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I’ve been “deep diving” into current wellness resources for educators, starting with North Carolina since that’s where I live, and it’s been really eye-opening! The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction has a page devoted to educator wellness…and it’s so, so sparse. I found links to some things on YouTube and journaling prompts…and that’s pretty much all I found.
Here’s the thing – wellness isn’t a YouTube video. It’s not an hour-long, required professional development workshop. It’s not an app or a book or a podcast. And it’s not one size fits all.
We are well when our physical, emotional, spiritual, financial, intellectual, social, vocational, financial, and environmental states of being align, and it looks different for everyone. We are well when we care for ourselves which, in turn, gives us the ability to care for others. And no matter who we are, no matter what we know, no matter how long we’ve been thinking about and working toward this... wellness is always a work in progress.
Ok WOW you weren't kidding. A single page for Educator Wellness. One. Single. Page. What was most striking was how one-dimensional - mindfulness - this page implies "educator wellness" is. Which goes to show just how needed this help really is. You can't see the label from inside the jar, and I doubt many educators or administrators can come up for air long enough to even know the whole spectrum of what serves their well-being. This is a life-line that should become a standard of care, especially if we truly value education in our society.