Every teacher is a teacher of ‘wellbeing’, says expert

Every teacher working in schools today is a teacher of “well-being”, according to a leading education consultant.
21st January 2016, 4:30pm

Share

Every teacher is a teacher of ‘wellbeing’, says expert

https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/every-teacher-teacher-wellbeing-says-expert
Thumbnail

Dan Haelser, who has taught in both the UK and Australia, said that teachers can no longer say they do not have a role to play in personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) as it effects every aspect of their work.

Earlier this month, the chairs of four Commons select committees wrote to education secretary Nicky Morgan to make PSHE statutory. 

Mr Haesler, an educator and writer, told the education technology conference Bett that how attached a student feels to their school is a “very strong predictor of whether a child will suffer from depression”.

“So when a teacher says ‘All this PSHE stuff is really not my thing’, I am afraid they’re wrong,” he said. “The point is every single one of us is a teacher of wellbeing. And if you ask how important this is, it turns out school belonging is more important in terms of wellbeing than how attached they are to their parents.”

Teaching in the 21st century is about trying to help kids to “connect and belong”, he added.

The educationist claimed that the reason why young people spend so much of their time online is because “it is where they feel they belong”.

And Mr Haesler claimed that young people’s use of social media was increasingly becoming a way to “outsource their sense of self-worth” to their peer group online.

“I would challenge the idea that kids have become this narcissistic bunch who love themselves,” he said.

“When a kid takes a selfie they don’t take one - they take 45 then they choose one, they put it through a filter, they crop it then they post it on Facebook and check to see how many likes it has,” he said.

“And you know what? It’s never enough. Kids don’t love themselves. If they did they would take one and just put it up, or maybe they wouldn’t even do that. They have outsourced their sense of self worth.”

Do you agree? Share your views on TES Community.

Want to keep up with the latest education news and opinion? Follow TES on Twitter and like TES on Facebook

Bett

To download the special edition, Android users can click here and iOS users can click here. Use “Bett2016” as both the username and password. 

Want to keep reading for free?

Register with Tes and you can read two free articles every month plus you'll have access to our range of award-winning newsletters.

Keep reading for just £1 per month

You've reached your limit of free articles this month. Subscribe for £1 per month for three months and get:

  • Unlimited access to all Tes magazine content
  • Exclusive subscriber-only stories
  • Award-winning email newsletters
Recent
Most read
Most shared