PSEA is a community of education professionals who make a difference in the lives of students every day.
PSEA members’ work is incredibly valuable, and it can be as exhausting as it is rewarding. While we continue to advocate together for broader changes to make your work more manageable, it is also time to prioritize you. We want you to be healthy people – physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally – and PSEA is committed to supporting you in your journey of well-being.
Research has shown that there are things we can do to find calm in chaos, cultivate compassion, and engage in well-being practices to protect our brains and bodies from the negative effects of stress and uncertainty.
According to the highly-respected Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) https://casel.org/, social-emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which we “acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.”
While SEL shares some similarities with frequently used terms such as emotional intelligence, resilience, well-being, and self-care – there are specific components of SEL, especially for adults, that are unique.
You may think of these as skills just for kids simply because so much emphasis has been placed on SEL for students over the years. But the truth is that these are HUMAN skills and essential for each of us – children and adults alike – to learn, develop, and practice every day to help us thrive and live more fully in the moment.
The practices below in the five interrelated competency areas are tailored to the unique needs of our educators and support professionals. The practices were recorded by leaders from Create for Education. The goal of CREATE is “to nurture healthy, caring school communities that support social and emotional learning and teacher and principal wellness." (www.createforeducation.org/)
We encourage you to check back here regularly to find the latest resources, links, and events that might help you improve your own well-being.
If you are interested in courses about wellness and social and emotional learning for both educators and students, please check out our expanding list of learning opportunities on PEARL, PSEA’s online learning system (pearl.psea.org).
You matter to us. Your well-being is important to us. Please take care of yourself.
These videos are shared with the permission of Bounceback and may not be copied or reproduced. Bounceback is an online platform created by educators, designed to help educators and support staff reduce stress. It is a subscription service that includes effective practices for boosting well-being and Newscasts on stress management and adult social emotional learning competencies. Educators from across the country share their thoughts and feelings on these topics and discuss different ways they cope. Evidence-based strategies of breathing, movement, and mindfulness are presented by wellness-certified educators.
All segments are between one to 11 minutes, and educators can potentially earn professional development hours through this platform. (Decisions about whether or not to count Bounceback hours toward Chapter 14 or Act 48 requirements are made by administrators, on a district-by-district basis. PSEA cannot provide professional learning hours for program participation.) If you are interested in learning more about Bounceback for your local, contact swilliams@psea.org.
The practice of journaling helps us process the moments of our lives, allowing us to be present and more mindful. Science shows us that being mindful and present in the moment helps us more fully experience gratitude and joy in our lives. And who couldn’t use a little bit more joy these days?
Use this journal any way that works for you. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to use it!
