The Art [Ed.] of Wellness Podcast

Research and Final Project Spring 2023 ItAG: Teacher Wellness

ItAG members: Janice Quiles-Reyes, Marianne Vormer, Vila Gao

Teacher burnout is a continuous conversation that is happening among educators everywhere. As an ItAG group, we were interested in looking at the different elements that lead to burnout, as well as resources and support for educators. We specifically looked at mental health, general responsibilities for teachers, and the increased stress with a lack of administrative support that teachers are experiencing. We also wanted to hear advice that current teachers have for new teachers entering the DOE to help subside some of this burnout. 

There are several reasons why our group wanted to focus on teacher wellness. As new art teachers about to enter the profession, it’s helpful to know what it’s like to be a teacher; questions such as the responsibilities, workload, and support from the community are just some of the things that we centered our conversations around. After learning about the burnout that teachers are experiencing, it was also essential to learn how teachers can actually work to overcome this burnout. Through research and interviews, our group was able to compile short podcast episodes that break down teacher wellness into the following episodes: teacher burnout, self-care rituals, and advice for new teachers. The podcast is meant to be supportive and helpful to new art teachers specifically, although new teachers in any subject area can benefit. Our team hopes that the podcast can inspire and shed some light on the profession as a whole, as well as prepare teachers for the role they are entering. 

https://open.spotify.com/show/0gGZxoIBwILSurxzWemNgw?si=68a61cb2351744df

We invite all those who listen to the podcast to record a sound bite or write a comment that connects back to our topic and can help generate a conversation around teacher wellness overall: https://www.videoask.com/fd7d1tsbu

Teacher wellness is a topic that everyone in the NYC Department of Education should be talking about, and we hope that this podcast not only serves as a resource for new teachers but also as a starting point for voicing concerns and opinions centering on teacher wellness.