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Podcasts for educators, dealing with stress of Covid-19

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Podcast series

As a country, we face a changing world and higher stakes than ever before. The way we respond to challenges today will define the Canada of tomorrow. The Conference Board of Canada's Chief of Research, Workplace Productivity, shares strategies to support mental health through COVID-19.

Focus Area- Human Resources

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Podcast series As a country, we face a changing world and higher stakes than ever before. The way we respond to challenges today will define the Canada of tomorrow. The Conference Board of Canada's Chief of Research, Workplace Productivity, shares strategies to support mental health through COVID-19.

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How educators can incorporate mental health into the classroom.

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Take a Break, care for yourself, STOP living in a ‘I’m Sorry” World!

We are all in this together!

Don't overthink! “50 % of students believed that the planned teaching objectives were fully attained” (Vargo et al, 2020)

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Erin McClintock

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers, school counselors, and school employees have remained acutely focused on supporting their students and continuing to do their jobs at this time. In some cases, this may mean teaching, care-taking (whether for children or other loved ones), and continuing to work through the same challenges that everyone else faces. While resources related to mental health have been (rightfully) front and center for supporting students, parents, and others, less focus has been paid on maintaining mental wellness for teachers and educators who are also trying to find balance in our new normal. That's why we put together some mental health tips for teachers during COVID-19 and beyond.

10 Mental Health Tips for Teachers Balancing Life and Remote Teaching

Here are ten teacher mental health tips you can start practicing today.

1. Control the Controllable During COVID-19 & Beyond

There are certain things that you simply cannot control right now: who will be impacted by COVID-19, whether it will be you, how things will continue to evolve. But there are some things that you can control: how you spend some of your time, what you choose to prioritize, what types of media you consume (and how frequently) and your mindset, to name a few. By focusing on the things that you can control and prioritizing the ones that are healthy, you can help to put your mental wellness front and center.

Webinar | Mental Health Strategies for Teachers and Students

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week and Mental Health Awareness Month, experts from the EVERFI team are partnering with the Jed Foundation to ensure you have the resources necessary to support your mental wellness and that of your students. In this webinar, we explore activities and strategies around mental well-being that can be used in the classroom or virtually, as well as providing tips and tricks for educator self-care.

2. Carve Out Time for Self-Care to Maintain Your Mental Health

Now, more than ever, we are acutely focused on remote teaching , physical health, and preventing illness- washing hands and engaging in other healthy practices. But it is just as important, for maintaining mental health, to try to carve out some time to prioritize the other things that help us feel balanced: for some, it is exercise, for others, it is reading, journaling, meditation, or spending time doing a hobby. And, if you are someone who isn't sure what you can do for your self-care, simply the act of doing can help maintain your mental health .

3. Get Your Body Moving to Help Your Mental Wellness

One of the biggest challenges for many educators during this time is how hard it is to be sedentary- you may be used to moving around, physical transitions from one room to another, or even your usual lunchtime walk with a colleague. As you work around your schedule, set a timer or create breaks for you specifically to move around- this might mean moving around your house, or taking a walk around your building or neighborhood- obeying physical distancing recommendations, of course. Anything to get your body moving will help manage your mental wellness .

4. Model Self-compassion

Now, more than ever, we need to be incredibly kind to ourselves to help maintain mental wellness. We teach students this all of the time- the basics of self-compassion, kind self-talk, and growth mindset . Now is the time to also turn it inwards. In doing so, you'll benefit your own mental wellness and also be able to model it for others in your life.

5. Set Reasonable Expectations (for yourself and others)

Collectively, we need to acknowledge that we are still in the midst of a pandemic and distance learning- and that it is not business as usual. Things are going to be different, and that is okay. We can't expect to be as productive, or on top of it, or together as we once could. If you are one of those, like many, who is trying to balance educating with care-taking or educating your students on top of your own kids, there is no possible way that you can be all things to all people all of the time. By setting small, realistic goals and expectations around what you actually could be capable of, you will be setting yourself up to feel much more fulfilled and help maintain your mental health.

Webinar | Empowering from Afar with Social Emotional Learning

Although most of our social interactions these days occur at a distance, helping students work on social emotional skills can still have a big impact. Developing courage and grit, strong communication, and empathy can all help students make the most of their time in quarantine.

