Teachers are often told that in order to maintain the mental and emotional wellbeing that leads to longevity within their career, they should engage in self-care. However, although teachers recognize the challenges and stresses of teaching, many are unsure of how to approach this seemingly ambiguous task. Many teachers don’t feel that they have time to add practices to their currently overloaded schedules or the money, for example, for weekly massages. The recently published text Self-Care for Educators: Soul-Nourishing Practices to Promote Wellbeing (Freytag et al.) addresses these concerns by providing practical solutions for educators seeking to take on self-care practices that lead to wellness. This article will look specifically at chapter 8, “Creating Space for Self-Care for K–12 Educators” (Bryant et al.), and consider how teachers can adapt the chapter’s principles to provide an inclusive framework of self-regulation for all students, regardless of their learning styles.
[W]ith many teachers reporting high levels of daily stress while teaching and each teacher stepping into the classroom with additional personal fears or stresses, the need for self-care is considered highly important.
Bryant, Eddington-Sinicki, and Woodard explain that with many teachers reporting high levels of daily stress while teaching and each teacher stepping into the classroom with additional personal fears or stresses, the need for self-care is considered highly important (139–40). The authors urge the reader to think about how high levels of stress on the teacher can have a direct effect on others as well, noting that if teachers learn successful self-care techniques, they have the potential to positively influence both the school community (140).
Students may also be entering the classroom experiencing stress, both school related and from other areas in their lives. Because of this, using the strategies in the text recommended for educators could also be helpful for students. Taking time during the school day to practice moments of self-care can help instill healthy practices for both the teacher and the students. Modeling self-care practices can be particularly helpful for students with disabilities who may be experiencing additional stress within the classroom environment and struggles with self-regulation. When self-care is embedded into the school day with consistency rather than sporadic implementation, students with disabilities can experience the repetition needed for effective learning of the skill.
One recommended practice involves setting an alarm to create specific times within the day for self-care (141–42), allowing for a dependable rhythm in which the teacher and the students can experience wellness. Within inclusive classrooms, students with disabilities may be struggling with self-regulation and may not be in a physical or emotional state of being ready to learn. Students may be feeling energetic and hyper or sluggish and tired. Neither of these physical and emotional states are conducive to learning.
Everyone experiences dysregulation from time to time, but often people without disabilities develop strategies for moving toward a more regulated space. For instance, if a person is driving a car and finds themselves getting tired, they may use a variety of strategies to increase alertness. Some may turn the music up louder and sing while others may open a window for a blast of cool air. Similarly, students without disabilities may have developed strategies for when they are feeling dysregulated during class, such as taking notes or sitting in the front of the classroom. Students with disabilities, however, may need to be explicitly taught these skills so that they can more fully understand what they are feeling and how to get back to a physical and emotional state of being ready to learn.
One way that a teacher can help their students understand what they are feeling and how it can affect their ability to learn is through the imagery of a thermometer.
One way that a teacher can help their students understand what they are feeling and how it can affect their ability to learn is through the imagery of a thermometer. In class, a 98.6 degree temperature means that students feel calm and alert, which is conducive to learning. However, the teacher can explain that some students may be feeling like they have a higher temperature (hyper, excited) or a lower temperature (tired, sluggish). It is important for the students to understand that none of those feelings are bad. It is normal to feel a variety of emotions at different times during the day; however, it is helpful for learning if students are calm and alert. As such, teachers can model strategies that can help students get from high or low temperatures to a ready-to-learn temperature.
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Works Cited
Bryant, D., S. Eddington-Sinicki, and C.-M. Woodard. “Creating Space for Self-Care for K–12 Educators.” Freytag et al., pp. 139–56. Freytag, C. E., and P. Shotsberger, editors. Self-Care for Educators: Soul-Nourishing Practices to Promote Wellbeing. Freedom’s Hill Press, an imprint of the Carolina Institute for Faith and Culture, 2022.