Mental Wellness All Year Long

As we approach the end of the school year, we can look back and see the progress of the students growth and how we have supported them.

But we’re also exhausted and need to get through for the next couple of months. To be sure, most days teaching gives us joy and meaning, but there are also days when we ask ourselves how long we can keep on going. 

This is normal. We all feel this way. And if we feel this way, there’s a good chance our students do sometimes as well. So how do we give each other a boost to remember why we love this work? What do we do for self-care so that we don’t burn out, but instead are able to recharge and teach with enthusiasm and joy?

There are, no doubt, things school leaders can do to support their teachers’ mental wellness. Just naming and normalizing the challenge itself can be validating and uplifting. 

At JES, we do a lot of work in the area of Mental Wellness. Because we know that teachers can’t teach and students can’t learn when they are not thriving and feeling supported and seen. We partner with Jewish Community Services to bring therapists to schools for professional observations and consultations. We convene School Counselors monthly to share best practices with each other. And we bring together educators and mental health advocates from across the community once a year at our Jewish Education Mental Wellness Summit, which took place this year on March 18th at Pearlstone Retreat Center.  Participants gained lots of information in the breakout sessions and shared in interactive discussion groups, exploring how schools can integrate strategies to help students thrive despite challenges. One participant reflection demonstrated the immediate value of the summit’s practical takeaways, “I’m excited to be able to bring this back to my school and personal life, to better the lives of the people I work with.”