March 2025 Edition

“The classroom remains the most radical space of possibility… urging us to open our minds and hearts so that we can know beyond the boundaries of what is acceptable, so that we can think and rethink, so that we can create new visions.”

by Bell Hooks, Teaching to Transgress

At the North Carolina Center for Resilience and Learning, we recognize and highlight self-care and collective care as key components to cultivating trauma-informed, resilience-focused environments for learning. Through our work with school teams, we sometimes encounter misconceptions about the value of self-care. In educational settings, where student well-being is a primary focus, the needs of educators can sometimes be overlooked and neglected. The misconception that self-care is a luxury rather than a necessity can lead to burnout and stress, which can lead to unintentional adverse effects on students. However, by normalizing self-care through training, sharing among staff, and modeling by school leaders, educators can begin and continue to integrate practical self-care into their daily routines. Doing so will ultimately improve their own well-being, their students' experiences, and the overall culture and climate of the school.

First, it’s important to understand that self-care doesn’t have to be elaborate, time-consuming, or expensive.

For example, allowing quick 60-second breaks throughout the day to pause and/or move around, remembering to drink water, and getting fresh air when possible can all be extremely helpful and can be done with students. Taking a walk right after school responsibilities are completed can be a healthy way to mark the end of the workday.

Second, self-care extends beyond physical health and includes attending to emotional and mental needs and well-being.

Educators can benefit from mindfulness practices, journaling, or regularly talking with a trusted colleague. These small moments of reflection and connection can reduce stress and prevent feelings of isolation. Creating boundaries between work and personal life is also critical. Establishing time for personal relationships, hobbies, and relaxation helps teachers recharge and remain connected to their priorities outside the classroom. 

School leaders play a crucial role in fostering an environment where educators and staff feel supported to prioritize and practice self-care.



Establishing open lines of communication, modeling and encouraging work-life balance, reducing extraneous tasks and responsibilities from the workday, and intentionally cultivating a positive community among the adults can all help build a culture of collective care within schools.

For example, at W.D. Williams Elementary School in Buncombe County, Principal Christy Jones, AP Kristen Frisbee, and School Counselor Kelli Pritchard collaborate to prioritize educator well-being through an established Tap in/Tap out System, the creation of a Staff Wellness Room equipped with snacks, comfortable seating, and soft lighting, and ensuring teachers have time to connect and share celebrations, concerns, and/or questions during monthly staff meetings. The strategies implemented at W.D. Williams highlight that one of the most important ways we can practice self-care is by recognizing when we need support and asking for it.

Teachers from a few of our partner schools serve as positive models for the benefits of practicing self-care. They also highlight that self-care is personalized and different for everyone. The more we share our practices with each other, the more we give each other permission to figure out what suits us best:

Meet Lizzy Carver, an 8th-grade social Studies teacher and Resilience Team member at Swain County Middle School! Lizzy says practical self-care at home is the foundation to being equipped to show up for and with her students the way she wants to each day. For Lizzy, self-care at home involves finding joy and gratitude in daily routines and supportive relationships. Students in Lizzy’s classroom, which feels like a warm, welcoming home, know they belong. 

Meet Ashlee Steen, a 2nd grade teacher and Resilience Team member at Blue Ridge School in Jackson County. Ashlee likens self-care to self-love and says it’s necessary not only as a teacher but as a person existing in the world. She utilizes a wide variety of self-care practices and shares that spending time with her cats is her favorite. Ashlee’s classroom is full of humor, supportive relationships, and hard work.

Meet Sam Marines, a 6th grade ELA and Social Studies teacher, and Restorative Practices and SEL team leader at Enka Intermediate School in Buncombe County. Sam enjoys yoga as a personal practice for self-care. She shares her passion as a yoga teacher-in-training with her colleagues by regularly offering after-school sessions.  

Educators taking care of themselves is not a selfish act, but rather a necessary one. By “necessary,” we don’t mean one more thing added to the already full plates of educators – rather that it’s possible for self-care to become the foundation by which all aspects of teaching and learning grow. When school leaders take actions to prioritize and encourage self-care practices among educators and staff, they are helping educators stay connected to their values and passions, sustaining the work they do with colleagues and students. Self-care is a vital practice towards fostering collective care in our schools and our communities, preparing us to reach our fullest potential, both individually and together. 

