Exit Slip (Nov 18)

 

For our Inquiry project, we are planning on focusing on the topic of teachers’ mental health and emotional wellbeing. There are many cases in which mental health for students is heavily emphasized and focused on. However, we wanted to do research into how teachers are coping and dealing with the emotional aspect of interacting with students. We feel that there are many resources to help students with their mental health, but not enough for the teachers! Through this project, we hope to discover and explore the intricacies of mental health and emotional wellbeing for educators, and the ways in which we can navigate these issues. I want to start off by talking with my two SAs about how their past couple years has been in regards to their mental wellbeing, and any strategies they use to deal with these dilemmas. I am very interested in how the COVID-19 pandemic and online teaching has impacted the mental health of teachers throughout the past two years. This will be an important point that I will surely bring up during our discussions. Additionally, talking with administrators and counsellors is another knowledgeable source of information when it comes to coping with stress and anxiety. One useful resource that was brought to my attention recently is EFAP, which stands for Employee and Family Assistance Program. Hopefully, my practicum school has a EFAP associate that I can speak to.