“How did you love me so fast?”: Co-creating Conditions for Educator SEL and Well-being
This paper provides both a theoretical framework and practical strategies for supporting educator well-being at a time when teacher stress and burnout are major challenges in education. It suggests that transforming how we support teachers' social and emotional needs could be key to improving both educator retention and student outcomes.
College of Health researcher(s)
Abstract
This paper discusses an innovative approach to professional development focused on adult SEL and well-being called the [organization name] Fellowship. The Fellowship is a nine-month, hybrid program aiming to enhance educator practices at the intersection of SEL and justice to co-create classroom communities of care, belonging, healing, and liberation. We use data from our iterative feedback process to explain how the Fellowship centers humanity, honors identity, and cultivates healing for educators, themes that make up our SEL framework based on our 2023 study on educators’ dreams for SEL. We provide examples of how facilitators modeled each theme and highlight lessons learned and practices that contribute to optimal adult SEL development, promoting positive mental health and, ultimately, benefiting student social, emotional, and academic well-being.
Frequently Asked Questions about Educator SEL and Well-being
Why is it important to focus on educator SEL and well-being in addition to student SEL?
While Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programs for students have shown positive results, educators' own SEL skills are crucial for effective implementation. Many SEL programs do not adequately support educator skill-building, well-being, and mental health despite the documented need. Furthermore, educator well-being directly correlates with student well-being; stressed or burned-out educators can negatively impact student outcomes through a "stress contagion effect." Therefore, fostering educator SEL is essential to create positive learning environments.
What is the core philosophy of the [Organization name] Fellowship approach to educator SEL?
The [Organization name] Fellowship centers radical love, healing, and racial and social justice in SEL and education, aiming to create classroom communities that promote care, belonging, healing, and liberation. The Fellowship views SEL as a praxis that responds to the needs of students, educators, families, and the community, facilitating healing, centering humanity, and advancing racial and social justice. It moves beyond traditional competency-based SEL models, placing these elements as foundational, not as an add-on.
How does the Fellowship center humanity in its approach to adult SEL?
Centering humanity involves attending to the whole needs of educators – physical, social, emotional, and intellectual. This is achieved through intentionally designed spaces (accessible, affirming, and accommodating), co-creating community agreements that promote safety and belonging, using multi-modal learning, and gathering and responding to feedback from participants. The goal is to create an environment where educators feel valued, respected, and supported in their full humanity.
What does it mean to "honor identity" within the context of the Fellowship, and how is this accomplished?
Honoring identity means recognizing and welcoming the unique gifts that each educator brings, while unapologetically centering BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) voices, perspectives, and contributions. The Fellowship achieves this by creating formal and informal opportunities for gift-sharing, utilizing materials created by BIPOC scholars and artists, and encouraging facilitators to model authenticity and vulnerability by sharing their own stories, experiences, and identities, and engaging in open and honest dialogue.
How does the Fellowship cultivate healing for educators?
The Fellowship recognizes the stress educators experience and works to create a space for rest, restoration, and play, infusing care throughout. This is achieved through intentionally scheduled breaks, integrating activities that promote joy and laughter, providing a range of self- and collective care activities, and creating a community of support through shared meals and heartfelt communication. The aim is to address educator stress and burnout by creating healing and nurturing environments.
What does "advancing racial and social justice" mean in the context of the Fellowship's SEL framework?
Advancing racial and social justice is about dismantling systems that perpetuate inequity and prevent certain groups from experiencing freedom. In the Fellowship, this is done through reflecting on positionality, promoting awareness of how one's identity intersects with power and privilege; aligning all aspects of the program with its mission, vision, and values; and encouraging educators to apply their learning in multiple contexts to address disparities and create equitable learning opportunities for all students.
How does the Fellowship approach professional development differently from traditional models?
Unlike single-point, transmission-based professional development, the Fellowship employs a hybrid, nine-month format including an in-person retreat and follow-up virtual sessions. It fosters a community of practice, where educators learn from and with each other, fostering ongoing, relational learning and transformation. The program integrates reflection, feedback, and problem-solving relevant to participants' contexts to facilitate meaningful and impactful changes in practice. This holistic approach recognizes that real change requires sustained effort and is not achieved through a "one and done" workshop.
What are some of the specific practices employed by the Fellowship, and how can they be applied in other educational settings?
The Fellowship incorporates several practices, including creating welcoming physical and virtual spaces; co-creating community agreements with participants; providing multi-modal learning experiences; gathering and using feedback; opportunities for gift-sharing; centering BIPOC voices and perspectives; integrating rest, play, and care; promoting reflection on positionality; ensuring values alignment in program delivery; and supporting application of learning to classrooms and communities. These practices are transferable and can be adapted by other SEL providers to create more supportive and equitable learning environments for both educators and students.