Adult Wellness Support at a Systems Level

Providing support for the adults in our school community means prioritizing adult well-being. All staff at all levels in our system are feeling high levels of stress and exhaustion as we push through the second year of the pandemic. Such feelings are reasonable during an extraordinarily demanding and challenging time for everyone working in schools.

Last fall, while fielding feedback from staff at all levels, we learned many of the sources of stress and frustration were rooted in structural and programmatic issues. Conditions causing extreme stress were systemic. Long hours, high workload, feelings of inefficacy and lack of resources contributed to educator burnout. When we considered the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on top of everything, we found ourselves in a place where many staff members were struggling to stay afloat.