Teacher membership:
#TheWell
A private community membership for like-valued educators worldwide.
This is our well: where we’re seen, heard, and supported.
It’s a bit like a
puzzle.
Teacher well-being, that is.
For example, imagine that each person's puzzle is unique.
Because you are - totally unique.
And imagine that the image for your puzzle is made up of everything you love and that matters to you.
But sometimes your base is unsteady.
And sometimes your pieces are missing.
Sometimes other pieces just keep falling off.
Occasionally, you’re wading in chaos, trying to hold your base together.
And sometimes, along the way, you even lose pieces of your puzzle altogether.
Teacher Wellbeing can be complex like that.
It’s one reason why it is very difficult to have a one-size fits all solution for it in each school.
It’s also one reason why teachers need to lead the way on what we decide we need to support our well-being.
While food parties & gifts can be nice, they aren't an end-all solution.
Besides, what if you don't like, or can't eat, pizzas, cupcakes or samosas at the thank you party?
Meeting the needs of all teachers is as hard as continuously differentiating for all students.
It demands dedicated personalised attention and support.
Beccause teacher wellbeing is, at the core of it, a personal development journey.
But developing holistically on a personal and professional level is hard for management to address and provide for consistently.
It's also especially hard for teachers to pursue when work inevitably involves being at the forefront of dealing with the most difficult parts of what any society is going through.
So what is The Well?
The Well is the private community membership at Well Teachers.
But that’s only a technical description.
It’s actually a place where you can learn, make new friends, and take action on your UGP unique growth plan. And it’s a friendly, supportive place with responsive, caring members.
So what’s unique about The Well?
It can be hard to be seen or heard in any group, workshop, or event - but especially so in international education contexts.
In The Well, the uniqueness is that you will, invariably, come to be seen, known, and heard:
By a warm, friendly group of like-valued, dedicated and skilled education professionals from all around the world.
Members of The Well are international educators based away from ‘home’.
From Turkey to Lebanon, Phillipines, the UK and the UAE, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, just to name a few places members are based and hail from, this richness of cultural diversity in The Well makes it feel so inclusive and friendly.
In The Well you’ll find:
#1: Access to our non-meta based private community forum spaces
#2: A dedicated Community Lead
#3: Personalised reviews of your lessons, workshops, CVs & cover letters
#4: Bespoke teacher training events & workshops
#5: Invitations to member-only wellbeing and community events
#6: Access to a pool of editable resources on teacher training & wellbeing
#7: Priority access to all events, workshops, travel getaways and hobby courses
Keep reading to explore each of these to understand what they’re all about.
1: Access to the private hubs in our non-meta based private community platform
Social media is extremely pressured, and comes with lots of problems. For one, it is public - and censored.
...And not just by Meta, but by your employer too. You are probably like other members of The Well, who only use things like LinkedIn or Instagram begrudgingly, recognising that it has its uses but is also quite dangerous.
What you share on social media is tagged, censored and inherently biased.
Even if it is the truth. It also means you can feel unsafe to share your views and your contributions in case it jeopardises your job or your reputation.
Further, Social Media platforms are designed to steal your attention.
They are there to keep you hooked and addicted to a non-stop feed of sensational content. You have little to no control over what the algorithm decides you will see, even if you indicate your preferences. There is little chance to curate what you see on those platforms.
That's why in The Well, you'll be able to access the private hubs on our non-meta based platform.
…It is a site where we curate thoughtfully and we share meaningful, practical, relevant things with each other.
A private forum more focused on the ‘we we we’ rather than ‘me me me’.
This allows for a safer space within which to communicate, share, learn and build a sense of connectedness, rather than feeling the pressure of posting on a public platform like LinkedIn.
“I think this supportive outlook of the members, and the responsiveness of the other members is a key thing for me. The willingness to engage and assist each other - I can see people are responding to each other quite quickly. That's a good thing.”
— Timar Naeem, Founding Member
#2: A dedicated Community Lead
It can also be anxiety-inducing to post in groups online sometimes.
