Simone FH BanksFollow

Conference Strand

Social Change, Leadership, and Advocacy

Abstract

Teachers in US public schools are in the midst of a workforce crisis. Mounting responsibilities, struggling to make a liveable wage, and the impact teaching has on a person’s mental health are reasons why teachesr are leaving the profession in huge numbers. This presentation will highlight the impact the current system has on teachers’ mental health.

Description

During the COVID-19 pandemic, schools were shut down and teachers were considered superheroes. However, when schools opened back up, it was back to business as usual. Current data shows that teachers are leaving at a higher rate than ever after the pandemic. Teachers report they are anxious, depressed, and more stressed out than before March 2020. Teachers report less job satisfaction, changes in their eating patterns, fatigue, and an inability to relax during down time. With the teacher shortage rising it has become imperative for academic institutions and K-12 stakeholders to find ways to support teachers-in-training and current teachers with their mental health. Studies show that teachers with strong support systems have high mental health literacy, coping tendencies, and life satisfaction. Teachers that struggle with anxiety and depression have issues with executive functioning, memory, decision making, building rapport, and overall job performance. In this session, we will discuss the current issues with teachers’ mental health, why social emotional learning isn’t just for students but teachers in K-12 settings, and ways K-12 stakeholders can help teachers not only survive but thrive in the classroom.

Presentation Objectives:

  • Define mental health literacy, psychosomatic symptoms, and social emotional learning

  • Identify major issues plaguing the classroom teachers

  • Distinguish how social emotional learning presents in students and teachers

  • List the psychosomatic symptoms that classroom teachers experience frequently

  • Illustrate ways that K-12 stakeholders can support teachers’ mental health

  • Describe the toll mental health concerns take on teachers’ performance and students’ performance

  • Develop practical strategies that will support classroom teachers’ mental health

Evidence

  • Barnum, M. (2022, March). More teachers are leaving the classroom after last school year . Retrieved November 26, 2023, from https://www.chalkbeat.org/2023/3/6/23624340/teacher-turnover-leaving-the-profession-quitting-higher-rate/

  • Ferguson, K., James, Y., & Bourgeault, I. L. (2022). Teacher Mental Health and Leaves of Absences: A Pilot Study Examining Gender and Care. Canadian Journal of Education/Revue Canadienne De L, 45(2), 315-349. https://doi.org/10.53967/cje-rce.v45i2.4485

  • Grose, J. Opinion | People Don’t Want to Be Teachers Anymore. Can You Blame Them?. Retrieved November 26, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/13/opinion/teachers-schools-students-parents.html

  • Kim, L. E., Oxley, L., & Asbury, K. (2021). “My brain feels like a browser with 100 tabs open”: A longitudinal study of teachers’ mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 92, 299-318. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/cjpdx

  • Markowitz, A. J., & Bassok, D. (2022). Understanding the wellbeing of early educators in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic: Lessons from Louisiana. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 61, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2022.05.001

  • McLean, L., Abry, T., Taylor, M., & Gaias, L. (2020). The influence of adverse classroom and school experiences on first year teachers’ mental health and career optimism. Teaching and Teacher Education, 87, 1-2. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.102956

  • Rodriguez, V., Rojas, N. M., Rabadi-Raol, A., Souto-Manning, M. V., & Brotman, L. M. (2022). Silent expectations: An exploration of women pre-Kindergarten teachers’ mental health and wellness during Covid-19 and beyond. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 60(3), 80-95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2021.12.006

  • White , J. (2020). Supporting teachers’ mental health and wellbeing: Evidence review. NHS Health Scotland . Retrieved from supporting-teachers-mental-health-and-wellbeing-english-feb2020.pdf

Format

Individual Presentations

Biographical Sketch

Simone French Hall Banks M. Ed LCMHC PSC (she/her) is a Chicago native who got her Bachelors in History from Howard University and her Masters in Counselor Education from LSU. Mrs. Banks has worked with young folks in Baton Rouge, Champaign (IL), Charlotte, Newark (NJ), and Washington D.C. Simone is a third generation educator and second generation counselor, who is committed to continuing the legacy of serving marginalized communities. Simone has worked in K-12, community based, non-profit settings and now private practice in the state of North Carolina. Simone has experience working with couples, families, groups, and individuals on a variety of topics including: anxiety, depression, grief, family dynamics, relationship dynamics, PTSD, and work-life balance. As a cis-het Black woman, wife, former educator and mother, Simone uses advocacy and her exeperiences to guide her practice.

Location

Room 147

Start Date

3-7-2024 10:30 AM

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Mar 7th, 10:30 AM

Hurting the Helpers: Mental Health and the United States’ Education System

Room 147

Teachers in US public schools are in the midst of a workforce crisis. Mounting responsibilities, struggling to make a liveable wage, and the impact teaching has on a person’s mental health are reasons why teachesr are leaving the profession in huge numbers. This presentation will highlight the impact the current system has on teachers’ mental health.