How Schools Can ~ACTUALLY~ Support Teacher Wellbeing
Let’s cut the crap - “More self-care” is not gonna cut it as the sole advice to improve teacher wellbeing anymore.
The problem is not a lack of self-care. The problem is the immense amount of tasks and pressure that our teachers are expected to tolerate daily.
And, by the way, the weight of those expectations is making self-care pretty much impossible to fit into a normal human day anyway.
So besides suggesting more self-care, how can school communities ~actually~ support their teachers?
Well, I posed that very question to the educators themselves (crazy, right?!) in our free Beat Burnout Facebook group, and below is what they had to say.
And, real quick, to go even further towards creating a sustainable school year for your staff, consider registering for our upcoming webinar, “Set Up Healthy Boundaries as a School Staff” here.
How Schools Can Support Teachers ( Wellness Ideas from Teachers Like You!)
“Let us take our allotted personal days, no questions asked.” - Emily N.
“The whole micromanaging from people who don’t know our job frustrates me to the point I’m considering leaving the profession. I…just want to do my job and go home.” - Kelsey B.
“Prioritize assigning tasks that benefit students the most over ones that are not as essential (but may be expected under “normal” school year circumstances). Too much is being asked of us and I don’t think the school community/administrators realize that we’re not back to normal yet and those expectations need to be altered as such.” - Allie H.
“Cancel an unnecessary meeting, write thank you notes, take over the classroom for a bit so teachers can take a break, have chair massages in the staff lounge for the day, just be kind.” - Kelly C.
“Support the staff by ensuring consequences for disrespectful behavior from students.” - Julie A.
“We have a social worker that comes around 2 times a week, but she doesn’t just check on kids. She asks staff about their feelings, emotions and stress levels and suggests ways to destress.” - Jennifer L.
“I would love if they could give me a pee break or just check in on me during the day to see if I need anything.” - Sarah S.
“Come in and say something POSITIVE, not nitpicking.” - Olga N.
“Stop requiring me to go to PD and PLC meetings that have NOTHING to do with my students , especially since my students are not included in the data. Let us work on stuff that is relevant to our students.” - Dawnmarie R.
“Give staff time to complete tasks rather than last minute.” - Tasha R.
1 Question For You
What about you? What ideas do you have for improving teacher wellbeing in your community?
Make sure to share this week’s 3-2-1 with a teacher you care about :)
Until next week,
Emily Hemmingson
Health Coach for Teachers
Founder of The Teacher Wellness Center
PARTICIPANTS WILL:
- Pinpoint which common boundary violations are causing the most distress for teachers in your school community.
- Learn the types of boundaries a school staff should set TOGETHER for the overall wellbeing of its teachers.
- Learn specific boundary recommendations for teachers, admin and school communities.
- Create a plan to open up a discussion of boundaries with your school staff, with tips and guidance to lead the discussion.
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Thank you for taking a moment to join me, and for giving yourself a moment to consider your needs this school week. You can get more actionable ideas in my popular email Teacher 3-2-1 newsletter. Each week, I share 3 of my teacher wellness tips, 2 quotes from others, and 1 wellness question to think about. Thousands of teachers are already subscribed. Enter your email below to join the community!