Stellenbosch University’s (SU) faculty of education hopes that a new social impact initiative will help to promote the holistic well-being of teachers by tackling Covid-19 limitations within their profession.
During a recent event that formed part of the TeacherCalm social impact initiative launch, Prof Mbulungeni Madiba, dean of the faculty of education, emphasised the importance of mental and physical wellness amongst the teacher community. PHOTO: Micaleb Lawrence
This is according to Dr Elzahn Rinquest, a lecturer at the faculty of education at SU and co-ordinator of the TeacherCalm initiative.
TeacherCalm stems from a student project completed in 2021 and has been workshopped by both students and staff members of SU’s faculty of education to create the social impact initiative, Rinquest added.
Covid-19 and its impact on teaching
“There needs to be a shift in the way we start the day and the pandemic highlighted the need to establish spaces where the mental wellness of teachers are being taken into account,” said Rinquest.
Teachers who were unable to access all their students felt isolated during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, where a lack of resources to reach out to all their students highlighted the inequality in education, according to Rinquest.
Covid-19 had a significant psychological impact on teachers and, to combat this, “teachers should reach out and take the necessary leave from their duties”, said Ayesha Booley-Schreuder, a clinical psychologist at the launch.
Student teachers and teachers attended the Teacher Tribe event on 13 May, which formed part of the TeacherCalm initiative launch organised by Stellenbosch University’s faculty of education. Discussions were held on the limitations that the Covid- 19 pandemic brought to their profession, with clinical psychologists Kevashini Govender-Naidoo (left) and Ayesha Booley-Schreuder (right). PHOTO: Micaleb Lawrence
Calmer teachers moving forward
The launch of the initiative formed part of the SU faculty of education’s alumni week programme and included an Embodied Teachers Movement session, which took place on 10 May. The session was focused on the physical aspects of stress relievers for teachers and was led by Anja Venter, an Allhub Allied Health physiotherapist. This is according to Stephany Harrison, a third-year BEd foundation phase student.
Another event, a Teacher Tribe evening, took place on 13 May. This was “a safe space event where teachers could network and discuss the impact that Covid-19 had on their mental well-being and teaching”, stated Harrison.
A therapeutic drumming session formed part of the Teacher Tribe event for the TeacherCalm launch on 13 May, where attendees were guided by occupational therapist Shudete Liebenberg on using various tools to establish mental wellness. PHOTO: Micaleb Lawrence
TeacherCalm is an important initiative, as it provides teachers with tools to centre themselves before entering the classroom, stated Booley-Schreuder.
The initiative will continue to virtually connect teachers from Stellenbosch schools and the wider teacher communities, said Rinquest. It will also make use of funding through the sale of clothing merchandise and collaborations with the SU alumni department, she added.
The faculty of education has three missions, namely research, educating and social impact, according to Prof Mbulungeni Madiba, dean of the faculty of education. The faculty was able to use their research and social impact missions to have initiatives like TeacherCalm, according to Madiba.
Cassidy Whiteford (left) and Skylar Taylor (right) are amongst the nine student teachers of Stellenbosch University’s faculty of education who worked with Dr Elzahn Rinquest, lecturer at the faculty of education, on the TeacherCalm initiative. PHOTO: Micaleb Lawrence
“We want to use the resources we have, which are the students, to expand this [initiative] in a way that we can socially impact others and reach the wider student and teacher communities,” said Madiba at the event.