An age-old Sanskrit aphorism from the Indian Philosophy aptly illuminates the primacy of the Teacher in an individual’s life i.e., ‘Gurustu dipavanmargadarsakah’ which means ‘The Teacher is like a lamp which lights up the path’ (Iyengar & Rao, 2012). Teachers are the social and emotional role models for learners as they support building their social and emotional facets of life (Pande & Dinakar, 2022). Teachers and teacher quality are the critical factors impacting learners’ achievements in the school (Berthoud & Jenkins, 2021).
By far, the growth and enhancement of learners’ social and emotional needs have discoursed widely in academic discussions around the globe but now teachers’ social and emotional well-being has also gained momentum (Cristovao et al., 2020). ‘Teaching is an emotional practice’ (Hargreaves, 2000, p.824). Emotional understanding toward other human beings and the appropriate self-management of emotions by teachers are prime factors for better interpersonal relationships in the organisation (Cristovao et al., 2020).
Dean Cain’s famous quote “Real heroes don’t wear capes” (Cain, n.d), reminds me of the unprecedented challenges being faced by the teachers as frontline workers in the education system world over due to Covid-19. During the pandemic and subsequent lockdown of educational institutions, teachers relentlessly discharged their roles and responsibilities to balance the learning trajectory and health of the learners.
Post lockdown, studies conducted at the International and National levels highlighted the social and emotional impact of the pandemic on the teacher’s well-being. According to UNESCO, the shift to digital platforms becomes messy and frustrating for teachers and school closures lead to separations for them (UNESCO, 2021). Teachers have faced different psychological symptoms, like stress, anxiety, and depression, worldwide (Ozamiz-Etxebarria et.al., 2021a). Varied observational studies conducted in different parts of the continents such as Asia (China, Malaysia, India), Europe (Spain), North America (USA), and South America (Ecuador) highlighted the prevalence of psychological symptoms like depression, stress, anxiety, distress, uncertainty, sadness among the educators (Li et al., 2020; Wong et al., 2021; Ozamiz-Etxebarria et al., 2021b; Hidalgo-Andrade et al., 2021; Evanoff et al., 2020; Pande & Dinakar, 2022).
Teachers’ well-being is a complex phenomenon seen from the perspective of varied subjective indicators, like the absence of adverse circumstances such as stress, demotivation, burnout; personal enrichment, self-actualization, etc (Garcia-Alvarez et.al., 2021). As seen above how the pandemic breakout has resulted in negative consequences for the health, social and mental well-being of teachers, government and organizations around the globe have worked and are working to support teachers’ well-being.
Acknowledging teachers as the driving force behind global education recovery post-COVID-19, the United Nations has called for increased investment in the well-being, training, working conditions, and continuous professional development of 71 million educators around the world (UN, 2021). International organizations like UNESCO, UNICEF, ILO, and Education International accentuated the critical role of teachers during the pandemic and renew focus on teachers’ well-being and continuous professional development for effective digital adaptation in the classrooms (UN, 2021).
UNICEF Middle East and North Africa division (MENA) has developed a teacher’s training module titled ‘Ready to Come Back: A Teacher Preparedness Training Package’ which provides relevant information, tools, and suggestions to balance safety, security, and well-being with teaching-learning in the educational institutions (UNICEF MENA, 2020).
Save the Children organization has partnered with the countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, occupied Palestinian territory, Lebanon and Iraq, and Myanmar, in adopting different strategies to support teachers’ well-being such as the provision of interactive digital modules via smartphones, and launching WhatsApp groups for sharing information, etc (Berthoud & Jenkins, 2021).
In India, around 6 million teachers were at the forefront during the Covid-19 outbreak to ensure seamless teaching-learning transmission in all the nooks and corners of the country (Chari, 2020). Professional development and knowledge gradation; self-help strategies like meditation, yoga, etc., & enhanced inter-personal interactions with family, peers, students, and community members, were some of the strategies adopted by the educators for their social and psychological well-being (Pande & Dinakar, 2022).
The theme of World Teachers’ Day 2022 ‘The transformation of education begins with teachers’, aptly resonates the significance of the educators as the pivot of the educational transformations witnessed around the world and accentuates the commitment and actions toward the wellbeing of the teachers and build more resilient education systems (UNESCO, 2022).
True, not all real heroes wear capes but all heroes do ‘wear hopes and share hopes’ and we all have experienced it at some point in our life.
HAPPY TEACHERS’ DAY!
About the Author: Jayshree Pande is a consultant closely working with the Research and impact team at Dream a Dream, She is an Erasmus Mundus Research Scholar in Education policies with around 8 years of experience in development sectors in India and Mexico.
References
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Chari, R. (2020, July 3). Teacher wellbeing & self-care in Covid times. The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/edutrends-india/teacher-wellbeing-self-care-in-covid-times/
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