How the system is breaking teachers | Sandi Herrera | TEDxPortsmouth

Key Concepts

• Educator mental health crisis
• Psychological safety in schools
• Trauma-informed practices
• MIWI School Framework (Mi, Wi, School levels)
• Core values alignment
• Teacher retention
• Student achievement
• Self-regulation and co-regulation

The Educator Mental Health Crisis

• The speaker highlights the severe mental health crisis among educators, exacerbated by school shootings and lack of support.
• Over 400 school shooting incidents in the last two years contribute to educator stress.
• Statistics:
  • One in four educators is considering quitting within the next year.
  • Over half of educators report that their mental health has negatively impacted their ability to teach.
  • 40% of educators will leave the profession within the next 5 years.
  • There are 500,000+ fewer educators post-pandemic.
• Educators are often the "first line of defense" without adequate resources.

The MIWI School Framework

• The speaker introduces the MIWI school framework, a model designed through decades of applied research to cultivate comprehensive, sustainable, psychologically safe, thriving working and learning environments.
• The framework operates on three levels: Mi (individual), Wi (team/culture), and School (systemic).

MI Level: Strengthening Leadership and Trauma-Informed Systems

• Year one focuses on the "Mi" level, emphasizing self-awareness and well-being for the leadership team.
• Trauma-informed systems are implemented to reduce staff isolation.
• The program includes education on the neuroscience of psychological safety and the science of happiness.
• The core idea is that educators cannot effectively support others if they are struggling themselves.

WI Level: Building a Culture Leadership Team and Aligning Core Values

• Year two focuses on the "Wi" level, building a culture leadership team of passionate educators.
• The team articulates school-wide core values derived from the personal core values of every member of the school community.
• This process aims to create clarity and connectedness among educators as values-aligned leaders.

School Level: Systemic Integration of Core Values

• Year three focuses on the "School" level, integrating core values into every aspect of the school's systems and structures.
• All systems, from classroom management to student welcome processes, are redesigned through the lens of the MIWI school model.
• The goal is to ensure that every member of the school community feels seen, heard, and valued.

Impact of Psychological Safety

• The speaker emphasizes that when educators feel psychologically safe, positive changes occur across the school environment.
• Schools with staff trained in trauma-informed practices see a 43% decrease in behavioral issues.
• Educators who feel psychologically safe see an 11 to 17% increase in student achievement.
• Focusing on educator well-being leads to increased teacher retention rates and improved student outcomes.

Case Study: Transformation of a High-Violence School

• The speaker shares a case study of a high school known for violence and failing test scores.
• Using the MIWI framework, the school achieved significant improvements:
  • Increased teacher retention by 15%.
  • Increased graduation rate by 30%.
  • Became the number one scholarship school in a district of 357 schools.
• The school created a culture where every member felt seen, heard, and valued.

Call to Action: Real Mental Health Support and Trauma-Informed Practices

• The speaker calls on leaders to provide real mental health support for educators, beyond superficial self-care seminars.
• Trauma-informed practices are essential, involving:
  • Recognizing signs of stress and dysregulation.
  • Understanding one's own nervous system and how it responds to stress.
  • Learning self-regulation techniques.
  • Co-creating psychologically safe classrooms.

Ripple Effect and Creating a Better Future

• Creating psychologically safe classrooms has a ripple effect, impacting families, communities, and companies.
• The ultimate goal is to create thriving students who grow into thriving adults.
• By focusing on the well-being of educators, we enable them to do their best work and raise children who become thriving adults, parents, caregivers, educators, entrepreneurs, and leaders.

Notable Quotes

• "You can't support others when you're barely surviving yourself."
• "Being trauma-informed simply means recognizing signs of stress and dysregulation."

Conclusion

The speaker argues that addressing the educator mental health crisis through comprehensive, trauma-informed practices and frameworks like MIWI is crucial for creating psychologically safe and thriving school environments. By prioritizing educator well-being, schools can improve teacher retention, student achievement, and ultimately contribute to a better future for all.