It is the intent of this and my (Stace's) future blog posts to provide insights into the area of wellness and self-regulation as well as an informational hub to facilitate discussion and the development of formative ideas in the areas of student and teacher wellness.
I have been a district-level teaching consultant in the area of education and social-emotional learning. I provide a northern Canadian lens which provides a unique perspective to wellness, given the significant seasonal light and remoteness which negatively impact health and wellness.
Teachers are considered "stress hardy' if they remain in the profession more than 5 years. The demands are increasing: from a multitude of diverse learning styles, and increased accountability measures, to a changing partnership with parents. We teach who we are; we need to be ever so mindful of how and what we convey, to our students.
We need to build relationships and classrooms that are welcoming, challenging, inclusive, and promote risk-taking. A key to improving the academic achievement of our students in the 21st Century is the degree of relational trust established between students and teacher.
Safe and caring climates of positive relationships in our classroom/homes, will encourage children to pursue their creativity and passions to become independent, life-long learners. We need to work with our children in partnership, rather than the traditional, compliance-based model of education.
As a teacher, self-care, the ability to self-regulate and manage our energy by calming ourselves when stressed, is even more challenging when you are ‘on’ all the time leading a classroom.