The importance of self-care in a demanding profession.
The affective skills - and social-emotional learning in general - are increasingly being valued and explored in schools and supported by research. In his excellent book, “The Social Neuroscience of Education” psychologist Louis Cozolino outlines many ways in which research in neuroscience is highlighting the essential role of relationship and of the teacher in literally sculpting the brain of the learner. As teachers, knowing how to take good care of ourselves is important partly because we need to sustain our health and sense of purpose and enjoyment, but also because our pivotal role in relation to our students depends as much on ‘how we are’ as it does on ‘what we teach’.
Teachers are sometimes described as being members of ‘the caring professions’ - a group that also includes doctors, nurses and social workers. For many this career path is a vocation, a calling - a gift even. We may feel privileged to be entrusted with the care, growth and learning of our students and we may find meaning and purpose in our daily efforts to nurture the next generation. As educators we give a lot – we invest our time and energy in our work, and we give something personal of ourselves to our students. This may often feel stimulating and rewarding, but over time we can also be in danger of burnout . There is always more that can be done, better ways of teaching things, more meetings to attend, more emails to respond to, more duties to take on. At the end of the day we may feel fulfilled and inspired, but we may also feel drained and exhausted. Teaching can be both nourishing and depleting, and if the balance swings towards the latter, sustainability and health can be at risk.
This article looks at stress and our relationship to it as an example of how increased self-awareness can help sustain us. Knowing how best to deal with stress not only helps us avoid burnout – it can also enhance our teaching skills.
Befriending Stress
If we can we get to know our personal ‘stress signature’, to understand experientially how stress manifests in our mind and body and even to befriend it, can we use it to our advantage? From my own experience I believe the answer is ‘Yes’ - and I further believe that we can employ this understanding to enhance our pedagogical approaches.
First of all we need to accept that stress is not always our enemy, and that to get up every day and do the work we do, a degree of stress is necessary. This also applies to our students - a totally stress-free environment may not
Taking Care of Teacher
by Kevin Hawkins
If you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperilled in a hundred battles.
18