting it, cross your arms over your chest, embrace the ride, and save your energy for the heroics of Term 4.

* Humour ideas

•   “I had to visit the trauma unit last weekend. He prefers the term dad.”  Andy Gleeks, winner of the (Some Guy Called) Dave Joke of the Fringe 2025 at Edinburgh Festival Fringe
•   “Everyone is worried about AI. I’m more concerned with what the other vowels are up to.” Rob Auton
•   “This spider has been in my house so long, it should pay half the Wi-Fi. As a web developer, it can afford to.” Sikisa

BTW: Heard a new Acronym from an IT buddy this week: PICNIC: Problem In Chair, Not In Computer. (Hope he didn’t mean me!)

Angela    

Angela Falkenburg

APPA President