Teacher Aide Well-being In These Changing Times

Joyce Kattunilath
May 27, 2022
3 min read

Teacher Aide Well-being

Teacher aides, the all-rounders, play a crucial role in supporting and driving education outcomes for students. On a typical day, a paraprofessional will spend most of their time working with students with a disability or learning differences. Being an educator is extremely rewarding, especially when you get to be a part of a students' learning journey. While the job can be fulfilling and inspiring, it can also be exhausting - mentally and physically. As a teacher aide, one is expected to be flexible, adaptable, and, open to challenges and regular change on a continual basis. Moreover, you can be expected to take on many roles; with the list of tasks and responsibilities growing or stretching over time.

We all lead such busy lives which makes it easy to forget to put ourselves first. It’s a hard skill to ace especially when you grow up in a society that glamorizes putting others above yourself. It's no secret that most of us get stressed at work at some point in our lives. Therefore, it is more than crucial as to how we manage stress, avoid burnouts and talk to our colleagues about each other's mental health and well-being. Supporting Well-being is critical to having a balanced and healthy approach to your work life and should take top priority.

Aides are often underrated and underappreciated for all the work they do but do remember that you make a significant impact on student well-being and learning. Thus, for an aide to make 'that significant impact', you have to prioritize your well-being first and foremost. I so love this old saying, "You can't pour from an empty cup." It is a well-repeated phrase that essentially means we cannot give to others if we are not taking care of ourselves. And it’s important to do so because get this, nobody else is going to do that for you. One cannot rely entirely on schools or institutions to look after our health and well-being. It is up-to us, to find ways and approaches to a healthy work- life balance and in looking after our wellness and well-being. We need to look after ourselves and those we work with if we are to keep teaching, learning and engaging with our students positively.

Practice Positive Affirmations:

Have a list of positive affirmations or even better create your own positive statements to remind 'why you do what you do'.

Self-care

Self-care doesn't have to be complicated. It can be simple things like:

Growth Mindset

Create clear, realistic goals based on your passion and purpose. And be sure to give yourself enough time to conquer them thoroughly.

Practice Gratitude

Take the time to reflect on the things that you are thankful for, the positive things that happen to you and actively acknowledge those who have helped you. This will enable you to become better at recognizing the good in your life, which helps you feel more grateful and thankful.

Talk to your colleagues - Look after ourselves and look out for others' well-being too.

Make sure you have someone you can talk to, and while it may seem daunting to start these conversations, it really doesn't have to be. Having a supportive friend or colleague can help us get stronger, keep us grounded and get things in perspective. At the same time stay alert and give people chances to open up and be heard, this can genuinely make a difference in someone’s work-life.

Celebrate and appreciate yourself

Celebrate your achievements—big or small, as all of us have one life with no knowledge of the timeline, so don’t waste time pushing your celebrations or downplaying your achievements.