Why Educator Wellness Matters

Dr. Tina Boogren: When we think about the four dimensions, we imagine them as a circular shape to represent that continuous process. If we had to pick a place to start, we would recommend starting with physical wellness because when we feel better, we act better. We just approach all the other dimensions from a better place when our physical wellness is solid. Consider Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: Level one is physiological needs, which includes the physical routines of food, movement and sleep. We’re not advocating for a specific diet, and we want to move away from thinking about exercise as a way to “punish ourselves” for something we ate. Instead, we need to think: We deserve to eat lunch. We deserve to rest. And there is an important distinction between sleep and rest. We just need to treat ourselves like houseplants or puppies. Think about what houseplants or puppies need: love, water, movement, consistent food, sleep and sunshine.

I have this funny slogan I tell myself: Just drink the stupid water! Often, when I am not feeling well, I stop to consider that I haven’t had enough water. I think of drinking water as “low-hanging fruit.” It’s such a small thing but yet it can have a huge impact on how we feel. Sometimes the smallest changes have the biggest impacts: drink the water, go for a walk around the block, put the phone in a different room when you go to bed at night.

Kanold: When we first started working on the physical wellness routines, I didn’t quite understand the difference between sleep and rest with the same clarity that Tina did. Now, I think of sleep as avoiding physical exhaustion, while rest is more about avoiding daily psychological exhaustion. Our three physical wellness routines of food, movement and sleep directly impact the dimension of mental wellness.

Originally, we struggled with how to encourage discussion about mental wellness because people just didn’t talk about it. It was treated almost like mental illness. And then, the World Health Organization came out with a definition of mental wellness: “a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community.” The definition helped us to build our three routines around mental wellness: decision, balance and self-efficacy.

Self-efficacy is our confidence and competence in meeting the expectations of our daily work life. As educators, we have the best jobs in the world because we contribute to our community. But to do that work well, these [self-care] routines need to be in place.

Boogren: In the third dimension, emotional wellness, the routines build on each other: awareness, understanding and mindfulness. We need an awareness of our emotions, an understanding of where those emotions come from and the mindfulness to respond rather than react.

Kanold: The fourth dimension of the wellness framework is social wellness. Developing our social skills is key to collaboration and communication with colleagues, parents and students. Our profession is all about being great at relationships through active listening. However, social wellness is more than that; it also involves our purpose.

To be fully committed to successful relationships necessary in the workplace and not get lost in the daily grind, it helps to remember, Oh, that’s right, that’s why I’m here! I can see myself contributing to a collaborative purpose bigger than I am. When you can do that, when you exist in a workplace that connects you to your greater purpose, then everyone thrives. When you really lose your why and get caught up in the hardships and nuances of day-to-day work, burnout begins to set in.

What advice can you offer to teachers to initiate a wellness routine?

Kanold: Intentionality is a key factor. And it’s a continuous daily effort. Some days require giving yourself grace, but you must remain intentional. For example, on Sundays, my wife and I sit down with our calendars and block time for our movement routines — for exercise. Then, we support each other to make sure it happens. When you aren’t intentional, you allow that routine to get hijacked. Being intentional sometimes means asking others for help, so that your wellness routines can be completed.

Boogren: Different strategies work for different people. But it’s really about taking that first step, no matter how small. Start with your physical wellness. Once you start feeling better physically, you can more easily move into the other dimensions. So that small first step ends up being big because it gets the momentum going to keep working on wellness across other dimensions.

What can school leaders do to support educator wellness in their buildings?

Kanold: One of the first things administrators can do is commit to the idea of a professional wellness plan for every teacher in their sphere of influence. They need to provide a forum for teachers to discuss what they need in order to achieve wellness. And they need to understand that this will not be a one-size-fits-all solution.

As a school leader, I need to ask questions: How can I help you with your wellness goals? What does that look like for you? What can I do to support you and provide structures that protect that time and opportunity for you?

Boogren: Sometimes we hear leaders suggest that they provide wellness support in the form of wearing jeans or having a coffee cart. That’s great, but that is not wellness. That is a band-aid fix. Don’t get me wrong, we love coffee carts and wearing jeans, but that’s not the true wellness that we’re proposing. Instead, we want leaders to consider how they can support staff (and themselves) in all four dimensions of educator wellness: physical, mental, emotional and social.

Leaders can start by asking what could structurally change, such as setting boundaries at school. What is the school-wide expectation around parents being able to get a hold of teachers? That was a boundary that was lost, perhaps rightfully so, during COVID. But if schools haven’t redefined those boundaries, it could destroy teachers. I hear stories about parents calling teachers at home on weekends. School leaders can help define stronger boundaries to protect teachers.

Kanold: It’s important to remember that administrators are still teachers. They are the lead teachers in their buildings. And they can teach wellness by first modeling their own wellness goals. By prioritizing wellness — by providing structures that protect teachers’ time away from the noise of work in their schools — administrators can create an improved culture in which teachers are more able to reach their wellness goals.