In the News: LA Times asks “How can we support teachers and their mental health amid COVID-19?”
Teachers have recently been at the center of one of the more volatile debates of the pandemic — when to reopen in-person schooling.
The last year has been a wake-up call for parents of school-age children. By now, we fully understand what life is like without in-person school — and the teachers, day-care workers, after-school instructors, bus drivers, custodians and other essential staffers who keep schools running. Workforces depend on their parent employees having a place to send their kids while they are working, and last year, researchers estimated nearly 10% of economic activity won’t return until schools and day cares open.
But these reopening conversations often focus on the needs of the students and parents, with less consideration for the needs of the educators.
A study surveying 73 teachers working in under-resourced schools in Southern California during the pandemic described how work-life balance has been affecting teachers’ well-being and how some have been experiencing symptoms of secondary trauma.
“A lot of the teachers miss human connections,” said Armando Diaz, the foundation director of programs and partnerships at EduCare Foundation, which works with students, educators and parents to create healthy learning environments. “Before, you could go into the hallway to talk to a colleague next door. Now when there’s meetings, it’s usually to go over content and schedules.”
Los Angeles Times: How can we support teachers and their mental health amid COVID-19?, March 3, 2021. Available in full at www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-03-03/how-to-help-teachers-mental-health-covid-19
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