Click the link below for the
Well-Being & Self-Care module
The full version of the module is in the downloadable PDF above. An accessible text version is below.
Support Success with Social-Emotional-Behavioral Health (SEBH) Supports - Well-Being & Self-Care for Educators
Participants will learn about self-care and strategies to use to address their own well-being. Other modules are available through the Support Success with SEBH Supports.
Purpose & Objectives
This is one of a set of modules that highlight critical considerations and provide universal strategies to support the social-emotional-behavioral health of staff, students, and families during in-person and/or online learning.
Each module is:
- a “jump-start” to key considerations, with less focus on systemic changes
- designed to be completed in
30 minutes or less - for educators/teachers
- self-paced but may be facilitated
- optional; educators may use one or more depending on need
Supporting Social-Emotional-Behavioral Health
Staff, family, and student emotional well-being is integral to effective instruction and student engagement. Planning for this support is critical to ensure adults and learners are ready to learn.
Teachers with Strong Social-Emotional Competence...
- Have less burnout
- Have stronger student relationships
- Regulate their own emotions
- Are social-emotional role models
Students with Strong Social-Emotional Competence...
- Have increased achievement
- Have improved attitudes
- Have less emotional distress
- Have fewer conduct concerns
Alignment to State Priorities and Goals
State Priority: Creating a Safe, Healthy, and Welcoming Learning Environment
- Goal: All Iowa schools will work with their learners to foster a culture and climate in which they feel safe and supported, and bullying and harassment do not exist.
- Goal: All learners will have access to mental health services and supports in their schools and communities.
- Goal: All schools will create environments that develop social, emotional, and behavioral health.
- Goal: All schools will develop physical health for students through structured school programs (e.g., food and nutrition, physical education, wellness programs, etc.)
Connecting to your work
How do these recommendations connect to your work?
The practices outlined in the following modules align to:
- Best practices detailed within many policy expectations for schools
- Evidence Based Practices (EBPs) for SEBH
- Universal Supports for SEBH within an MTSS
The purpose of these resources is to apply EBP for SEBH within the context of a variety of learning contexts including in-person, online, and virtual.
Well-Being and Self-Care for Educators
“Self-care is not about self-indulgence, it’s about self-preservation.”
— Audrey Lorde
Objectives
- Examine the impact stress and difficult life circumstances can have on our well-being.
- Identify self-care activities to support well-being for self.
- Recognize when additional support is needed.
Teacher Stress
Key Findings
- Forty-six percent of teachers report high daily stress, which compromises their health, sleep, quality of life, and teaching performance.
- When teachers are highly stressed, students show lower levels of both social adjustment and academic performance.
- Interventions on the organizational or individual level, or those that reach both, can help reduce teacher stress by changing the culture and approach to teaching.
- Programs for mentoring, workplace wellness, social emotional learning, and reflection are all proven to improve teacher well-being and student outcomes.
Main factors that contribute to teacher stress:
- School Organization. Principal leadership, particularly in creating a collegial, supportive school environment, can support teacher engagement and effectiveness.
- Job Demands. Surprisingly, most teacher education and professional development programs currently do not prepare teachers for these kinds of job demands.
- Work Resources. Currently, many teachers have a limited sense of autonomy and decision-making power.
- Social and Emotional Competence. Finally, few teachers are offered professional development to nurture their own social and emotional competence.
Source: Teacher Stress and Health - The Pennsylvania State University
Reducing Teachers Stress
Several programs and policies are proven to help teachers reduce stress, improve well-being and student outcomes, and even save schools money. These include:
- Mentoring and induction programs for beginning teachers can improve teacher satisfaction and retention, as well as student academic achievement.
- Workplace wellness programs have resulted in reduced health risk, health care costs, and absenteeism among teachers.
- Social emotional learning (SEL) programs that improve behavior and promote SEL among students also help reduce teacher stress and create more positive engagement with students.
- Stress management programs can help teachers develop coping and awareness skills to reduce anxiety, depression, and improved health.
