Teaching can be a highly satisfying profession, but it can also be overwhelming. Stress management. Self-care. Mental well-being. Mindfulness. These words have become all too familiar, but what do they actually mean for you? And how can they help without adding to your to-do list?
All teachers have different experiences and different needs. Through stories by diverse educators, this professional resource invites you to try different wellness strategies, explore varying perspectives, and consider new ideas of what it means to "be well."
Grounded in servant leadership and a holistic model, each chapter connects to Indigenous perspectives of wellness through remarks from Elder Stanley Kipling and Knowledge Keeper Richelle North Star Scott.
Cher Brasok is the founder of Connect to your Calm. When stress destroyed her health, Cher's recovery was dependent on learning how to better cope. Her path back to health included studying and putting into practice what she learned from experts in positive psychology, Western medicine, Eastern medicine, naturopathic medicine, and mindfulness. Now that she is a successful entrepreneur, stress still happens, but she deals with it differently. Cher is on a mission to share what she knows about wellness and coping with stress, all in the spirit of helping people develop healthy habits for their physical and emotional well-being.
Monika Cichosz Rosney, BA, BEd, is a Polish-born settler with more than a decade of experience teaching students of all ages, from infants to adults. Navigating multiple cultures from childhood and learning about her privilege, place, intergenerational stories, and resilience informs Monika's wellness journey. Teaching relationships shaped Monika's change of focus from academics to healing and social justice. Now, working on her Master of Marriage and Family Therapy, she supports culturally congruent community care as a powerful foundation for self-care, equity, and wellness. Monika is grateful for continued spiritual development as a relational therapist, new parent, and contributing author. She lives in Winnipeg on Treaty 1 territory with her spouse and child.
Laura Doney is a Certified Canadian Counsellor and currently works as a therapist in Calgary, Alberta. Laura has worked in school districts for seven years in multiple roles. She completed a master of counselling degree and focused her graduate thesis on teacher mental health. Her passion for personal development and well-being is rooted in her own personal work and the belief that we are all here to learn and grow. She has presented at numerous educational conferences and conventions about the importance of personal and systemic well-being.
Dana Fulwiler Volk, BEd, MEd, MAPP, is a learner, educator, consultant, and co-founder of a well-being podcast and professional learning platform called Teacher Fan Club. Dana's experience spans public education, non-profit, and post-secondary, including roles as a classroom teacher, system leader, and instructor with the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary and the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Dana's current work is focused on helping individuals, workplaces, and organizational systems infuse research-informed, inclusive, and sustainable well-being practices.
Jackie Gagné is a vice principal in the St. James-Assiniboia School Division in Winnipeg. She is an enthusiastic supporter of arts programming in public schools and believes that all children should be immersed in engaging arts-based experiences throughout their education. Jackie is a former arts and integrated arts coordinator for the division. She enjoys time with family, playing piano and guitar, painting, listening to music, live events, and long drives in the countryside.