6. Communication is Vital for Maintaining Mental Health for Teachers

Let people know what is going on- especially colleagues and supervisors. By being transparent about what you are experiencing, and with what things may be helpful, you can bring them in and potentially expand your own network of resources and support. You may also be modeling healthy communication for other colleagues to follow suit.

We live in an "I'm sorry" culture. Consider how often you apologize, and the ways in which you can stop. Be unapologetic about taking time for yourself, setting realistic goals, setting boundaries, and being clear and transparent about what you are capable of (and what you need). This is one of the hardest things to do for many, but oh so important for maintaining mental health and wellness.

8. A Dedicated Work Space Can Improve Mental Wellness

This is a psychological trick that helps you to both be more productive, and to disconnect from work more easily. When working from home , we can quickly fall into an unhealthy balance between work and life, especially if you are working in the areas of your home in which you're also living. By creating a dedicated workspace: even if it is just one corner of your home that you designate as "work only," you can do two things: you can send an outward message to those in your life that when you are in that space you are working, and also an internal message to your own brain that signals when it is work mode and when it is time to disconnect.

9. Set Office Hours While Remote Teaching

By controlling and identifying specific times in which students or colleagues can reach, you will be able to both set boundaries while remote teaching, and will also provide a designated time in which students know that they can reach you during distance learning. Tools like Class for Zoom can make it easier for 1:1 conversations during class while other LMS platforms allow you to set office hours in the platform. Some districts have done this work for us, but for others remote teaching, it may need to be something that we do ourselves to help maintain our mental health while working from home.

Remote Learning Resources for K-12 Educators

By providing a catalog of digital learning resources focused on the skills needed for life - skills in social-emotional learning, health and wellness, financial capability, and career readiness - you have the tools to bring meaningful remote learning to students.

If you feel like you are having a tough time, and are struggling in any way with enjoying things, balancing your mood, or finding time to take care of yourself- or if you have any thoughts of hurting yourself- please reach out to a counselor. All of the resources that we shared for students can also be utilized by educators. Psychology Today has a fantastic therapist directory, and your health insurance can also help you locate a counselor, most of whom have switched to offering telehealth services. What we are experiencing right now is hard- and trained professionals across the globe continue to mobilize to serve as front-line responders for our minds in the same ways doctors have for our bodies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Resources:

Crisis Text Line: Text SHARE to 741741

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK

SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP

NAMI HelpLine (M-F 10am - 6pm EST): 1-800-950-6264

Disaster Distress Hotline: 1-800-985-5990 or Text TALKWITHUS to 66746

Erin McClintock lead's EVERFI's impact work in mental health, wellness, and social and emotional learning. She holds a graduate degree in Counseling Psychology, completed her post-masters studies in Trauma and Addiction Counseling, and has extensive experience as a practitioner in community, school, and collegiate mental health.

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10 Teacher Mental Health Tips During COVID-19 & Beyond

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Erin McClintock Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers, school counselors, and school employees have remained acutely focused on supporting their students and continuing to do their jobs at this time. In some cases, this may mean teaching, care-taking (whether for children or other loved ones), and continuing to work through the same challenges that everyone else faces.

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Resources for Educators, Parents, and Students to support mental health during COVID-19 pandemic

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If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health or substance use emergency, call 9-1-1 or go to the emergency room of your local hospital. Even in these unusual times, it is important to get the immediate help that you need. There are people ready and available to help.

Note: If you visit an emergency room, you should be prepared to participate in "active screening" for COVID-19 as part of a standard protocol at this time. You may also be asked to wear a mask. This is all normal procedure at this time and does not mean that you or your child is more vulnerable to the virus. You just may want to be prepared that the emergency room experience may look somewhat different at the moment. Try to stay calm knowing that this is just standard practice and an example of how caring professionals are providing support.

If you are not sure if it is an emergency, or just need to talk through the situation, consider reaching out to Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000, or the distress line or mobile crisis team in your area.

The majority of students will have a normal stress response to a return to school. Many will not experience concerns with their mental health. However, some students will experience higher levels of stress and heightened levels of worry. Others may be experiencing significant mental health concerns such as anxiety, depression and substance misuse.

Since the start of COVID-19 we have all experienced changes and losses. Because these changes have been large scale they are referred to as "collective losses" - things like a loss of routine, regular supports, etc. During COVID-19 people have also experienced grief and loss due to ill health, and death and bereavement of friends and loved ones.
The School Mental Health Ontario grief and loss resource provides practical strategies.