Especially if you are more on the introverted side, or just not simply not used to mingling with new people-people a lot.
Another issue is that many membership sites make it seem like the owner of the site is replying... but they’re not actually there.
But it's really just a member of their team replying on their behalf. This can make you feel really short-changed, when you’d signed up and paid specially to work with a specific facilitator.
You can contact me (Sumbella, the Community Lead) one-on-one if you wish, instead of in the group.
You can find a format to participate that works for you. And the replies to your requests are 100% from me, Sumbella, and if not, they're not signed as being from me.
In sum: the captain of a boat you're about to get onto is actually on board.
In this case, not just on board, but part of the crew. Hopefully that gives a sense of calm.
And yes, I (Sumbella) wrote every single word of this page with you in mind, oh introvert.
"Before joining I had lots of questions and I would research things and Google or watch YouTubers and I could never be sure that it's truth or a strategy of their own agenda.
For me, pivoting careers mid-life, there isn't really a careers advice service available, and I've been piecing it together myself.
But now, when I have a core question my first port of call would be inside The Well, it's become that for me."
— Stuart Piper, Founding Member | Based in the UK
#3: Personalised reviews of your work
It can be so daunting to deliver a workshop to your colleagues. Or to amend your own CV.
Where do you even start? What's more, everyone is usually too busy to look over your work for you.
For example, when you’re asked to deliver a workshop on Classroom Management for your team... you freeze. You’ve never facilitated for adults before, only for children. And the stakes are high because these are your peers. Your reputation is on the line. If you deliver a poor workshop, will they think you're a bad teacher? Where do you start? What is the difference? How can you make sure it goes smoothly? What kind of activities should you do? Who can you ask to help?
In The Well, you'll get an extra pair of eyes.
We have hubs for all kinds of work to be reviewed: workshops, presentations, lesson plans, trainings, CVs, cover letters).
We can help review workshops, PPTs, and CVs. And you can get some ideas for how to make tweaks and improvements based on your personal objectives.
If you’d prefer to submit something for private review, rather than in the group, that’s also possible using the direct message feature in the platform.
#4: Bespoke teacher training events & workshops
High quality training is surprisingly difficult to access and engage with regularly.
And when it is available, it is often connected to sales of a product that can sometimes detract from the core learning experience.
And then, a 'one-off' or a 'one size fits all' training deck doesn’t always meet your particular needs.
And it's not always possible to reconnect with the same trainer to follow through after applying the ideas they share to your particular context.
Then too, often teacher training is sporadic and not sustained or regular.
This is so vital for deeper learning and application of ideas to take hold in your classroom - and in your life.
In The Well, you’ll be invited to join monthly Professional Development gatherings that really allow for connection, learning and fun.
As well as accessing the recordings to all past workshops too. In these bespoke gatherings, which are designed to actually engage you (this is not a 'talking head' situation), we can raise topics pertinent to your teaching practice, learn, apply - and crucially, return to share progress.
#5: Invitations to the Monthly Wrappers - and member-only wellbeing events
Emails pile up, WhatsApp messages are overflowing with replies you need to give, and maybe your desk its just a mess. And it can feel like a mammoth sized task to clear it up.
It's not so easy to just 'get on with it' and tidy up.
It takes a kind of focus and energy that you often just don't have.
That's why you need a nudge.
Just the same way you monitor your learners and nudge them if you see them losing the thread of the thing a bit. We'll do the same here.
That’s what our monthly Wrappers are for: to help us get back on track.
These are a different kind of virtual 'coming together' that really allow for connection and 'getting things sorted'. These workshops are special: despite it being online, most of us joining really do have a chance to meet, connect, and get that thing done you've been saying you need to do for weeks.
They give us a regular time to refresh our intentions, declutter, and visualize. .
#6: Access to a pool of editable resources on teacher training & wellbeing
Finding practical tools to help you navigate your own wellbeing is actually very tricky.
It's partly because there is no one-size-fits-all.
