My 14 year old daughter has just spent a week doing work experience in her old Primary school. And she loved it. She came back saying that she had never seriously considered teaching as a profession before, but that now it was something she would give serious thought.
Listening to her talking about the kids and all the fun she’d had reminded me of the very real joy of teaching (I haven’t been in the classroom for a few years now, though hope to return soon). Yet, sadly, for many teachers joy is the last emotion associated with teaching.
Recent research found that 67% of teachers in the UK described themselves as stressed- rising to 80% of educational managers. And 31% had experienced a mental health issue in the last year. These are shocking figures, and the picture in other countries is similar.
In this podcast for Garnet Education I talk about different aspects of teacher wellbeing : the current state of teacher well-being in the UK (and elsewhere), Mindfulness (what it is, and how it can help with well-being), emotional regulation and practical steps schools can take to look after their staff better.
Here’s the link to the podcast. Happy listening.
And let’s hope the state of teaching, and the way we look after teachers has improved by the time my daughter’s generation step foot in the classroom. We should and we can do more for teacher wellbeing..