Adult Well-Being and Creating a Culture of Care

In recent years, educators have faced unprecedented upheaval and stress. While ensuring student well-being, self-care often becomes less of a priority. However, self-care is critical for educators.

In this episode, Dr. Christina Pate, Deputy Director of the U.S. Department of Education’s Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety, and host Danny Torres share a rich discussion about the importance of educator self-care for improved well-being and better student outcomes. Sr. Pate is also Director of Safe and Supportive Learning Environments (SSLE) services at WestEd.

As a leading voice in the field, Dr. Pate works to foster adult well-being, promotes trauma-informed practice and resilience, and improves cross-sector collaboration in ways that help improve outcomes for individuals and systems.

“We don’t have to be in perfect condition to be helpful,” Dr. Pate says, “but we certainly can’t be in a debilitating condition or under so much stress that we can’t really show up for other people…. To be helpful to others, we have to be helping ourselves first.”

Dr. Pate describes her personal experience of burnout and offers a framework for addressing educator well-being. Find out why self-care doesn’t mean spa days, learn practical strategies to support well-being, and much more.

Learn more about WestEd's Safe and Supportive Learning Environments services.

Transcript

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• Self-Care Strategies for Educators During the Coronavirus Crisis: Supporting Personal Social and Emotional Well-Being (PDF)
• Beyond SEL Audiocast
• Leading Voices: Creating Safe and Supportive Learning Environments – Dr. Christina Pate in Conversation with State and District Leaders (Archived Webinar)