Teacher's Self-Care Journey
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How Are You?
Dear friends!
How was your day? Did you have a good time working with your students? Are there many reports to fill out today? Regardless it's a good day or bad one, thank you for being here. Now its the time to take care of yourself.
As educators, we often prioritize the well-being of our students above our own, we prioritize parent's meeting, lesson plans. All these actions are out of our love and commitment to students. Overworking ourselves and ignoring our wellbeing can lead to burnout and stress.
This course is designed to support YOU to develop a self-care practice that is sustainable and effective. Together, we will discover the causes and symptoms of burnout, strategies for managing stress that works for YOU, and practical tips for integrating self-care into YOUR daily routine. By the end of this course, you'll have the tools and knowledge you need to take care of yourself and thrive as an educator.
Challenges we are facing
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the number of pre-K–12 teachers who are unhappy with their jobs has gone up from 45% to 79%, according to a poll done in June by Hart Research Associates for the American Federation of Teachers (Hart Research Associates, 2022).
Teacher burnout can have big effects on both the teacher and the education system as a whole. From what I experienced at school, it causes problems with teachers’ physical and mental health. I also observe many staff leave their jobs. For schools and districts, big turnover costs money, time, and effort and creates an unstable environment for students. Burnout can also impact the classroom environment and the students. Teachers who are burned out could have less energy and enthusiasm to teach. At the same time, when teachers feel stressed, it could negatively impact students’ emotional well-being.
Therefore it's time to prioritize teacher's well-being. In this course we will go through the journey of taking care of YOUR well-being together.
What to expect?
End Goal: Develop a personal self-care plan that includes strategies for managing workload, coping with stress, and promoting work-life balance.
- Description: You will create a personalized self-care plan that is tailored to your individual needs and preferences. The action plan should include specific strategies for managing workload, coping with stress, and promoting work-life balance.
- Resources: Throughout the mini-course, you will have access to video lectures, case studies, guided mindfulness and relaxation exercises. You will be provided worksheets in every unit (you could also create your own).
- What to prepare: A-4 paper + the commitment to your well-being.
- How to participate: You could download and print out the workbook (2 pages). Or you could also write and draw your reflections creatively on your own.
Our collage - Upload your workbook and we will co-create a self-care collage together as a community. <3
Course Units
This mini-course includes the following units. Click the title of a unit to go to its page.
Unit 1: Discover: What are the signs and symptoms of stress?
After this unit you will be able to:
- Identify the signs and symptoms of burnout and stress.
- Understand the importance of self-care.
You will use a worksheet to elaborate on your real-life experience of burn out, possible triggers and early signs.
Unit 2: Experiment: What coping strategies work for you?
After this unit the you will be able to:
- Practice simple guided mindfulness and relaxation exercises on your own.
- Know at least one mindfulness and self-compassion practices for reducing stress at your choice.
Unit 3: Start Newly! - What makes a successful habit?
After this unit you will be able to:
- Identify the possible barriers for you to practice self-care
- Identify winning strategies that work for you to establish a new habit.
Unit 4: Create: Develop a personal self-care plan
After this unit you will be able to:
- Develop a personal self-care plan.
- Promote application and implementation of self-care strategies.
You will design a art project (could be a poster or worksheet) of your self-care plan and share with their friends or community. Upload your self-care plan to Our collage, and we will inspire each other as a community.
Extended Resources
Lee, E. J., Chung, S. K., & Kim, E. J. (2021). Effects of teacher self-care on job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 33(4), 1045-1064. doi: 10.1007/s10648-021-09602-2
McIntyre, T., Rose, J., & McKee, M. (2021). Teacher well-being and self-care: Opportunities and challenges in times of crisis. Journal of Teacher Education, 72(3), 269-280. doi: 10.1177/00224871211003943
Roeser, R. W., Schonert-Reichl, K. A., Jha, A., Cullen, M., Wallace, L., Wilensky, R., ... & Harrison, J. (2013). Mindfulness training and reductions in teacher stress and burnout: Results from two randomized, waitlist-control field trials. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(3), 787-804. doi: 10.1037/a0032093
