The Well Teacher | humanworks press | Blog

  • 5 Trends in Teacher Wellness to Watch Out for in 2021

    In “normal” years, there are somewhat predictable wellness patterns with the teachers we work with; the challenges that teachers experience and when they tend to experience them have a general flow. In 2020 though, the word “unpredictable” just doesn’t seem to do it justice. Teacher wellness was challenged in unexpected and difficult ways. And, with today marking the first day back in the classroom for many, we think it’s a good time to look back at some of those unique struggles that emerged for teachers throughout 2020 and that we should keep in mind as we move forward into 2021.
  • Teachers & Obesity: New Clinical Practice Guidelines

    As the school year approached in August, teachers, and those of us who support teacher wellness, were firmly focused on COVID-19 and the upcoming school year. And, rightly so. No one knew what was to come, and it seemed as though things were changing by the hour. However, buried in the non-stop health information that was coming at us before the start of the new school year was the fact that the Canadian obesity guidelines had been updated for the first time since 2007. While we don’t know exactly how many Canadian teachers are affected by obesity, we do know that approximately 26.4% (8.3 million) of Canadians over the age of 18 are classified as “obese” (Twells, Janssen, & Luk, 2018). And, if this proportion translates directly to the Canadian teacher population, we could estimate that roughly 202,849 teachers across Canada are struggling with obesity – a not insignificant number. 
  • Teacher Work-Life Balance: 5 Helpful Tips for a Smoother Daily Transition from the Classroom to Home Life

    Teaching is such a mentally and physically demanding profession that transitioning from the classroom to home life can feel downright impossible. We have heard many teachers struggle with feeling like they are present at home in body only. No matter the job or the workload, the inability to coalesce both body and mind into the present can leave anyone with an unhealthy sense of imbalance.
  • New Year, New You. But, is it Really?

    Welcome to the new decade. Here we are. The New Year is supposed to feel cleansing, exciting, and brimming with possibilities. But, as we tuck the sparklers and the confetti away for next year, it turns out this New Year may not actually feel very new at all. Especially when, for most of us, the holiday season feels hectic and exhausting, and we come back to work still fighting the same cold we had three weeks ago.  So, as a teacher, how do you get yourself through the rest of the school year without burning out?

  • Canada's Food Guide 2019: A New Approach to Healthy Eating

    The Government of Canada had previously announced that the new guide would revise the types of foods recommended for healthy eating patterns. This week, the government delivered on that promise. Instead of telling us which food groups to eat from and how many servings we should be having of each every day, the new guide is in some ways much broader – directing us to eat more intuitively, opt for plenty of vegetables and fruits, and choose protein-rich and whole grain foods. And, don’t forget to hydrate; water is now the recommended drink of choice.