How to help fellow teachers in crisis

Class Dismissed

It's no secret that the stress of being an educator can take a toll on any teacher's mental health. But High School Humanities teacher, Henry Seton, is on a mission to let his fellow educators know the importance of talking openly about it. "It is OK to talk about the other ways you cope—your CrossFit and spin classes, your yoga and meditation sessions, even how hard you hit the caffeine or alcohol," says Seton. "But mentioning a therapy session is usually seen as a sign of weakness, an awkward overshare, keeping it too real." Seton believes we need to normalize discussions about mental health in the education workspace. In two recent Educational Leadership articles, Seton kept it very real. He shared his own experience of how a personal tragedy sent him into a depression, and he also wrote about challenges he faced after moving from Boston to Ohio and was forced to navigate a new school district. Seton is a superstar teacher. When teaching near Boston, he would have people from across the city come and observe his class and his students preformed exemplary on state tests. But "behind the scenes," Seton admits that he was barely making it and dealing with burnout. In Episode 179 of Class Dismissed, Seton tells us how at one point in his career, he almost entered into what he describes as a "doom loop," a negative and vicious cycle. He even consider quitting. But he shares how he broke free of his doom loop and he gives us tips on how school leaders can identify and break the negative cycle within their team. To hear our full discussion, listen to Class Dismissed Podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcasting app. All Rights Reserved. Class Dismissed Podcast 2017-2021