Supporting the health and well-being of teachers

According to a recent survey of K-12 educators by EdWeek Research Center, 91% of educators experienced job-related stress. While this is not breaking news, school leaders are responsible for the health and well-being of everyone in the school. Teachers are adjusting to socially distanced classrooms, attending to students’ emotional and educational needs and dealing with staff shortages and virus exposures. 

Teachers’ emotions matter for five primary reasons:

1.	Attention, memory and learning. Emotions like anxiety and fear, especially when prolonged, disrupt concentration and interfere with thinking. 

2.	Decision-making. When we’re overwhelmed and stressed, our ability to make good decisions is affected.

3.	Relationships. Teachers who express anxiety or frustration (for example, in their facial expressions, body language, vocal tone or behavior) affect students’ learning experience.

4.	Health and well-being. Stress is associated with increased levels of cortisol, which has been shown to lead to both physical and mental health challenges.

5.	Performance. Chronic stress among teachers is linked to decreases in teacher motivation and engagement, which impacts student learning.
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_support_teachers_emotional_needs_right_now

Survey staff to learn what they need

Often, what a leader assumes would help teachers is different than what they actually need or want. It is a good idea to ask your staff what they need to feel supported. Offering a self-care program like yoga or meditation sounds helpful, but according to a survey by EdWeek, only 11% of teachers believe this would alleviate their stress. Instead, the survey shows that 59% of teachers would like more time to plan or catch up. (See table below) 
www.edweek.org/leadership/educator-stress-anti-racism-and-pandemic-response-how-youre-feeling/2021/09

	Percentage of administrators who will implement task	Percentage of teachers who think this will help	
Provide more support to students’ home-related challenges and mental health needs	55%	31%	
Provide additional planning time	28%	59%	
Have supervisors check in on staff	55%	19%	
Provide more coaching	41%	6%	
Offer self-care programs	31%	11%	

What teachers really want

Give teachers more time and more flexibility. 
Some school districts have designated a weekly teacher and student workday with no classes. Schools are closed for deep cleaning, so teachers can collaborate and plan lessons. Other schools have shortened block-schedule classes and reduced their frequency.

Give them a break.  
Encourage teachers to text an administrator to cover their class when they’re feeling overwhelmed. Even a ten-minute break conveys that you care and could give them the boost needed to get through a tough day. 

Reduce the number of required meetings. 
Pre-pandemic, a weekly staff meeting might have been the norm. Now, an unnecessary meeting causes more stress. Cancel a meeting if the information could be sent in an email. If you do need to meet, follow these tips to make your staff meetings more engaging and supportive: 

1.	Provide numerous opportunities for staff engagement. Staff collaboration and meaningful discussions about their teaching practice are essential to student performance. 
2.	Ask for feedback. Providing opportunities to offer feedback about work issues creates a more effective, engaged staff. Ask staff members to fill out an anonymous feedback form at the end of each meeting. Ask them to rate their level of engagement and the usefulness of the meeting, and share feedback for future meetings. If feasible, make adjustments to the next meeting.
3.	Take time to showcase best practices. Always include time to share successes with lesson design, instruction and assessment. Reserving a few minutes for this professional learning is a great way to share best practices.
4.	Elevate social and emotional learning. Staff, just like students, need additional consideration for mental health support during this challenging time. Keep this in mind when planning staff meeting to ensure time for mindfulness, reflection and connection. 
www.edutopia.org/article/designing-better-staff-meeting

Lighten their load. 
Remove some expectations or required tasks during periods of particularly high stress (parent-teacher conferences). 

Encourage teachers to set work boundaries. 
Establish “office hours” so they don’t have to respond to emails and calls 24/7. Don’t email staff on the weekends unless absolutely necessary. 

Be transparent and accessible. 
Teachers need to know they can ask questions, even about tough topics. Keep them in the loop about federal and state mandates and ensure they have your support when they are tasked with enforcing health and safety guidelines.

Manage your own stress
Don’t forget to take care of yourself as well. The school community is counting on you to lead them through this tumultuous time. Connect with colleagues and find time to disconnect from work to alleviate your stress and fill up your energy tank. 

Contributed by Erin Good, communications consultant