Rethinking teacher wellbeing

Wellbeing has many intangible, perhaps ‘fluffy’ connotations, yet it encompasses what we are all trying to achieve, as people and teachers: to be well, to feel well. Many teachers, it seems, do not feel well when they reflect on their role and work–life balance. The 2019 Teacher Wellbeing Index states that 72 per cent of all education professionals would describe themselves as stressed (Education Support, 2019). This rings true for many of us who work in the classroom. A familiar sight in the October half-term break, just six or seven weeks into the academic year: teachers bed-bound, succumbing to the flu, drowning in a pile of marking that wasn’t finished during the hectic final week. Why is this the case, and how can it be addressed in schools? The Teacher Wellbeing Index also found that 49 per cent of teachers considered that their workplace culture had a negative effect on their wellbeing. This points towards a need for substantial change to the culture and organisationa