To learn more about grief, bereavement and how to support a student with loss, see Loss, Grief and Bereavement During COVID-19 Pandemic.

Some students will have personally felt the impact of systemic racism, and the focus on anti-Black racism, anti-Asian racism and anti-Indigenous racism . It is normal that they would want to share those feelings on return. These experiences need to be heard and validated. Many boards are developing resources to support you with knowledge and language that you might find helpful in having a conversation. There may also be links to agencies in the community. Talk to your board equity lead for more help to support equity and inclusion.

See also: Supporting Mentally Healthy Conversations About Anti-Black Racism With Students

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How to support student mental health during COVID-19 and the return to school Students may experience a range of emotions during the COVID-19 situation. As well, changes in routine, including time away from school, may create challenges for some students. We also understand that young people with pre-existing mental health problems may find their symptoms [...]

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Podcast for educators about their well-being and mental health. Hosted by educators with the intention to empower teachers to feel more calm and balanced in their classrooms and lives for educators. As noted by Vargo (2020), it is essential that individuals and societies receive help to deal with lasting impacts such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

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The Balanced Educator is a weekly podcast hosted by the co-founders of Educalme, Kailey Lefko and Josianne Barnabé. Our intention is to equip and empower educators and parents to feel more calm, balanced, and joyful in all aspects of their lives. We discuss mindset shifts and habits that we are experimenting with in our own lives that are making our days more intentional, mindful and fun. We talk about different ways to practice mindfulness in our own lives and then how we can share what we are learning with our kiddos in the classroom or at home. We believe that when we nurture ourselves first, we can share our unique gifts and talents with our kiddos in a bigger and deeper way.

The Balanced Educator is a weekly podcast hosted by the co-founders of Educalme, Kailey Lefko and Josianne Barnabé. Our intention is to equip and empower educators and parents to feel more calm, balanced, and joyful in all aspects of their lives. We discuss mindset shifts and habits that we are experimenting with in our own lives that are making our days more intentional, mindful and fun. We talk about different ways to practice mindfulness in our own lives and then how we can share what we are learning with our kiddos in the classroom or at home. We believe that when we nurture ourselves first, we can share our unique gifts and talents with our kiddos in a bigger and deeper way.

Fantastic podcast!

I am so thankful I found this podcast. I listen to it on my morning commute to work. It always puts me in a positive mindset and energizes me for the day ahead. The hosts are so genuine, knowledgeable and passionate about the subject matter. They give tons of great mindfulness strategies along with excellent explanations and concrete examples. Love it!

So practical!

Kailey and Josianne are doing a great job with The Balanced Educator podcast! Every time that I listen, I leave with practical ideas to bring to my teaching practice the next day. Keep up the meaningful work!

Worth the listen even tho I'm not a teacher

I'm not a teacher but do teach and find many of the topics super applicable to my life and the guests are top notch! Well done ladies, happy to have this resource in my pocket! 💗

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the balanced educator podcast: education | mindfulness | growth mindset

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kailey lefko and josianne barnabé: teachers and co-founders of educalme

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‎The Balanced Educator Podcast: Education | Mindfulness | Growth Mindset on Apple Podcasts

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The Balanced Educator is a weekly podcast hosted by the co-founders of Educalme, Kailey Lefko and Josianne Barnabé. Our intention is to equip and empower educators and parents to feel more calm, balanced, and joyful in all aspects of their lives. We discuss mindset shifts and habits that we are expe...

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Jack.org is Canada's only charity training and empowering young leaders to revolutionize mental health in every province and territory.
Includes Covid-19 Response: Now is the time for education, innovation, and community.

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Welcome to Jack.org, Canada's largest network of young leaders transforming the way we think about mental health.

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Here is a 2:00 minute video advising educators on how to prevent mental burnout while teaching through a pandemic.

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How teachers should prevent burnout during COVID-19

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“COVID-19 Employee Mental Health Support Audit and Resource Guide,” Guide for evaluating a school's capability to support the mental health of teachers

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Why you should take a break: Prioritizing Mental Health in Schools | Hailey Hardcastle | TEDxSalem

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Why you should take a break: Prioritizing Mental Health in Schools | Hailey Hardcastle | TEDxSalem

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A student perspective on prioritizing mental health.
A resource to assist educators recognize the importance of student mental health.

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Why you should take a break: Prioritizing mental health in schools | Hailey Hardcastle | TEDxSalem