So where do you start? Especially if you are already feeling burnt out and too tired to get quiet with yourself and figure out where you need to start. Finding just the right materials for a workshop is also tricky - and when you do, they're not always editable.
In the private hubs on the platform for The Well, you'll also get access to a growing pool of resources on wellness tools and teacher training materials.
This, combined with #3 in this list - being able to get bespoke support and reviews of your work, and you have yourself a very supportive environment to help you with both your wellbeing and your teaching practice.
“…And the platform has all those resources, which are embedded. It's very supportive and helpful.
— Timar Naeem, Founding Member
#7: Priority access and first preference for events, workshops, travel getaways and hobby courses at Well Teachers
It can be disappointing be when you find a course you wanted to do is sold out and the spots are filled before you even had a chance to register.
Courses at Well Teachers have limited spaces to allow for a bespoke learning experience where you are seen and heard. These courses are already filled mostly by members before they even become publicly announced: from teacher getaways in Chitral, to learning Mandarin from Scratch, or learning how to Ski with Sumbella, the preference for these courses goes to members first.
You'll get first preference and priority access to everything that happens at Well Teachers. You even get to help shape the details of events, workshops and courses too.
Members will rece Wive first dibs and early access to reserve places on any future workshops, courses, retreats or related events.
If there's anything coming up or new - even brainstorming - you'll hear it first, and you get to participate and co-create actively how these learning and fun experiences happen.
“I really like that we have space to write.”
— Mary Jane Dureza, Founding Member | Based in Bahrain
Let’s summarise.
Here's what's inside The Well:
#1: Access to the non-meta based private community forum spaces for The Well
#2: A dedicated Community Lead
#3: Personalised reviews of your work
#4: Monthly, bespoke PD sessions
#5: Monthly wellbeing and community events
#6: Access to a pool of editable resources on teacher training & wellbeing
#7: Priority access to all events, workshops, travel getaways and hobby courses
But that’s not all.
Here’s what else:
Members also get access to the Directory of Coaches, Counsellors and Therapists - and receive member only discounts and complimentary sessions
Because nothing is confidential at work.
If you share something that's troubling you with HR at work, it's almost impossible for it to remain confidential.
And when you’re facing a tricky situation at work, particularly in school settings, there is usually nobody to talk to about it.
You could share with your family, but family dynamics are also often tricky...
...and you also don’t want to burden them.
What's more, they are not always best placed to advise or understand the problem well enough to help you.
It can feel like a burden. And it affects the quality of your teaching.
Shouldering the burden of navigating politically difficult and challenging situations affects your ability to teach well.
You could try to find a therapist, but it might take a while.
And will they understand schools related 'stuff'? Maybe not.
As a member of The Well, you'll receive access to a growing directory of school-specialist coaches and counsellors - and the opportunity to receive discounts and complimentary sessions with them.
What's more, is that you'll be talking to a coach who has worked in schools, and understand well the dynamics.
Being able to easily book a virtual session and safely talk through a situation that is bothering you - without having it affect your workplace politics or family dynamic - can be a huge support during tricky phases.
So how is this different to other memberships or education communities?
It's in the way we gather.
A sense of belonging, being included and connected helps you fulfill the conditions that make learning, growing and thriving possible.
Teachers have this way of helping students form friendships. But who helps teachers form friendships outside of the silo of individual school settings?
Having a Community Lead and Facilitator you can rely on to intentionally create opportunities to gather and connect you with others is what makes this different to regular teacher training or community groups.
And this is a unique and important part of wellbeing.
To have a space where you consistently find like-valued people o share bespoke learning and experiences - it helps with feeling connected, forming friendships, and a sense of belonging.
We all need a chance to meet, learn and get to know one another - without the focus being on selling or promotions of products or services.
There are various kinds of gatherings in The Well:
Wellbeing and personal care workshops
+ These are centred around gently nudging you to declutter an area that needs attention. Along the way, we play some music, we set our goals, we catch up. I also do guided meditations in many of these gatherings.
