Abstract:

Teacher well-being is reflected in a positive attitude towards teaching that stems from supportive relationships with teachers and students; the belief that one has the ability to teach effectively, but also the feeling that one's personal and professional needs and expectations are met. We know very well that well-being has a direct impact on professional performance, especially in our situation, on the ability to teach. We can mention a few professional situations that trigger a high stress state: the busy periods during the school year, unpredictability, the pressure to keep up with changes, but also the constant changes of the school management (something that happens very often in our country, Romania). As work stress is major risk factor for mental health issues like anxiety and depression, mental health should be treated as an occupational health issue on teachers. Teaching related stress may start off as just being mental fatigue or burnout, but the long term implications of this stress has negative impacts for not only teachers but for their students as well.

The purpose of this study is to try to understand more that the teacher well-being is an important issue because when teachers feel supported, they are able to manage the daily stresses of teaching, establish and maintain effective classroom management strategies that are productive for learning and also, to cultivate supportive and caring relationships with students. Teacher well-being has many positive carry-on effects for students and school. Teachers experiencing greater well-being are able to form stronger connections with students, are less likely to quit the profession or change the job and have students who are more likely to attain improved learning and achievement outcomes. Thus, teacher well-being is essential for individual teachers and it also plays an important part in fostering healthy and effective school environments.

Therefore, the purpose of this study is to highlight the need of supporting teacher well-being and we will do that by focusing on five aspects, which we identified following an interview applied to a number of 188 teachers from schools in Bihor county, Romania. Thus, the five important aspects that must be taken into account when we think of long-term strategies to help teachers and students enjoy support that gives them a sense of well-being, creating an environment that helps them develop effectively, both professionally and personally are: equal treatment, school culture, professional learning, relationship building and teacher voice. Starting from these results that identify the aspects mentioned above, there can be developed and implemented programs dedicated to teachers in order to support well-being in the educational space. The study conclusions support the findings of previous studies, but also emphasis the need of implementation of educational programs that promote the understanding of emotions, their management and the science of well-being.

Keywords:

Teacher well-being, professional development, education, job satisfaction, school environments.