In collaboration with faculty and students at Illinois State University, District 87 is offering a variety of wellness-focused resources for staff throughout the District. The intended outcome of these offerings is for the educators who participate to lead happier, healthier, and more fulfilled lives inside and outside of the classroom or building.
THE FACTS:
- Research shows that 93 percent of teachers report “high levels of job-related stress” (Riley-Missouri, 2018).
- Students with stressed-out teachers have more behavior issues and lower overall achievement (Riley-Missouri, 2018).
- Teachers are the biggest influence on student engagement (Gallup, 2014; Martin 2006).
- There is a “strong connection between the personal and professional wellbeing of teachers” and “there cannot be real professional development without personal development” (Day & Leitch 2001; O’Connor, 2008; Thijs, 2011).
GENERAL RESOURCES RELATED TO SELF-CARE AND WELL-BEING
- 180 Days of self-care for busy educators (A 36-week plan of low-cost self-care for teachers and educators) By Tina H. Boogren
- Many of our self-care topics are drawn from content in this book. If you want more information about these or other self-care topics and strategies, you can access this as an eBook at the Bloomington Public Library using the Hoopla app.
- Did you know: District 87 has partnered with ISU to develop an asset map with information about wellness resources and services available to the District 87 community at low or no cost. These may be of interest to you and your family, in addition to your students and their families. Check out the map to learn more about the assets in our community!
- If you are a Blue Cross Blue Shield member, you can access a variety of fitness and wellness-related resources and benefits through the “Well on Target” program.
- You can connect with colleagues and find additional information about nutrition, physical, and mental wellness on the District 87 Staff Be Well Facebook Group.
- These resources are intended to support each participants’ self-care journey, and are available and appropriate for all staff members in the district. If you are interested in additional support, District 87 offers services to all staff through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). You can find more information about this on page 11 of your employee benefits guide.
SPECIFIC SELF-CARE TOPICS AND RESOURCES FOR FALL 2024:
- The Joy of Self-Care: Putting the Power of Music and Laughter to Work for You
- Feel-Good Music Resources
- You can read about the musical elements of songs that make us feel good
- We created a feel-good playlist. You can listen on apple music or spotify
- Handout
- Feel-Good Music Resources
- Caring for our Bodies: Nutrition, Hydration, and Sleep
- Nutrition Resources
- USDA website
- myplate.gov (you can put in your information, and they will give you a meal plan)
- Hydration Resources
- A fun water tracker app is called plant nanny. As you log the water you are drinking, the app associates it with watering a virtual plant
- Sleep Resources
- Consider using a sleep calculator to determine your optimal bedtime based on when you plan to wake up in the morning
- Handouts
- Nutrition Resources
- So Much to Do: Managing our Time and Routines
- Time Management Resources
- Check out these slides from a presentation by one of our team members on the role of time management in self care.
- Time Management Resources
- Present-Moment Awareness: Mindfulness
- Mindfulness Resources
- If you are looking for short readings to support your mindfulness practice, check out the book Wherever you go, there you are by Jon Kabat-Zinn, or consider reflecting on a favorite poem. The Guest House by Jallaludin Rumi and Wild Geese by Mary Oliver are great choices to support mindfulness practice.
- Handouts:
- Mindfulness Resources
- FUTURE TOPIC
- Well-being in Relationships: Social Support and Listening
DO YOU HAVE ADDITIONAL IDEAS OR RESOURCES ABOUT WELL-BEING? PLEASE SHARE THEM IN THE COMMENTS BOX BELOW:
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