Nurturing the Nurturers: Prioritizing Wellness for Teachers and School Staff

Create a Thriving Environment

Educators and support staff are the backbone of the educational system. Their ability to inspire, engage, and nurture students is nothing short of miraculous,  but it also depends heavily on their own wellbeing.

When teachers and staff are mentally and emotionally healthy, they are able to create a positive, supportive environment that fosters learning and growth for everyone. However, the demands of the profession can lead to stress, burnout, and emotional fatigue that affect not only the teachers themselves but also the quality of education students receive. By recognizing and addressing the wellbeing and mental health needs of teachers, schools can cultivate a more resilient, effective, and compassionate community in which everyone can thrive.

Failing in the Classroom

Teachers and other school support staff are often forced to deal with limited resources, demanding job responsibilities, and increasing exposure to heavily involved parents with strong opinions about how they should be doing their jobs. Yet, too often, there is a lack of self-care prioritization, spaces for relaxation, and resiliency strategies to support educators’ mental wellbeing.

Additionally, the pandemic that hit in the early 2020s led to rapid changes in teaching methods, increased job responsibilities, and even more limited resources, further impacting educators’ mental wellbeing and leading to even higher rates of burnout.

According to a 2023 survey, 58% of teachers reported feeling frequent job-related stress — compared to just 33% of working adults as a whole — and more than half of all teachers reported feeling 'burnt out.' It’s not a stretch to think that this is a huge contributor to 23% of those teachers surveyed saying they planned to leave their jobs by the end of that school year. In fact, 70% of those planning to leave reported that the top factor in their decision was 'stress and disappointments of teaching being worth it.'

Lessons Learned

So, how do we address teacher wellbeing and mental health in a way that makes them want to stay in their chosen profession?

We know that connecting with teachers, forging community relationships, and partnering with the administration helps improve the engagement, participation, and positive outcomes in the school faculty population. Actually, implementing these things can be challenging, considering the time and resource constraints they already face.

HealthSource Solutions has developed a comprehensive model that supports organizations and populations like educators by applying a multi-faceted approach to mental health and wellbeing. This approach focuses on three key areas: the role of the organization, the responsibility of the individual, and the connection within the community.

For the organization, particularly in the context of a school district, this means refreshing district policies, aligning wellbeing as a strategic priority, and holding leadership accountable for achieving these goals. This strategy is designed to reach beyond mere end-point solutions and short-term goals, aiming instead to foster long-term change and resilience.

Individual support and access to care are essential components of this approach. However, the organization’s role extends further, working to cultivate a culture of resilience among educators, support staff, and administrators. By building this supportive environment, the model aims to enhance overall mental health and wellbeing within the educational community.

Making the Grade

Interventions can be as simple as incorporating wellness activities seamlessly into the workday: encourage simple classroom activities like two-minute yoga or meditation breaks, a one-minute funny video, or a gratitude board in the teachers’ lounge. Small steps like these can help support educators’ mental health, as well as students,’ by making resilience visible and regularly promoting it. Creating relaxing, even motivating spaces for staff to retreat to when they’re not in the classroom can also yield big benefits.

When implemented, these programs can lead to higher utilization of Employee Assistance Programs (almost double, in the case of one school system HealthSource Solutions has worked with), higher productivity, fewer missed workday hours, and most importantly, a staff that feels more connected and supported.

Read more about how HealthSource Solutions helped one Missouri school district that was struggling with wellbeing and mental health issues turn things around to be recognized as one of its region’s Healthiest Employers!