Managing Mental Wellness: Tools for Yourself, Your Students, and Your Classroom

Teachers have one of the greatest responsibilities in the world: supporting children to grow into caring, competent citizens equipped with the skills to lead productive and fulfilling lives. In the best of times, teaching can be challenging and stressful. Starting in 2020—amidst COVID-19 and with a spotlight on inequities in the United States—school leaders, teachers, school staff, and families have attempted to balance physical safety, emotional well-being, and worthwhile learning. This toolkit is designed for teachers, their students, and the classroom. It offers strategies to manage mental wellness in the context of school and personally, and it gives methods to assist students and families with learning and well-being. Each section includes tools that teachers can directly apply to their own experiences. Studies show that when teachers prioritize their own well-being, their health improves, they are better able to create positive conditions for student learning, and their students’ well-being improves. That’s why this toolkit centers teacher well-being from its very first chapter. We invite you to treat this document like you would any toolkit: pick one tool at a time, think about it, try it out a few times, and if the tool yields some kind of benefit, continue to use it. Then gradually consider trying another tool, and so on. Self-care is not a race. Keep adding tools to your toolbox at a comfortable pace, and do what works for you.