How many nights have you gone home or logged off after teaching, only to continue thinking about your students? It probably happens all the time. Now, how many nights have you spent thinking about your own well-being or practicing teacher self-care? Most teachers would say not nearly as many.
When thinking about trauma and stress in schools, the focus is often on students. However, teachers also deal with trauma.
“We become teachers because we care about our students so deeply,” a teacher from Florida recently told Buzzfeed. “And I have had a hard time even allowing myself to fully process some of my stuff because I’m processing a lot of my students’ stuff.”
“If you take care of the teachers, they will take care of the children.”
Self-care is not only healthy for teachers; it also indirectly helps students.
“If you take care of the teachers, they will take care of the children,” Meisha Porter, the new chancellor of New York City Public Schools, said in a recent interview, where she discussed the trauma of teaching during the pandemic.
When educators have their physical, mental, and emotional needs met, they have the energy, determination, and patience to overcome challenges. Then, they can help their students do the same.
To build resilience in students, the first step is to build resilience in educators, says Caelan Soma, PsyD, chief clinical officer with Starr Commonwealth, an organization that offers resources and professional training to help schools build trauma-informed, resilience-focused communities, beginning with teacher self-care.
“This is one of the biggest things I think about,” says Soma. “One of the main protective factors for kids is being around adults who are well. If you are well, you’re going to have more kids in your classroom being well.”
It’s especially challenging to practice self-care right now, but it’s more important than ever.
The pandemic has made maintaining wellness more challenging, just when we need self-care most. Many educators have been isolated from their colleagues during remote learning, taking away a critical support. The closure of gyms, yoga studios, and other outlets has also interrupted many teachers’ self-care routines.
Still, Soma says it’s possible—and critical—to focus on teacher self-care during the pandemic and beyond.
Here are five ways to create a classroom environment that focuses on your own well-being in addition to that of your students:
1. Confide in your colleagues when you’re having a tough day.
Teachers, by their nature, are very giving. While that’s important, there’s also a need to normalize the fact that educators must take care of themselves. One way to do that is by talking with colleagues about how practicing self-care isn’t a sign of weakness, but strength.
“A lot of teachers feel like they cannot share how they are really feeling because they think they are going to lose their jobs,” Jeannette Sandoval, a psychotherapist and the founder of Wellducation, recently told the Los Angeles Times. “We need to normalize the stress and anxiety and not be shamed for it…”
Teacher Renee White summed it up perfectly with this post on Twitter.
“Fellow educators, I don’t know about you, but this is hard for me. I am constantly up late at night working on something even when we are technically off of work. I think I need to keep this in mind & purpose to make myself rest a little.”
2. It’s OK to let your students know you’re struggling too.
It’s alright to let kids know that teachers sometimes struggle too. This normalizes the experience. At the beginning of a class, say, “I don’t know if I’m ready for this. Let’s all take a deep breath and close our eyes,” Soma suggests. This allows the teacher a moment of mindfulness while giving students the same benefit.
Fourth grade teacher Mrs. Raleza shared on Twitter how she models talking openly about feelings when she’s having a tough day. It helps build relationships with students while showing them positive ways to cope with their challenges.
3. Ditch the desks and make your classroom more comfortable for everyone.
Anything that helps kids and teachers feel comfortable, safe, and less stressed fosters resilience and is beneficial to academics.
“One of the things I love best about #distancelearning is that students can sit wherever they want to. If a student works best sitting on the floor or on a couch, it works for me,” one teacher shared on Twitter. “Also, if your pet wants to sit on your lap… even better.”
Teaching in the classroom? Consider flexible seating to help you and your students decrease stress and increase focus and engagement. Here are 21 teacher-tested flexible seating options, including wobbler stools, scoop rockers, lap desks, and more.
4. Share surprise pick-me-up notes with your fellow teachers.
Teaching can be an emotionally taxing profession. While talking to friends and spouses might be helpful, talking to other educators lets teachers and administrators vent, but also brainstorm solutions and exchange advice.
Challenge fellow teachers to check in on each other by leaving a surprise pick-me-up or kind note. Encourage them to share the ways that they practice teacher self-care. One educator on Twitter shared a simple post that helped her set boundaries with work and transition into time at home.
Just like building community among students helps them feel connected, strengthening the relationships among teachers helps them build resilience. There’s a lot of comfort in knowing that your fellow educators are there for you! If you need ideas for where to start, check out these 50 things teacher friends do for one another.
I’m sharing this as I felt like it helped me seeing it today. To all of my teacher friends out there – you’re all AMAZING ❤️ #teacherssupportingteachers pic.twitter.com/uIZl8QJ82i
— Miss G. Harcus (@teentoteacher) October 22, 2020