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

Included in

Education Commons

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