Emotional Phases of a Disaster: Collective Reactions

Resources for Self-Care and Collective Care Practices:

1. Resilience & Learning Resource Page
2. Happiness Calendar for Educators
3. Personal Wellness Plan template
4. Help Yourself Relax with These 6 Calming Breathing GIFs
5. The Teacher Self-Care Toolkit
6. Happy Teachers Change the World by Thich Nhat Hanh and Katherine Weare 
7. Self-Care Resources for Teachers and Other Helping Professionals 
8. Self-Care: 12 Key Questions to Figure Out What Works for YOU

Transforming Schools into Safe and Resilient Environments

by Erica Ilcyn

Deep down, you know the truth: We can’t discipline our way to a safe and supportive school. 

It’s time for a different approach—

one that doesn’t just react to problems but transforms the conditions that create them.

This is the journey toward becoming a resilience-focused school district, one that prioritizes proactive solutions over reactive discipline and builds a culture where students feel safe, valued, and supported—before a crisis occurs. 

This St. Louis school district banned smartphones entirely

by Nicholas Phillips

... as districts try to manage the use of those addictive miracle machines in everyone’s back pocket. But the crisis is especially acute at Normandy, which, according to Campbell, has experienced all manner of smartphone-facilitiated dysfunction as of late: scheduled fights in the bathroom, cyberbullying, and the release of intimate texts. Just as worrisome is the fact that, in terms of academics, Normandy sits in the bottom three percentile of public districts in Missouri.

State Board of Education considers recommendations for school psychologist shortage

by Chantel Brown, EdNC

The Whole Child North Carolina Advisory Committee was established to identify and review nonacademic barriers that students face and then make recommendations to the Board. The committee has 22 members from several organizations and state agencies. 

From these priorities, representatives from the committee and NC Healthy Schools gave policy recommendations to the Board this month. “We know that non-academic barriers are very challenging, not going to be solved overnight, and not by one committee.” Susanne Schmal, a consultant for NC Healthy Schools and Specialized Instructional Support, said. 

WNC Resilience Project Brings Region’s Educators and Leaders Together to Move Forward

by Caroline Parker

Open Way Learning led a WNC focused education and community initiative four months after Hurricane Helene made landfall in the region. The project’s goal is to reimagine education — leveraging the strengths, cultural richness, and known resiliency of the area. In acknowledging the challenges and devastation brought in by Helene, the hope is to emerge with innovation in the aftermath.

Over 70 people from 18 different school districts attended the two-day workshop. Educators, counselors, civic leaders, and nonprofits were all in the room. The event began with a grounding exercise — using the disaster as an opportunity to connect and grow.

Elizabeth DeKonty

Director

NC Center for Resilience & Learning

(Raleigh, NC)

Eulanda Thorne

Program Manager

NC Center for Resilience & Learning

(Wilson, NC)

Brian Randall

Western Senior Program Manager

NC Center for Resilience & Learning

(Asheville, NC)

Michelle Harris Jefferson

Sr. Program Manager of Professional Learning

NC Center for Resilience & Learning

(Greensboro, NC)

Orlando Dobbin, Jr

Eastern Senior Program Manager

NC Center for Resilience & Learning

(Greenville, NC)

Stacey Craig

Program Manager

NC Center for Resilience & Learning

(Raleigh, NC)

Leslie Blaich

Program Manager

NC Center for Resilience & Learning

(Asheville , NC)

Rebecca Stern

Consultant

NC Center for Resilience & Learning

(Carrboro, NC)

Ervin Jones

Consultant

NC Center for Resilience & Learning

(Elizabeth City, NC)

Katie Rosanbalm

Research & Evaluation Partner

NC Center for Resilience & Learning

(Duke University)

Whitney N. McCoy, Ph.D

Research & Evaluation Partner

(Duke University)

Jessica Edwards

Program Coordinator

NC Center for Resilience & Learning

(Nashville, NC)

Angela Mendell

Program Manager

NC Center for Resilience & Learning

(Elizabethtown, NC)

The Resilience Reader is published monthly by the Public School Forum of NC and distributed to Forum members, educators, policymakers, donors, media, and subscribers -- or anyone interested in issues such as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), childhood trauma, resilience and the power of trauma-informed schools and communities.

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