TL;DR:

• Teacher burnout is a systemic problem.
• We need to reimagine systems where teachers and their wellness are prioritized.
• Create cultures of wellness at school.
• Consider forming a wellness committee that includes admin and teachers as well as other staff members.

Prioritize Teachers

I don’t need to tell you that the problem of teacher burnout is systemic. Through no fault of our own, teachers have been subjected to a host of expectations that are impossible to meet on a consistent basis. A sustainable classroom career is becoming more and more of an anomaly. A national teacher shortage coupled with fewer people entering the teaching profession exacerbates the need for grassroots transformation in our public schools. It is imperative that we begin to reimagine systems where whole teachers are prioritized as much as the students.

It is imperative that we begin to reimagine systems where teachers are prioritized as much as the students. Click To Tweet

As a teacher, it’s difficult to reach the whole student when you aren’t whole yourself. Addressing the needs of the whole student requires an immense investment of time and emotional, mental, and even physical energy. We have to be at our best if that is to happen, but self-care can’t just be about what we can do ourselves. Yes, self-care begins with the individual, but our communities and our villages also have to be invested in promoting the well-being of each other.  

Cultures of Wellness

So, let’s dream. Let’s talk action.

Here are some things for you to consider as we close one calendar year and reflect on how we can make the next one better. I believe that all of the recommendations are best executed if teachers and administration are both involved. Remember, it takes a community. However, if this isn’t possible, these are items that can be coordinated by small groups of teachers such as grade-level teams.

Before we attempt to shift norms and systems for our entire school, we have to start that change within ourselves.

Learn more about the importance of reframing beliefs and establishing foundations for cultures in wellness on my 3-part Stand with Educator Series on my podcast, The AfroEducator Podcast.  (Listen to the first two episodes of the series The First Step to Systemic Change and The Principal Paradigm).

 The systems and cultures in our schools, and around teaching, are so deeply embedded that we can’t just tell our colleagues to do something, they have to demonstrate a readiness to do it. Oftentimes, the individuals who need or would benefit from change the most are the ones who are most resistant. You aren’t going to change anyone’s mind, but you can share your experiences.

When you share your experiences, you invite someone else into the idea that they too can create boundaries, for example, or lead a life that doesn’t entail working endless hours after school. This opens the door to influence. By sharing your experiences you may (and likely will) inspire or motivate someone to reflect on their own situation and maybe they will be inspired to reframe their own narrative.

This is the part where we begin to take action in uprooting the old norms and seeding new ones. For example, this could be implementing consistent wellness checks with staff. This is something I do weekly with my students as a way to make sure I’m aware of what’s going on in their lives both inside and outside of school.

Culture of Wellness 

Creating and maintaining a culture of wellness is a win-win-win situation. It promotes trust, leads to sustainability for teachers, produces concerted pushback against the norms of toxic teacher narratives, increases creativity, and improves staff morale. Lastly, it gives teachers the energy and capacity they need to continue doing the work for students.

Reframing toxic teaching narratives is the foundation for exercising our agency. When we view ourselves and our roles beyond the limiting beliefs, we can advocate for long-overdue change. We can also have the confidence to invite our school leaders to step up and be part of that change by investing in co-creating cultures of wellness.

Reframing toxic teaching narratives is the foundation for exercising our agency. When we view ourselves and our roles beyond the limiting beliefs, we can advocate for long-overdue change. Click To Tweet

Other Episodes from the Stand With Educators Series on The AfroEducator Podcast

Teacher Self-Care Professional Development