Teacher Wellness: An Important Issue in Fostering School Connectedness and Life Skills Development Among Students

Abstract

The concept of the importance of teacher wellness in fostering connectedness and life skills development among students in schools is analyzed in this reaction paper. Five articles about school connectedness and life skills development of youth in an international context, published in the current special issue of Asian Journal of Counselling, were reviewed. Roffey (2011) described specific initiatives practiced in Australia. Ito (2011) described the unique role of homeroom teachers in the Japanese education system and how teachers could make use of Classroom Climate Inventory to devise appropriate school or class activities to increase student cohesion and foster student self-worth and mental health. Chan, Lau, and Yuen (2011) discussed the importance of teacher care and its relationship to the life skills development and academic achievement of students in Hong Kong. Wu and Lang (2011) presented their findings on how circle time sessions facilitated self-awareness of the participants and their relationships with peers. Lastly, Karcher and Santos (2011) described the management of a Cross-Age Mentoring Program and discussed how such a program could benefit Asian youth to cultivate better school connectedness. These articles and other research findings together suggest that: (a) school connectedness is linked to various positive outcomes; (b) it is promoted by many pedagogical methods; and (c) it concerns the satisfaction of students’ need to belong. Since teachers contribute significantly to all these aspects, the wellness of teachers becomes an indispensable factor in promoting school connectedness.