Heading 1NDMTSS Conference
Description
Teachers have always needed to know and practice protective strategies in their social emotional first aid kits to manage the daily stressors of working on the front lines of a human-service oriented profession. That need has never been greater given the massive increase in uncertainty and unpredictability in the teaching profession and in one's personal life due to COVID.
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In short, teaching is emotional labor-- the effort required to manage and metabolize strong emotions like anger, shame, guilt, anxiety, and overwhelm, as well as generate and stoke positive emotions like joy, hope, and compassion.
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Stress significantly diminishes a teacher's capacity to regulate their negative emotions and cultivate positive emotions. Ironically, teachers who leave the profession often cite their inability to cope with their own emotional reactions to loss of control, unpredictability, and lack of purpose in their teaching as the primary reason for burnout.
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There are many, many strategies and practices rooted in cognitive and affective neuroscience and social and behavioral sciences that teachers can learn, practice, and integrate into their personal and professional lives as teachers to metabolize stress, manage negative energy, protect themselves from the burnout cycle, and find joy in teaching the whole year through!
Learning Objectives
In this session, teachers will:
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Explore the core elements of the teacher burnout cycle and learn how to protect one's self from the 2 paths to burning out,
Creating the space for a 3 hour well-being retreat for your educators will make an immediate impact in the moments of our work together as well as have a lingering effect on their well-being and instruction in the classroom.
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With a 3 hour retreat, we slow down the mindfulness practices so we can really steep in the restorative impact they have for the mind and the body. With a full 1/2 day dedicated to focusing attention on cultivating self-awareness, emotional resilience, and compassionate presence, we spend significant time engaging in personal self-reflection exercises that expand teacher insight, perspective taking, and mental well-being.
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We then dedicate as much time to creating space and opportunity for your teachers to connect with their peers and generate greater connections, deeper understanding of one another, and greater insight about the students your building serves.