Mental Health and Wellness

Table
of Contents
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Introduction

Objectives
of this Resource Guide
Background
Organization of this Guide

Letter
from Bob Chase, President, National Education Association

Section
I – Stress 101: A Primer on Stress for School Employees

Why Should
We Concern Ourselves about Employee Stress in Schools?
What is Stress?
What are the Symptoms of Stress?

Section
II – Violence and Schools: Separating Myth from Fact

Statistics
on School Violence
Violence Against Teachers: Are Schools Safe Places to Work?
Statistics on Violence Directed at Teachers
School Practices/Policies Related to Safety

Section
III – Reducing Violence-Related Stress in Schools

Violence-Related
Stress for School Staff: 4 Most Critical Stressors
What Can School Employees Do as Individuals to Reduce Stress?
Stress Busters
What Can School Systems Do to Reduce Stress?

• Build/sustain
  peer connections by providing intern programs, providing
  mentoring programs; designating teacher leaders; and organizing
  teaching teams.
• Involve
  teachers in decision-making.
• Provide
  recognition.
• Provide
  performance incentives that increase cooperation rather
  than foster competition.
• Build/support
  effective community involvement in schools.

• Build
  and maintain partnerships between schools and post-secondary
  schools of education and other post-secondary education
  institutions for pre-service and in-service training.
• Provide
  experiential learning and classroom simulation in pre-service
  and in-service training.
• Recognize
  and utilize existing expertise among school staff for in-service
  training and workshops.
• Develop
  and maintain school/community partnerships for access to
  community-based training and consultation resources.

• Develop
  clear, concrete, school-wide (i.e., for all classrooms and
  for all non-classroom school settings) expectations for
  student behavior.
• Effectively
  communicate expectations regarding discipline and student
  behavior to everyone in the school community.
• School
  leaders and administration must support school staff whenever
  they take action that is within school guidelines and/or
  policy to respond to student behavior or discipline problems.
• Identify/research
  best practices for your (i.e., the teacher’s or the school’s)
  particular needs.

• Training/participation
  in violence prevention programs.
• Provide
  a realistic assessment of risk and facilitate adequate,
  accurate communication among school personnel, parents and
  others.
• Maintain
  school safety and crisis response plans and procedures.
• Create/maintain
  partnerships with law enforcement, mental health and other
  community-based agencies and personnel.

Section
IV – Recommended Resources

School Violence
Prevention Resources
Resources
for Developing School Policies
Resources
for Building Parental Involvement and Community Partnerships
Classroom
Management/Student Discipline Resources
Resources
for Mental Health Following a Crisis
School
Violence and School Mental Health Information/Technical Assistance
Centers
Relevant
Resources from the NEA Professional Library

References

Project
Advisory Group

Introduction Letter from Robert Chase Full Table of Contents Section I – Stress 101: A Primer on Stress for School Employees Section II – Violence and Schools: Separating Myth from Fact Section III – Reducing Violence-Related Stress in Schools Section IV – Recommended Resources References Project Advisory Group