Teacher wellbeing is essential in an age of life-threatening events

Currently, Australian teachers are working with children in classrooms shaped by an unprecedented number of local, national and global life-threatening events. These include climate change, bushfires, floods, earthquakes, cyclones, drought, wars, shootings, terrorism and pandemics—both now and into the future. Such events can challenge a child’s sense of safety, predictability and control.

Excessive worry can have a significant negative impact on children, as well as adults. Supporting students to manage these fears has become an essential part of teaching practice.

While there are many practical strategies to support children who fear life-threatening events, [1] these can be thoughtfully summarised and grouped into key areas:

1. Create emotional safety and validation

• Acknowledge the child’s concerns
• Help the child to understand and cope with their feelings

Children need to feel heard and understood. Validating their fears without amplifying them is the first step in reducing anxiety.

2. Provide reassurance and perspective

• Provide perspective
• Build a sense of safety

Students benefit from calm, factual and developmentally appropriate information that helps them to place events in context and reinforces their immediate safety.

3. Strengthen connection and belonging

• Promote a sense of connection
• Increase understanding of diverse cultures

A strong sense of belonging, both within the classroom and the broader community, helps buffer feelings of fear and isolation.

4. Support agency (making good choices and decisions) and coping skills

• Provide a sense of control
• Teach relaxation techniques

When children feel they have some control, even in small ways, their anxiety reduces. Teaching practical coping strategies empowers them to respond to stress.

5. Work in partnership with families

• Communicate regularly with parents

Consistent communication helps ensure that children receive aligned support across home and school environments.

6. Plan and respond to disruption

• Plan the return to school after a school closure, or prolonged absence
• Make reasonable adjustments for affected students

Thoughtful planning and flexibility are critical in helping students transition back to learning following disruptive events.

7. Recognise the role of teacher wellbeing

• Looking after yourself

This final strategy is often the least prioritised, yet it underpins all others. Supporting students through distressing events requires significant emotional labour, making teacher wellbeing essential rather than optional.

Looking after yourself

Teachers and support staff need to model appropriate behaviours. Children will look to you to see how you are coping. Maintain an optimistic outlook whenever possible.

• Teachers need to be psychologically available to help meet the needs of students. That is, during the teaching day (and other times where possible) you need to be open to approaches from students and ready to focus on their wellbeing.
• Monitor and manage your emotions at school. Teachers will need to manage their own shock, grief, anxiety or anger before talking to students about an adverse event. While teachers may have their own stories to tell, they need to be careful about what is shared with children. While some shared experience may assist a number of students, avoid oversharing details of your own difficult experiences, issues and stresses to protect students from further distress or trauma.[2]
• Keep up your daily routines, especially those related to wellbeing.
• Practice mindfulness. Teaching and managing students and others is a complex process.
• Engage in activities you find relaxing such as walking, yoga, reading, listening to music, viewing TV or a film or meditating.
• Increase contact with your support networks. Arrange to see or speak regularly to your friends and family and any other key support people in your life.
• Read the Psych4Schools ebooklet, Working with colleagues Looking after yourself for tips and ideas about self-care.
• If you feel affected by the events, make time to talk with someone about it. If you need additional support, ask for it. Accept support if it is offered, even if you think it isn’t needed. For further information and advice to support friends, family and yourself to deal with any distress talk to your Principal or trusted member of the leadership team. School staff can often access Employee Assistance Programs through their employment that offer free confidential counselling with experienced psychologists.

Psych4Schools offers a comprehensive library of resources dedicated to enhancing the wellbeing, teaching and learning of children and young adolescents.

 

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Kind regards,

Murray Evely,

Psych4Schools Psychologist/Guidance Officer

You can contact us via email at: info@psych4schools.com.au

 

References

[1] Evely, M., and Ganim, Z., (2020) Working with children who fear life-threatening events (new edition), Psych4Schools ebooklet, Melbourne, Australia https://www.psych4schools.com.au/free-resource/fears-life-threatening-events-new-edition/

[2] Evely, M. & Ganim. (2015, November 15). ‘How to talk to your students about the terror attacks in Paris’ Psych4Schools blog. https://www.psych4schools.com.au/blog/how-to-talk-to-your-students-about-the-terror-attacks-in-paris/