Hats off to teachers!
It’s hard to single out any sector or group of people who deserve praise or merit the most this year. Try as I might to put myself in the shoes of NHS workers, shop cashiers and bus drivers, the one group of key workers I can relate to the most easily is teachers: before joining Stand + Stare I delivered bespoke art projects in schools for ten years, and ran an early years unit for four. I know the day-to-day rhythms of the education sector, the peaks and troughs of each term and the mounting pressure to complete targets and paperwork whilst attending to the pastoral needs of those you’re entrusted to nurture.
Because of this lived experience, one of the projects that Stand + Stare have been engaged in for the past couple of years is particularly close to my heart: it’s an academic research collaboration with the University of Bristol, led by Dr Lucy Kelly from the School of Education, supported by Dr Catherine Kelly from the School of Law. Following Dr Lucy Kelly's drive to repurpose diary writing for 21st Century teachers, Stand + Stare have been a fundamental part of the research team, developing a toolkit of reflective practices aimed at supporting busy teachers to take time out for themselves and build up a routine of self-care that enhances their wellbeing.
Even before the Coronavirus pandemic hit, the profession was in the midst of a wellbeing crisis: in 2019, the Teacher Wellbeing Index reported that 74% of educational practitioners found it difficult to ‘switch off and relax’, which was ‘a major contributing factor to a negative work/life balance’. Furthermore, 74% of teachers cited ‘workload as the main reason for considering leaving’, and 78% of practitioners ‘experienced behavioural, psychological or physical symptoms due to their work’ (pp. 6-7). Dr Lucy Kelly argues that “Reflective practice can be one way for individuals to address this, and to prioritise reclaiming their own wellbeing” (taken from Kelly, 2020: online).
Kelly’s research also draws on a recent survey by The Teachers Union, that showed that ‘Ninety-five per cent of those [30,000 teachers] polled said they were concerned and anxious’ about returning to work in the midst of a pandemic (The Guardian, 2020), which demonstrates why it is vital to undertake this work into teacher wellbeing at this particular time (Kelly, forthcoming). With the strain of continuing to teach (online and in-person) throughout 2020, adapting their classrooms to create Covid-safe bubbles and constantly on edge with the threat of infection, it’s essential that the wellbeing of teaching staff is considered and recognised as important.
Thankfully there is a movement within the education sector to promote and improve wellbeing services for teachers, and unsurprisingly a lot of the groundswell is coming from those who have been, or are active teachers themselves. This summer, alongside Dr Lucy Kelly, I found myself meeting pioneers from the Teacher5aDay Wellbeing Steering Group, set up by Martyn Reah, the founder of Teacher5aDay. The group consists of practitioners and policy-influencers giving up their time (and summer holidays!) to devise professional development resources that bolster the self-care options available to their cohorts.
As a result of these meetings, we’ve gained interest from the Bupa Foundation, who will be funding a batch of our interactive Diary Toolkits to support 70 teachers throughout the spring term of 2021. Alongside these kits, Dr Lucy Kelly will be running a series of professional development sessions to support those teachers in their self-care routines.
At the same time, our research team has received a grant from the University of Bristol to take our toolkit to the next phase of development: in the first half of 2021, we will be user testing the existing tools with a further 30 teachers from Oak Academy Trust in Somerset and building a prototype app which will bring to life some digital elements to accompany the physical toolkit. The aim is to provide a range of ways to reflect, that aren’t all based on traditional diary-writing. Activities that encompass all the senses, and encourage users to give voice to their thoughts, to scribble and draw their emotions onto a page and/or use their bodies to de-stress and invite a state of calm.
We are also making the toolkit customisable so that teachers can personalise their self-care routine, knowing that the one-size-fits-all approach is not going to satisfy everyone's wellbeing requirements.
So far, our results from the previous stage of research (an Exploratory IAA project) shows that 93% of secondary teachers preferred using the Diary Toolkit - with it’s wide range of reflective activities - and 86% would continue using it (IAA Survey, 2020). In addition to this, 71% would recommend it to other teachers and participants in the pilot studies have praised the positive impact the Diary Toolkit had on their wellbeing. One individual summarised: “I came into this project last year imagining that a diary entry was just about writing about what happened that day. My eyes have now been opened to a plethora of reflective activities that have helped me keep sane!” (RtD, survey, 2020) (taken from Kelly in Thom, 2020).
As 2020 draws to a close, it’s an honour to be involved in this work, to play a small part in supporting the quality of life of those that serve the younger generations through education and to look ahead to the new year, knowing that we are part of a team pushing for change through tangible and effective means to support teachers’ wellbeing.
Head over to the Reimagining the Diary project page to find out more
- Deb Hoy, Creative Producer
References and further reading:
KELLY, L. (2019) Private lives, public selves. TEAN, 11.2, pp. 82-89.
KELLY, L., HUXFORD, G. and KELLY, C. (2020) ‘In Our Daily Struggles’: Diaries as a Tool for Teacher Well-being. Life Writing, pp. 1-16 (published online). DOI: 10.1080/14484528.2020.1763232.
KELLY, L. (2020) Reclaiming teacher wellbeing through reflective diary writing. IMPACT, 9. Available at: <https://impact.chartered.college/article/reclaiming-teacher-wellbeing-reflective-diary-writing/> [Accessed 8 November 2020]
KELLY, L. in THOM, J. (2020) Teacher Resilience: managing stress and anxiety to thrive in the classroom. Woodbridge: John Catt Educational Ltd
KELLY, L. (Due 2021) ‘Writing Wellbeing: using reflective diary-writing to support English teacher wellbeing.’ In A. Watson and R. Newman (Eds.) Due 2021. A Practical Guide to Teaching English in the Secondary School. 2nd edition. Abingdon: Routledge. Ch. 22.
Follow Dr Kelly’s blog to keep up to date as the research progresses: https://lucykellyblog.wordpress.com/