Deep Care and Concern for Student Well-Being

Deep care and concern for student well-being was a key theme in the data collected in Jorgensen&s;s study on teacher longevity in education. Teachers expressed a deep commitment to supporting students in their holistic development. This chapter includes data from the study as well as a series of mindsets and approaches to help teachers sustain deep care and concern for students. Teachers who last find a way to care for themselves and choose productive thinking patterns rather than falling into cynicism and self-doubt. This chapter offers ideas and strategies to bolster joy, hope and optimism in the daily work of educators. Every learner walks into an educational space with a story, and this chapter helps teachers find a way to celebrate students for who they are and what they bring to the classroom community. Teachers who care for their students deeply and accept them as they are, create conditions for optimal learning and sustain themselves in their work.