Training skills workshops
+ These are where we'll have dedicated time to actually meet and reflect with other members on the session about a key teaching skill. We'll focus on practical areas of facilitation, whether for teaching online or in person.
In person gatherings
+ Member-led meetups are a thing! We all know that in-person gatherings are unmatched for connecting and knowing one another better.
On our non-meta based private platform
We are, after all, a worldwide bunch! Our platform for The Well has a whole range of different hubs we use to share and communicate with each other. From the light-hearted hubs for humour and chit-chat, through to the serious ones for discussing how we decolonise education, there are spaces on our platform for you to connect, write and share with other members.
In all cases, it is well understood that regular meet-ups, gatherings and learning-centred events are key to long-term learning, and serve as anchor points for communities.
The way we gather at The Well helps us cover aspects of wellbeing and training, and also gives us time and space to really get to know one another.
When we know each other, we build trust.
With trust, we rely on each other, and we can effect lasting positive change, now and into the future.
Let’s now look at the learning we’ll do together over the year as part of The Well.
The Well Teachers Curriculum
The problem with most PD and Wellbeing events is that organising them internally can be difficult when there is so much else to get done.
What’s more, organizing budgets, speakers, and topics can feel like a last minute rush.
As Teachers, we know how helpful it is to have a guiding direction and well-considered themes when it comes to learning and growth.
That’s partly why our curriculum at Well Teachers is designed with themes of the month, thoughtfully curated to fit alongside the seasons of a school year.
This helps add structure to the systems we have in place at Well Teachers (like the monthly PD sessions in The Well) that help us centre and focus our learning and discussions in a consistent way throughout the year.
As a member of The Well, you are a part of helping to co-create this curriculum - sometimes members even contribute to the learning opportunities we create for each theme.
Because this page is already lengthy, the details of the curriculum and related sessions for The Well are listed on this page:
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Focused on how we can apply metacognitive strategies to our own learning as well as our teaching practice.
For more details, check the curriculum page at:
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Focused on how we can be fair and inclusive in our classes, and how we can understand our own needs.
For more details, check the curriculum page at:
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Exploring ideas about personal finances in the wellbeing theme, and AI in the teaching skills theme.
For more details, check the curriculum page at:
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Focused on fun and rest - learning about, and exploring different hobbies we can pursue.
For more details, check the curriculum page at:
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Thinking about our roles as part of educational and school systems and how to negotiate power dynamics ethically and confidently.
For more details, check the curriculum page at:
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Exploring the foundations of facilitation and shifting between being the ‘guide on the side’ and the ‘sage on the stage’.
For more details, check the curriculum page at:
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Exploring identity, heritage, matters of race and privilege, and how to centre and situate oneself in educational organisations.
For more details, check the curriculum page at:
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Understanding and overcoming the challenges of making new friends as adults and professionals.
For more details, check the curriculum page at:
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This month has a theme on deep planning and reflection for the calendar year, in preparation for 2025. Some members may be attending the Planning Retreat in Chitral.
For more details, check the curriculum page at:
A note
On being a Founding Member:
Joining in 2024 means you’ll be joining in a phase where we are co-creating and shaping what happens at The Well together.
’We’ means you, the other Founding Members, and me.
I’m Sumbella, and when I resigned from Cambridge, I took some time to listen to teachers and brainstorm and develop ways to serve the teaching community.
For this reason, by joining in this first year, you are helping to build this 'well' together with us. Founding Members have already contributed significantly to what we’re doing and offering at Well Teachers.
This also means that as a teacher-led initiative, we are prioritising establishing things based on the highest needs of our community. From behind the scenes snippets, to agile pivots based on your feedback and impressions, your experience and contribution in this first year has significant impact on how we shape and create what happens inside #TheWell and what we do at Well Teachers more broadly.
Current founding members all have certain traits of being exceptionally supportive, considerate and creative. They all have an awareness that what they are a part of in The Well is being nurtured and led by their inputs, and share ideas generously in this regard. For anyone interested in co-creating meaningful community spaces - this is it!
