Teacher Self-Care: A Guide for Educators

The field of education is very demanding and stressful. Educators are leaving the field at high rates due to stress levels. Teachers lack self-care strategies to help them cope with an emotionally demanding career. Research shows that self-care builds resilience, which many teaching professionals tend to lack. Educators can greatly benefit from learning about and practicing better self-care. Through review of research, researchers were able to determine that implementing self-care strategies benefits both teachers and students. Self-care strategies increase effectiveness allowing educators to handle challenges that come up during their teaching career. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has created additional challenges for educators through a hybrid model of teaching and learning.

Through the qualitative research, the researchers created an online survey using Likert Scale and open-ended questions to determine the current perceptions and ability of teachers to integrate daily self-care practice. Researchers also determined what components educators believe to be focal points for self-care. Research proves teachers are overwhelmed and need time for daily wellness goals.

After analyzing survey results and recognizing trends, the researchers were able to proceed further in the creation of a potential technology application prototype that will better support self-care in educators. The application would be a useful tool to act as a reminder for the daily integration of self-care strategies. Once users download and open the application, they will be directed to participate in a brief survey to gauge initial self-care needs. This application will direct participants to choose manageable and attainable goals. These selections will act as a guide or reminder for app users. Users can choose to keep track of their goals and continuously make new goals to aid in self-care. Based on the survey results, the researchers conclude that an application like this can help educators integrate self-care strategies daily.