Mental Health and Well-being of Teachers

Today, mental health remains one of the key problems irrespective of age, gender, or occupation. Every sect of society is widely affected by it. There are various studies that talk about declining mental health of educators and teachers in the recent past, specifically in lower middle incomed countries.

In every society, the services of a teachers are considered to be fundamental for socioeconomic growth. For the betterment of society as a whole the sanity of a teacher has to be protected. There has been a recognition towards the commitment and love of teachers for the work of educating students. However, the demanding workload on the teachers and the expectations may take their toll on their mental well-being.

Ascribing factors for mental health problems of teachers include, finishing up the course work, running from one meeting to another and performing overwhelming tasks all at once, managing students’ behavioral challenges, getting underpaid for their work, not getting enough educational resources to be utilized in their teaching practice, and failure to maintain a healthy work-life balance etc. Such strict obligations lead to frustration, impact job satisfaction and increase their burnout.

Educational performance of students may significantly depend on the mental state of their teacher. In their optimal health teachers are able to create a conducive learning environment, and effectively engage students in their learning process. Therefore, the researchers argue that failure to promote teachers’ mental health has undesirable implications for both teachers and students. When teachers are experiencing psychological distress, they are unable to help and support their students in need. This in turn affects students’ motivation, academic achievements, and the relationship between students and teachers. For them to enhance their mental health status and productivity, the following strategies may be adopted by schools.

Recruiting teachers’ mental health and wellbeing counselors to ensure teachers seek professional help and counseling services when needed.
Offer policies and work distribution that promote work life balance.
Providing training and workshops on time management and stress management.
Arranging sessions to help identify signs of mental health issues and encourage them to seek help.
Working towards destigmatizing discussions on mental health issues and incorporating mental health policies in organizational culture.
Increasing peer support and fostering collaboration in workplace.
Recognizing and appreciating their efforts.
Ensuring access to professional development training and providing required teaching resources.
Avoid assigning additional responsibilities beyond their job description.

Teachers can also act on a personal level most effectively by taking care of themselves, sharing tasks with collaborative partners, seeking counseling when needed, and doing a regular huddle with fellow teachers and school management to balance the workload. Other than this, teachers should also ensure that once a year they are getting themselves physically screen for basic health issues and also getting a mental health session to understand their stressors more closely. Besides, taking softer interventions like incorporating mindful yoga, eating and including walking around the vicinity as a part of their routine.

Teachers are the makers of our nation, and it’s essential that we work together to provide them with the support and a conducive environment they need. This way not only will our teachers thrive, but our students will also benefit from educators who are balanced, motivated, and fully engaged.