Teacher Loneliness

Lonely as a teacher? Do you ask yourself where your people are? Does your school discourage you from talking about your personal life or advocating for your mental well-being? Do you wonder why the professional development you are offered never seems to energize you? Do you laugh and secretly cry every time you hear about how well Finnish teachers are doing? In a research article in the International Journal for the Practice and Theory of Creative Writing, the authors note: “Both the academic literature and educational policy documents have emphasized that in order to support teachers’ professional development, teachers should be offered both individual and personally inspiring education that facilitates the development of both teachers and school communities.” What’s your story? How could you be supported more at your school?