How Your School Can Support Teacher Self-Care
Teachers need self-care for their wellbeing, but they need support from their school organization so that self-care can actually happen.
But there are also things your school community can do to support teachers as they practice self-care.
Read on for 3 Ways Schools Can Support Teacher Self-Care
I.
Schools can stop praising burnout behaviors. Studies show that working 50+ hours a week has a strong correlation with negative mental and physical health outcomes. And yet, it’s not uncommon to see school communities praising or shouting out teachers for logging unhealthy hours. To be clear, I think we should definitely recognize and give appreciation for hard work, but when that work is coming at the cost of a teachers well-being, we also need to be asking, “Are you doing okay?”, “Do you need help?” or “How can we lighten your load?”
II.
Schools can allow for self-care time. Start talking openly about taking time for self-care. Schools that encourage teachers to leave by a certain time, take the weekends for themselves, and even allot PD time as free self-care time tend to have more satisfied employees. When the community culture expects its teachers to practice self-care, teachers can better practice it, guilt-free.
III.
Schools can encourage community self-care. Self-care groups or friendly challenges can encourage everyone in the community to practice self-care (self-care doesn’t need to be solitary!). Some great ideas include movement, meditation or hydration groups/challenges. A healthy lunch club is another great idea I’ve seen practiced on school campuses. Consider what would be most encouraging for your unique group of teachers.
Share in the comments: What is something your school already does to support teacher self-care? What is something you would like to start doing?
Your ideas can support others in our community :)