The Computer Analogy of Staff Well-Being
Laurie King
Teacher burnout is an issue. (Duh!) A recent ASCD article suggests it's helpful to consider teacher burnout through the lens of a computer:
The Charger: (Self-Care) Like charging your computer battery, self-care only sustains people for so long. Address the systems, policies, & conditions that "drain batteries" so quickly and reliably (e.g. A meditation room is useless if a teacher's only break is to use the bathroom & prep for the next class). This leads us to...
Software: (Curricula, Programs, Etc.) Running 15 programs on your computer at a time drains your battery. It's the same in schools. What can you stop or slow to preserve the "batteries" of your teachers? (e.g., Does implementing that new program outweigh the harmful effects?) This leads us to...
Hardware: (Efficacy, Skills, Strengths) Sometimes, we HAVE to do more. If we want teachers to persevere, we need to create conditions that build efficacy- HIGH-QUALITY coaching, realistic time-frames, and empathetic support (e.g. Repurpose staff meetings for peers to goal set & cover classes for peer observation & feedback) This leads us to...
WIFI: (Human Relationships, Connectedness) Create opportunities for authentic, positive human relationships between stakeholders--staff, administration, students, and community members (e.g. https://theworldcafe.com)
If this is interesting, you can read the article here: https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/educator-well-being-2-0