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Research suggests that special education teachers report higher stress as a result of the demanding nature of their roles, complex student needs, administrative challenges, and the pressure to meet individual education goals (Adigun et al., 2021). Such demands can lead to increased exhaustion and lower job satisfaction (Hester et al., 2020) than general education teachers. This can result in lower levels of teacher wellbeing (Holzner & Gaunt, 2023) and higher attrition (Billingsley & Bettini, 2019) for teachers who work with students with disabilities. However, when supported and valued by school leadership, special education teachers “felt valued, emotionally supported, provided with resources, and benefit from positive collegial relationships” (Holzner & Gaunt, 2023, p. 106), emphasizing the need for a supportive community in this challenging field.  

What are your experiences?

What actions promote your wellbeing?

Add your thoughts below.

References

References

Adigun, O.T.,  Tijani, F.A., Nzima, D.R., & Vivekanantharasa, R. (2021). Perceived stress of special education teachers in the context of the person-environment relationship. The Open Psychology Journal,14. https://doi.org/10.2174/1874350102114010300

Billingsley, B., & Bettini, E. (2019). Special education teacher attrition and retention: A review of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 89(5), 697–744. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654319862495

Hester, O. R., Bridges, S. A., & Rollins, L. H. (2020). Overworked and underappreciated: Special education teachers describe stress and attrition. Teacher Development, 24(3), 348-365. https://doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2020.1767189

Holzner, K.-L., & Gaunt, L. (2023). Wellbeing promotion in Tasmanian schools: Have we forgotten to support teachers? Australasian Journal of Special and Inclusive Education, 47(2), 96-109. https://doi.org/10.1017/jsi.2023.10

Let’s consider…

Feeling good should be a focus for us all and in my experience, it takes time to look after yourself. Many of us can see the effects of time being spent on the outward appearance of the body. For some people this may mean their hair is well groomed, cut and tendered, fingernails and toenails are manicured. For others it may mean a toned fit body or tailored stylish clothes. We all approach looking after our outward appearance in different ways depending on what we perceive as important and where we focus our times and funds. There are also many other areas where we need to focus our attention in terms of looking ourselves.  Consider positive thinking, exercise, diet, and sleep.

Food preparation can be shared by the whole family and in sharing how and why we prepare certain food we can educate our children about the importance of healthy eating. Food preparation also affords the opportunity for connection and belonging. We can look after our bodies in other ways as well. A basic way to do this is simply to ensure that we teach ourselves to think positively and nurture attributes such as resilience, mindfulness, hope, optimism and wisdom and act kindly. What are your thoughts?

Warm regards,

Susan