Circles of Light: Shine a Spotlight on Teacher Well-Being — ASN Events

Circles of Light: Shine a Spotlight on Teacher Well-Being (#79)

Carol Radford 1 , Jana Koci 1 , Melissa Pumo 1
  1. Mentoring in Action, East Falmouth, MA, United States

According to a 2022 Gallup poll, K-12 teachers report the highest burnout rate of all U.S. professions. The Bureau of Labor Statistics data indicate that 300,000 American public-school teachers and other staff left the field between February 2020 and May 2022 and a National Education Association (NEA) poll conducted this year found 55% of teachers said they would leave education sooner than planned due to the challenges of teaching. One way to influence teacher retention is to intentionally focus on wellness strategies for maintaining balance and promoting well-being. This pilot study expands mentoring conversations beyond the typical discussions of professional content learning to the deeper more individualized human experiences teachers face in the classroom. These experiences include how fulfilled teachers feel in their day to day teaching, as well as their ability to minimize their own stress and improve their wellness through learned practices. Using the book Teaching with Light: Ten Lessons for Finding Wisdom, Balance, and Inspiration (Radford 2021) as a wellness curriculum teachers shared personal stories, practiced mindful living actions, read positive affirmations, and listened to inspiring podcasts featuring teachers in the classroom or related education fields. The pilot includes data from a group mentoring model “Circle of Light” with experienced and novice teachers and a one-on-one mentor-mentee case study. The session summary includes; 1) teacher reactions to using the Teaching With Light book, 2) pre and post well-being survey results, and 3) feedback from the leaders who organized the wellness sessions. The closing message will outline what we learned, how this study relates to PERMA elements, and next steps.

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