As the new school year approaches, teachers are busy planning and preparing lesson plans, setting up their classrooms, solidifying schedules, and more. During this time, it’s essential to keep wellbeing – both for teachers themselves and their students – top of mind. And, starting the school year with a focus on wellbeing can set a positive tone for the months ahead.
We asked some of our trusted educator friends to share their top tips for starting the year on the right foot and prioritizing wellbeing. Here’s what they told us:
Tip #1: Make wellbeing practices a routine.
From Autistic School Counselor Layla Touchet,
“My #1 wellbeing tip is to make it a routine. Incorporate it throughout your day so you get a little boost. Self-care shouldn’t just be the big things that are shown in the media like vacations, massages, etc. It’s the little things: like setting your time boundaries (I refuse to stay at work past 4 pm), having chocolate or your favorite treat on hand, and having an exercise/movement routine. Doing the small things keeps your wellness stable when you are unable to do the bigger self-care things.
The thing I’m doing this year to prioritize well-being is trying to improve my tracking/journaling of these things. When I see what I’ve done, it helps me feel the effects better and lets me truly see what has become a habit and what hasn’t. It also helps me see where I need to improve. So I’m currently figuring out my tracking system so I can be more aware of my wellbeing, what is working, and what isn’t working. When I track it, it makes it concrete and real and doesn’t let me lie to myself.”
Tip #2: Focus on the fun and joy that students bring to your life.
From Special Education Teacher Laura Isard, Chicago, IL
“One thing I like to do before school starts is to leave notes around my house reminding myself that having the skills to teach and relate to children is a gift. I also list out why I am choosing to be a teacher because it reminds myself what makes all the “extra” worth it. Sometimes I can get so overwhelmed by all the “need to-s” and “have to-s” that I lose sight of the positive emotions of fun and joy that students bring to my life. It also helps to savor the funny or endearing memories I’ve had with students and/or parents and write down quotes or situations that made me laugh, they are little jolts of joy
Here are some other things I plan to do this year to prioritize wellbeing in my classroom:
- Students will complete a gratitude journal for their morning writing activities.
- We will have a word of the day, working on vocabulary, that relates to character strengths. Students will then use character strengths trading cards to ‘catch’ others using that character strength.
- Our functional math class will record and graph information and use elapsed time to determine our quantity of sleep and nutrition.”
Tip #3: Focus on and write down what is going well.
From Special Education Administrator Angela Rodriguez MA, BCBA
“When things start to feel hard or out of control, focus on what is going well or what went well and write it down. That step from thinking it and seeing it makes it concrete and leaves more of an imprint on our brain.”
Tip #4: Remember to take one thing at a time.
From School Counselor Theresa Hill
“Soak up the last few weeks of summer and remember to take one thing at a time. First, warm up to the idea of going back to school by adjusting your summer routines to ones that will work during the school year.
To prioritize wellbeing this year, I will focus on implementing the skills of PERMA+ in my own life, as well as teaching my students and colleagues. In a world where wellbeing is prioritized, the larger systems understand and implement the skills in harmony.”
Tip #5: Don’t forget to ask for help when you need it.
From Special Education Teacher Jacqueline Saraf
“As an experienced teacher, who is constantly learning and improving my back-to-school approach, I’d say first off, ask for help! We can’t do everything on our own. Also, start a daily routine for your students ASAP, because structure is key!
This year, I’m with new staff, in a brand new classroom, with new students…so introducing what wellbeing may look like across us all, then encouraging staff and students to take the steps to achieve that, will help me prioritize wellbeing for all of us this year.”
Be sure to explore the Skills of Happiness for free downloadable resources to practice and teach wellbeing skills during Back-to-School and beyond. Cheers to a flourishing school year ahead!
