Graduation Date
Spring 2024
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Arts degree with a major in Education
Committee Chair Name
Dr. Sara Sterner
Committee Chair Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Amanda Dinscore
Second Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Keywords
PK-12 Education, Educator well-being, Loving kindness, Critical spiritual pedagogy, Post-intentional phenomenology
Subject Categories
Education
Abstract
The present-day educational system in the United States faces numerous stressors. During the global pandemic, educators provided crucial support for families and students while they simultaneously figured out how to teach in a virtual learning environment. In subsequent years, the impacts of school closures have persisted, challenging educators to meet the unique needs of their school communities. With teachers leaving the profession and an overall difficulty in hiring and maintaining an educational workforce, this study aims to better understand educator well-being to support transformative change within the PK-12 school system. The phenomenon of well-being was explored with participants from a rural Northern California community who attended a virtual four week workshop where they practiced and learned about loving kindness meditation. The workshop offered an opportunity for educators to learn about the reported outcomes associated with the practice of loving kindness meditation and apply those concepts to their roles in the PK-12 school system. Utilizing a post-intentional phenomenological approach, the study sheds light on the lived experience of educator well-being, exploring how it can be promoted, disrupted, cultivated, and sustained in school communities.
Citation Style
APA
Recommended Citation
Wylie, Beth A., "Educator well-being in a system that is unwell" (2024). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 756.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/756