The ecosystem in public education is rapidly changing. Teachers are faced with rising assessment and curriculum demands, all while navigating diverse learning needs and behavioral challenges of their students (Gray, Wilcox, & Nordstokke, 2017). Upwards of 50% of early career teachers are leaving the profession. This exodus can be attributed to stress, burnout, inadequate preparation for the school environment (Mansfield et al., 2016). Sadly, at the end of the school day, many teachers are left feeling emotionally spent, physically and emotionally drained, and overextended in their role (van Tonder & Williams, 2009).
Fostering mental health for educators is critical. Teacher stress impacts mental health, physical health, and work performance greatly (e.g., anxiety, feelings of hopelessness, impaired cognitive skills, reduced empathy, physical symptoms, absenteeism). Poor teacher mental health impacts more than the individual, such as school climate and student success (van Tonder & Williams, 2009). If a teacher is chronically absent or is mentally withdrawn students receive inconsistent or unmotivating instruction. Further, the negative affect of the teacher can become contagious to students and create a negative learning environment.
What makes certain teachers remain in the profession and others leave? Mansfield and colleagues (2016) established compelling data indicating that teachers who possess personal resources (e.g., motivation, efficacy, and positive emotions), contextual resources, and strategies were likely to achieve overall wellbeing. The Learn It, Live It framework is based off this research and Greenfield’s (2015) research on protecting and promoting teacher resilience. Teacher resilience is comprised of dynamic interactions between beliefs, relationships, actions, and overcoming challenges. As each layer is developed, teacher resilience is therefore strengthened. Learn It, Live It, then, is a professional development program for teachers to develop the 5 layers of teacher flourishing to sustain a career in education and thrive. Components to develop each layer will be discussed.