OEA Grow

Episode 5

This week on Oregon Grow, Mental Health Therapist Talia Akre (Multnomah Education Service District) talks about the compassion fatigue many educators experience. Talia explains the difference between compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and burnout. Compassion fatigue is particularly labeled for the helping fields, which includes educators. Many educators of all kinds are dealing with student trauma and mental health issues. Current staffing shortages are additionally compounding the stressors educators are experiencing. Compassion fatigue can even affect an entire school community and can also exist in our personal lives when we’re taking care of others. Talia and Jesse discuss the importance of taking care of ourselves first and letting students see we’re whole people, for example, by taking breaks or having a classroom mindful minute. 

Learn more about compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma and how to regain balance: 

Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others by Laura van Dernoot Lipsky and Connie Burk 

Compassion Fatigue TEDx talk by Dr. Jacquelyn Ollison

Master Teachers are Mindful Teachers by The Teaching Professor/Faculty Focus author Dr. Kristen Rousch

The Mindful Self Compassion Workbook by Kristin Neff

Ambiguous Loss by Pauline Boss

OEA Choice Trust’s Colleen Sump (Engagement and Outreach Officer) and Jon Archer (David Douglas Educator) talk with Jesse about grant opportunities and programs to increase education employee well-being. Through its grant programs, conferences, and free online resources, OEA Choice Trust strives to improve the health, well-being, and resilience of district, ESD, and community college staff across all job roles and classifications. Colleen explains how the Trust embraces a holistic model of health and well-being that goes beyond things like exercise and nutrition to also include social, emotional, mental, and financial well-being. As a recipient of a five-year Trust grant, Jon talks about the importance of communicating staff needs to the district, the critical key of leadership buy-in, and the power of partnerships in impacting educator well-being. 

Learn more about how the employees in your district, ESD, or community college can benefit from the resources of OEA Choice Trust:

OEA Choice Trust homepage

Grant opportunities 

Grant success stories

Free online resources

Elementary school teacher Gillian Murr explains racial affinity groups in this third episode as we continue to discuss educator wellness. Murr talks about her experiences both leading and participating in affinity groups, including OEA’s grant-funded Equity Sparks program. Affinity groups can be a healing space to process the unique experiences of educators who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC). Jesse and Gillian also discuss the need for non-BIPOC allies to gather in affinity and the power of those allies in supporting BIPOC educators.

Learn more about affinity groups and wellness strategies for BIPOC educators:

Diversifying the Teaching Profession: How to Recruit and Retain Teachers of Color - Learning Policy Institute

Recruiting and Retaining Teachers of Color: Why It Matters, Ways to Do It - EdWeek

Racial Affinity Groups: Guide for School Leaders - Great Schools Partnership

Dialogue for Affinity Groups (discussion guide) - Everyday Democracy

Racial Identity Caucusing: A Strategy for Building Anti-Racist Collectives - Crossroads Antiracism Organizing and Training

How White Teachers Can Support BIPOC Colleagues - edutopia

In our second episode, Jesse Bray talks with Dr. B. Grace Bullock, Senior Mental Health Officer at the Oregon Department of Education and mindfulness author. Dr. Bullock shares her thoughts about the difference between mindlessness and mindfulness and the research-proven benefits of mindfulness, including its ability to reduce the harmful impacts of stress. Dr. Bullock also talks about mindfulness in terms of our relationships: “how we show up in the world and how aware we are of how we show up in the world”. She gives us some simple steps we can take to start implementing awareness and mindfulness in our daily lives. 

Learn more about mindfulness:

Sign up for OEA’s Introduction to Mindfulness 3-week virtual learning community

Mindful Relationships: Seven Skills for Success by Dr. B. Grace Bullock

How to Tame Your Wandering Mind, a TEDX talk by Amishi Jha

How mindfulness changes the emotional life of our brains, a TEDx talk by Dr. Richard Davidson

The Mindful Schools Podcast

In our first episode, season one host Jesse Bray talks with Colin Stapp, Learning Technology Facilitator and Tech Hub Faculty at Chemeketa Community College. This is an episode about rejuvenating with nature. An avid hiker, Colin has been an educator for thirty years with a focus on all things tech while also having a long history of using nature to unplug from technology. Jesse and Colin discuss both as well as the value of being present in the outdoors without having to do anything.

Inspired to enjoy nature after this episode? Check out these resources:

Accessible Nature - Oregon accessible walks and hikes

All Trail - Oregon - Thousands of hikes across the state

Making Oregon’s Outdoors Welcoming For All - An interview with Oregon filmmaker Mercy M’fon Shammah

Oregon Hikers - Trails, maps, and other resources

Oregon State Parks - Find parks, activities, and events

Travel Oregon - Hiking and Backpacking Resources - Trip ideas

Welcome to the OEA Grow Podcast, a production of the Oregon Education Association.  In the next ten weeks we will focus on a range of Wellness and Resilience strategies that you can try at home to reduce your stress and improve the work you do every day. We’ll cover topics such as Compassion Fatigue and Burnout, an introduction to Mindfulness, Work/Life Balance, and Connecting with Nature. Episodes will be posted every Wednesday, with most lasting about 15 minutes. Each episode will feature an OEA member or community partner who has expertise and experience with each topic. Season One will officially launch on Wednesday, February 16.

Head over to grow.oregoned.org to stay up to date on all the professional learning opportunities available through OEA.