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It's time for teachers to look after their mental health – here's how [TheGuardian.com]

During the safety briefing on every plane journey adults are reminded that, in case of an emergency, they are to secure their own oxygen masks before they help their children fit theirs. Why? Because it helps you look after children more effectively. The same is true of mental health, and it is something teachers should consider. After all, it is difficult to discuss good mental wellbeing in front of class if we, as adults, do not practise it ourselves.

Action to improve the mental health of teachers is certainly needed: worries about teacher workload has seen 67% of teachers state that their job had adversely impacted their mental or physical health, according to a recent NASUWT survey. This has led to suggestions that half a billion pounds should be transferred to schools to help them tackle the issue.

Which is why it’s worthwhile for teachers to look at these simple ways, informed by the latest NHS guidelines, to boost their mental health.



[For more of this story, written by Bradley Busch and Philippa Jeavons, go to http://www.theguardian.com/tea...l-health-mindfulness]

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Great post and excellent advice, however, as I teacher, I think there's a bigger issue at play and it isn't about individual mental health, but rather the school system and its culture. I don't find teaching exhausting; I find the bullying culture in which teaching sometimes occurs hard to handle. Especially in the private schools, there is a pressure to keep the brand first and foremost even if that means sweeping abuse issues under the carpet. This is immensely taxing on teacher mental health: those that commit the abuse; those that witness and either remain silent or report and suffer the consequences for breaking the code that all must remain silent to protect the brand and hence one's job. We need a better system for reporting abuse allegations and for dealing with them. Rather that protect teachers who abuse, the whole system would improve if these teachers or coaches were instantly away from kids and re-habilitated. They shouldn't return without a clean bill of psychological health and then be monitored. That would enormously improve the mental health of teachers and, needless to say, it would save our youth populations who are suffering so much mental illness it's shocking and distressing. I recently published an article on how we normalize a bullying culture in schools while we pour our resources into fire safety while fires don't take lives in schools, for any interested: 

http://bit.ly/1WRmnqX
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