Redefining Teacher Wellness in 4 Steps
By: April Brown
Despite a growing focus on teacher wellness, teacher burnout is at an all-time high. Some research has even shown that teachers are more than twice as likely to be stressed as other working adults. So what’s the solution?
Recently, Educator Forever founder Lily Jones and I sat down to discuss how to really support teachers on the Educator Forever podcast. During our conversation, we spoke about the impossible job of a teacher and how teachers have always been undermined, exploited, and silenced when speaking up to do what's best for themselves and the kids they teach.
Keep reading to learn more about why improving wellness for teachers can be so difficult and what we can do to create real change.
Understanding Teacher Burnout
Let’s be real: many of the articles discussing solutions to teacher burnout, wellness, and trauma that circulate in mainstream media are written by someone who has never taught a day in their life.
This is consistent with what we see in curriculum development, which is why we work so hard to advocate for teachers to be the ones developing the curriculum used.
Similarly, teachers should be the ones leading change in education. Teachers should be the ones creating solutions and seeking better wellness for teachers.
Even more, describing the effects of working within a toxic education system as burnout doesn’t even scratch the surface of the realities education professionals face day to day.
When I was coaching educators around the United States during the pandemic, teachers were losing colleagues to COVID, dealing with angry parents over mask mandates, being met with hate-filled resistance when advocating for anti-racist and culturally responsive teaching practices, and special education teachers were expected to manage caseloads of 50+ students.
National Education Association Today featured education experts who broke down some important language shifts. In the article, burnout is described as, “more of a temporary condition in which an educator has exhausted the personal and professional resources necessary to do the job.”
We see varying levels of burnout in the thousands of educators we support. But what’s even more prevalent is the demoralization. According to neaToday, “demoralization occurs when an educator believes [they are] unable to perform the work in ways that uphold the high standards of the profession.”
Teaching to the test, utilizing one-size-fits-all curriculum, learning how to shoot guns, and being constantly micromanaged and spoken down to are among just a few of the neverending “asks” of a classroom teacher.
So what’s the solution? At Educator Forever, we are shifting our community members’ language from, “I’m just a teacher” to “I’m a teacher. I have skills and brilliance to share with the world.” If you’re interested in what support for teachers really looks like, the teacher wellness ideas below offer just a few ways to empower and love the teachers in your life.
4 Tips to Improve Teacher Wellness
Listen to teachers.
We’re fortunate to be surrounded by educators who are still in the classroom and we love hearing their stories. Not only do we validate their feelings, but we also provide non-judgmental, safe spaces for teachers to vent, cry, and express the challenges they face.
The guilt teachers experience when contemplating leaving the classroom is real. Having friends, families, and colleagues express disdain or judgment isn’t helpful. If we want to improve wellness for teachers, we need to acknowledge that just like for our students, one size doesn’t fit all.
Teaching experiences around the United States are not the same. So if a teacher in your life expresses that it might be time for a change, listen to them and express your solidarity.
Let teachers lead.
Ed tech companies, educational organizations/institutions, nonprofits, children’s media companies, and more, should welcome teachers with open arms. Too often we see these places run by folks without backgrounds in education.
At Educator Forever, we understand that there is a learning curve when working in education beyond the classroom. That’s why we created programs and courses to help teachers learn the skills they need to be successful. Many teachers in our community have master's and doctorate degrees, but these experts still experience imposter syndrome due to a society that doesn’t value education and teaching.
Let’s change this narrative and encourage teachers to lead as curriculum developers, education consultants, coaches, and business owners.
Value the whole human.
Teachers are complex, multifaceted individuals with personal lives, passions, struggles, and dreams. If we want to support teachers and improve teacher wellness, we must honor their humanity. This means acknowledging their intersecting identities, experiences, and needs.
At Educator Forever, our Network community brings together innovative educators from around the world. In our Network, we support our members as they gain clarity and confidence to take intentional steps toward their dreams. We believe educators deserve to create joy-filled, sustainable lives, and that it takes time to heal from working in an oppressive system.
Thankfully, our nourishing ecosystem at Educator Forever is there to support teachers, no matter where they are in their journey.
Help teachers thrive.
If we really want to support teachers, we must acknowledge that teacher wellness isn’t just about individual self-care. It’s about creating healing-centered environments, collective wellness for teachers, and support.
This involves a commitment to fostering positive, affirming school cultures, promoting collaboration and connection, and prioritizing the mental health and happiness of educators.
After listening closely to our Network members' needs, we created weekly sessions and workshops to do just that. Here’s a breakdown of some of our most beloved offerings:
Community Calls: Benefit from career, mindset, and skill-related content and enjoy networking with other inspiring, like-minded educators.
Coworking Sessions: Find motivation, community, and accountability as you work on projects such as your resume, cover letter, applications, or client work.
Wellness Circles: Prioritize your well-being through activities like gentle somatic movement, breathing exercises, mindfulness, and resilience-building practices.
Creativity Sessions: Get creative advice and inspiration for using Canva (for curriculum projects, business endeavors, websites, portfolios, social media, and more).
Workshops: Enjoy workshops on various career and mindset-related topics such as job applications, curriculum development, goal setting, etc.
Reimagine What it Means To Be an Educator
Although we simply scratched the surface of what teachers deserve and need, we can commit to building an education system that values and loves its teachers and students. If you’re an educator reading along, we see you! It takes courage and resilience to recognize when a shift in your career or life is needed.
You’re not alone as you embrace new beginnings and redefine what wellness for teachers really means. The Educator Forever community stands as a testament to the endless possibilities for those who want to pursue alternative careers in education.
As you navigate your own journey, we encourage you to join the Educator Forever Network. By joining this vibrant community, you gain access to a supportive network of like-minded individuals, resources, and opportunities to reimagine your role in education.
Resources for Teacher Wellness
If you still have questions about how to support educators or want other wellness ideas for teachers, explore the resources below.
WeAreTeachers: Free Mental Health Support
neaToday: Getting Serious About Teacher Burnout
EdWeek: Teachers Aren't Burnt Out They Are Being Set Up to Fail
Forbes: Want to Support Teachers? Pay Them, Help Them, Love Them
About The Author:
April Brown (M.Ed) is Educator Forever’s Director of Learning and Development and a curriculum coach for the Curriculum Development Foundations and Advanced Curriculum certification programs. In 2015, April began designing curriculum and writing articles for an EdTech company as a side gig while she was teaching in Placencia, Belize. After having her daughter in 2016, April was eager to use her unique experience teaching and leading in mainstream and alternative settings in the United States and internationally to work remotely while still making a difference in education.
The Beyond the Classroom course empowered April to leverage her skills as a compassionate disruptor and out-of-the-box thinker to excel as an instructional/well-being coach, adjunct instructor of Trauma Supportive Schools and Mindfulness courses, curriculum developer, and writer for publications such as PBS SoCal, Education.com, and Britannica for Parents. April is an advocate for teachers and students – inside and outside of the classroom. You can find April in rural Vermont spending time with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and charming rottweilers.