FAQs
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Our individual beliefs may differ, but Well Teachers brings together educators with shared values and a strong sense of moral integrity.
Fundamentally, we come together as a group of educators with shared moral values and principles connecting us all:
This includes a commitment to fairness, freedom, and truth.
You do not have to follow any particular religion to be empathetic, and to believe and stand for these things - we are united by our humanity.
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Yes. The opportunity to receive feedback on your CV, cover letters may be particularly helpful for you.
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Yes, this may be especially supportive if you facilitate or train teachers and work in school settings or deliver teacher focused training.
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Yes, you are most welcome if you are an experienced teacher no longer actively teaching. It is likely you have a wealth of vital experience to share and contribute to other teachers in the group. On live sessions, and in the forums, there will be lots of ways for you to contribute.
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Yes, this is a worldwide community.
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Good question! We will work together as a group to find the best times, and possibly provide different options.
It is good to be mindful that we are largely based out of the Middle East North Africa & South East Asia time zones. So while there will be a range of event timings, bear in mind that they will likely be most aligned with those regions.
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This is an inclusive teacher focused initiative, regardless of curriculum, school, location. You can be teaching any curriculum, any age or stage, or even a home-schooling one. You may not be teaching at present but want to join in, learn, connect and keep growing.
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Yes. At any point you can cancel, no questions asked. That's a promise. You are not locked in to a contract where you have to pay continuously for the rest of the year. We hate when that happens!
Concerns
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We have a price that is adjusted for those in hardship or countries where salaries are particularly low for teachers. If you are unable to pay the fee at its set price, please reach out to Sumbella inside the Well Teachers platform to request support.
As a teacher led initiative in its first year, we do ask that you contribute at your highest capacity.
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"I fear I won’t be able to contribute actively or attend the events... but I still want to join and be a founding member..."
Events aside, there are other ways to be part of the community too in your own time. You can dip in to whatever part of the community membership you have time to dabble in when you can. There is no pressure and no prescription on how to use the support inside The Well.
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"I am an introvert and don’t feel comfortable on video calls or in groups...I hate group work"
If you feel more comfortable on text format only, the private platform is always there for this purpose. You can directly message there, without sending it out to the whole network.
The live calls can be joined and observed with video and audio off - whatever you're most comfortable with. We'll find an option that works for you, and there are lots of ways to interact - you're sure to find one that suits you.
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"I just want to quietly observe and try it for free in the beginning for a week or two, no commitment."
By popular request, there are several free spaces for you to explore in the Well Teachers network platform.
You can visit the site to register for access today, and explore the features there, for free:
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"I’m not a teacher, is this going to be right for me?"
The Well is for teachers, educators and facilitators who work in education.
It is also for former teachers or school leaders who may be in a period of their career where being part of a community may be an ideal time to share and support teachers earlier on in theirs.
If you aren’t working in or interested in contributing to the field of education at all, it may not be the right space for you.
Teachers also shared they wanted this:
Smile & Feel Free Guarantee
You can cancel your subscription at any time, no questions asked.
We teachers really don’t like it when we can’t cancel a subscription because we are locked in to a contract. So there is no annual contract for The Well. That is, unless you choose to pay annually. In which case, you can cancel at the end of the year, and there would still be no questions asked. Smile and feel free.
How to join
The Well
Click below to follow through to the network platform and register to become a Founding Member.
Once you’re on the platform page, there are some pre-approval questions to answer during your registration process.
Please answer the questions thoughtfully as we screen every member who applies to join The Well.
Please also allow a little time for this to happen - 2-4 working days at most.
Once you’ve finalised your payment after approval, you’ll have access to all the spaces inside The Well. The Community Lead will also reach out to you to welcome you personally.
We can’t wait to welcome you there!
Or, you’re welcome to register to explore the free spaces on the platform first.
To help ensure the cohesiveness and privacy of the community, there are some approval questions for this free access too.