Source: Teacher Stress and Health - The Pennsylvania State University
Identifying Personal Self-Care Needs to Support Well-Being
Step 1: Read the short article What is Self-Care? (Childcare Education Institute).
Step 2: Complete the Self-Care Inventory (National Alliance on Mental Illness)* and think about the following areas of Self-Care:
- Physical Self-Care
- Psychological Self-Care
- Emotional Self-Care
- Spiritual Self-Care
- Social Self-Care
- Professional Self-Care
Step 3: Reflect. What are you doing to put your health and well-being first?
Identify areas you might need to adjust in your self-care routine.
Self-Care Activities for Educators and Staff
In what ways do you see similarities to yourself in this video about self-care? (2:50)
2020 State Teachers of the Year
10 Tips for Teacher Well-Being
- Reconnect to your purpose
- Adopt a growth mindset in your teaching
- Focus on kindness and gratitude
- Create clear boundaries between home and school
- Set up effective debriefing and mentoring structures
- Establish good sleeping habits
- Build up your emotional resilience
- Keep focused on your goals
- Reward yourself
- Build new connections and relationships
When to Seek Help
Some reactions are commonly experienced by caregivers after a crisis; however, others may warrant professional support or monitoring. These include:
- Cognitive reactions such as an inability to stop thinking about the crisis, loss of objectivity, an inability to make decisions, and/or express oneself verbally or in writing.
- Physical reactions such as chronic fatigue and exhaustion, gastrointestinal problems, headaches and other aches and pains, loss of appetite, or difficulty sleeping.
- Emotional reactions such as excessive worry or anxiety, numbing, irritability, anger or rage, distressing thoughts or dreams, and/or suicidal thoughts, and/or severe depression.
- Behavioral/social reactions such as alcohol and substance abuse, withdrawal from contact with loved ones, or an inability to complete or return to normal job responsibilities.
Source: National Association of School Psychologists Care for Caregivers: Tips for Families and Educators (2017).
RESOURCES
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Your Life Iowa Crisis Chat (24/7)
Iowans can chat live, text, or call and get reliable information and treatment options, and find nearby help when facing a problem with alcohol, drugs, gambling, mental health, or suicidal thoughts.
- Call: (855) 581-8111
- Text: (855) 895-8398
Stop and Reflect
Now that you’ve identified needs and potential self-care strategies to address those needs, what are one or two things you’ll do tomorrow and beyond to address those needs?
Closing and Reflection
You’ve reached the end of the Module on Well-Being and Self-Care for Educators
Please take time to reflect:
- I re-learned….
- I was surprised that…
- I plan to practice the 10 tips of self-care by…
“We do not learn from experience, we learn from reflecting on experience.”
— John Dewey
Closing Note
Thank you for your service to the students, teachers, staff, parents, guardians, and families in the Iowa education system.
We truly appreciate you!
Follow-Up Activities (Optional)
The following activities are suggested to support implementing well-being and self-care strategies:
Activity 1: Eight Steps to Decrease Distress and Increase Well-Being: Reality Acceptance
It is easy to get caught up in the “should’ve, could’ve, would’ves” or engaged in an endless cycle of contingencies for the future. Focusing on the here, now, and what we can control will help decrease the sense of being overwhelmed and stressed.
- Review the Eight Steps resource on decreasing distress and increasing well-being.
- During the next few weeks, take a few minutes each day to work through the steps. Recognize the events that are weighing you down and outline a plan for how you can cope with them.
Activity 2: Care for the Caregiver: Guidelines for Administrators and Crisis Teams
Looking for a resource to support your leadership team/s in better understanding the self-care needs of your educators?
- Review the Care for the Caregiver resource from the National Association of School Psychologists.
- Plan time with your leadership team to unpack how a particular crisis may have impacted your staff.
- How will your team support educator self-care now and throughout the school year?
- How can you promote a culture in which the adults in the building feel comfortable asking for help and/or to take a break?