Educational Leadership
December 2020/January 2021
Mental Health for Educators
Volume 78, Number 4
Stock # 121038 S25
DESCRIPTION
As we move further into one of the most challenging school years in memory, the December 2020/January 2021 issue of Educational Leadership examines the critical topic of mental health for educators, highlighting essential ideas and strategies for promoting well-being and mental health in schools and in ourselves—especially in systemically challenging conditions.
FEATURES
16 How Cognitive Distortions Undermine Well-Being
Chase Mielke
Taking time to address our “thinking traps” is a form of self-care all educators can use.
22 Coping with Change and Uncertainty
Phyllis L. Fagell
How educators can regain a sense of control during these tumultuous times.
28 Opening Up About Mental Illness
Sydney Chaffee
A Teacher of the Year’s struggle with anxiety opened her eyes to the stigma around educators’ mental health issues.
34 Breaking Through the “Burden of Strength”
Kel Hughes Jones
Black women in education are often harmed by conflicting stereotypes. More responsive and accepting school cultures can help.
40 Teaching While Black: An Open Letter to School Leaders
Sharif El-Mekki
To better support Black educators, schools need a stronger grasp of their realities.
45 Being Accepted, Not Just Tolerated, Is Good for Mental Health
Peter DeWitt
To truly thrive, LGBTQ educators need to feel a sense of belonging in schools.
50 The Mental Balancing Act for School Leaders
Baruti K. Kafele
One educational leader’s story of learning to acknowledge and manage stress.
55 When Netflix Isn’t Enough: Fostering True Recovery for Educators
Allison Rodman, Alissa Farias, and Shannon Szymczak
Schools must attend to the social-emotional needs of educators, not just students.
60 Morale-Boosting Educators
Naomi Thiers
How three Connecticut teachers came up with a plan for educators to tackle schoolwide SEL needs.
63 Interrupting Doom Loops: Reflections on Mid-Year Teacher Exits
Henry Seton
How do we break the cycles that send promising young educators out of the profession too early?
68 Fueling Teachers’ Passion and Purpose
Ian Parker Renga, Frederick Peck, Ke Wu, and David Erickson
Educators need collaborative opportunities to renew their love of learning, not just to review data and rework lessons.
72 Caring for Colleagues in Crisis
Susan Johnson
A co-worker may be silently caring for a loved one with mental illness. Here’s how to help.
COLUMNS/DEPARTMENTS
9 Reader's Guide/There’s Always More to the Story
Sarah McKibben
76 Research Matters/Restoring Teachers’ Efficacy
Bryan Goodwin and Susan Shebby
Teachers’ sense of efficacy has taken a hit—and it’s closely linked to well-being.
78 Show & Tell: A Video Column/Regaining “Compassion Satisfaction”
Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey
We need to be highly resilient now—which means practicing self-care.
80 Leading Together/We’re Not OK, and That’s OK
Jill Harrison Berg and Henry Oppong
Educators must cultivate empathy in trying times.
82 Confronting Inequity/Honoring Black Educators’ Right to Heal and Thrive
Dena Simmons
Schools need to affirm Black identities always, not just when it’s trendy.
84 The Resilient Educator/The Lowdown on Burnout
Elena Aguilar
It’s real, but it can be overcome.
6 Readers React
10 Advisory
85 Index to Advertisers
86 Whole Child Spotlight
Supporting Educator Mental Health
87 ASCD Community in Action
88 EL Takeaways
EL ONLINE EXCLUSIVE
Tell Us About
Readers share personal stories about experiencing burnout—and how they overcame it.