The resources on this page provide a range of information and tools for understanding and taking action on teacher and school staff wellbeing. Whether you are looking to improve your health and wellness on a personal level or for resources to share with your department and school, this list might be a helpful starting point. This is also an evolving and growing collection. If there are any other resources you think would be valuable to share with other educators, please contact me.
Teacher Wellbeing Pinterest Board
Natalie McCulley’s Pinterest Board recommends resources ranging from websites to books about self care and work-life balance specifically catered for teachers. “Teacher Stress and Health: Effects on Teachers, Students, and Schools” - 2016 Report by Pennsylvania State University (Highly Recommended) This research report uncovers four main causes of teacher stress, including school organization, job demands, work resources, and teacher social and emotional competence. It details promising programs and policies at the individual and organizational levels for improving teacher wellbeing and supporting school staff health and wellness. Like other studies conducted, it explains the current situation of teacher stress and links teacher wellbeing to student success, calling for more research and initiatives at the organization level. Joanna Krop’s Teacher Wellbeing Site Joanna Krop works in holistic health specifically with educators, a passion which is inspired by her experiences as a former elementary school teacher. She has taught courses at OISE-UT on preventing teacher burnout, and is a speaker, researcher, and program developer. WellAhead: Helping Integrate Social and Emotional Wellbeing in K-12 Education (Highly Recommended) WellAhead is a Canada-based initiative by the McConnell Foundation and Community Action Initiative. In their own words, “We believe that all young people deserve to be in school environments that support their wellbeing. For that to happen, we need to move beyond one-off efforts: all teachers and schools need to have the capacity and conditions to take on this role in a sustainable fashion. WellAhead is focused on long-term change – shifting culture, structures, priorities, and practices of schools and the education system at-large to better incorporate social and emotional wellbeing as a key role.” WellAhead’s integrated approach to fostering mentally healthy schools puts improving teacher and school staff wellbeing at the forefront of capacity building. Their website provides to access their approach, program initiatives, research, infographics, articles, webinars, and more. TeachResiliency TeachResiliency is a web resource designed for teachers by teachers in partnership with several Canadian organizations. It addresses topics such as healthy spaces, promoting belonging, and mental health literacy with resources for both teacher self care and student wellbeing. Each resource the website recommends is evaluated and explained using a criteria based on accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency, coverage, and relevancy. Furthermore, each resource includes a preview on how to use it and who it was created by. Educational Leadership: Reflect, Refresh, Recharge If any educator needs a little persuading to prioritize their wellbeing, look no further than the articles in volume 70 of ASCD’s Educational Leadership publication “Reflect, Refresh, Recharge”. The 40 Hour Teacher Workweek Club Angela Watson is a teacher and instructional coach who designed this program to help teachers work sustainably while still teaching well. Her program emphasizes building a network through online support and implementing strategies one step at a time to create effective long term changes. The Cult of Pedagogy Educational Website (Highly Recommended) This multimedia-rich web resource is created by a team of former teachers and has something for everyone. It covers a vast range of topics through engaging delivery and eye-opening, thought-provoking content that appeals to educators with diverse interests. One example is this podcast “Why One Teacher Left the Profession After 5 Years”. Reachout.com: Apps and Online Tools This organization has compiled a collection of 30 mental health and wellness apps that outlines what each apps is used for and how to use and access them. Alternately, Forbes also created a list of 5 Free Apps for Mental Health and Wellbeing. The Guardian: Teacher Network Series on Teacher Wellbeing (Highly Recommended) This ongoing Teacher Wellbeing series in The Guardian’s Teacher Network features interesting and relevant perspectives and advice from education experts and teachers in the profession. My favourite article has been “Stress Busting Teaching Strategies for 2018”. Ontario Teachers’ Federation: Survive and Thrive OTF’s online tool provides access to a range of helpful resources including: occasional teaching, mentoring, teacher wellbeing, Indigenous Education, and more. TED Talks There are a number of engaging, entertaining, inspiring, and insightful talks on mental health and wellbeing by experts and researchers. Some of my favourites include Kelly McGonigal's How to make stress your friend and Sangu Delle's There's no shame in taking care of your mental health. |
Video summarizing the 2016 Pennsylvania State University Report on Teacher Wellbeing
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