Editorial [International Journal of Emotional Education, 17(2)]

Abstract

The wellbeing and mental health of schoolteachers and educators have been receiving increasing attention due to the reported high levels of stress, putting teachers at risk of burnout, attrition and mental health issues. The nature of the profession itself, deeply rooted in complex social interactions, warrants proactive strategies to promote and protect teachers’ wellbeing through preventative policies and practices as well interventions to support teachers in managing effectively the stresses of the profession. In a critical discussion of this theme, Cavioni and colleagues (Italy) argue that this issue cannot be effectively addressed through isolated or exclusive individual-level strategies, but through an acknowledgment of the interdependent personal, relational and institutional nature of teacher wellbeing as well as systemic, preventive, and structured approaches embedded within educational policy and practice. Construing teacher wellbeing and mental health as a matter of personal responsibility ostracised from the organisational, relational and systemic contexts in which the profession is situated, only serves to prolong and exacerbate the challenges and increase teacher burnout and attrition. [excerpt]