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Leading with Care: Prioritizing the �Health and Wellness of Music Educators

Dr. Danni Gilbert, The University of Minnesota

National Association for Music Education, Music Program Leaders Forum

January 24, 2024

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Health and Wellness

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Agenda

What’s the matter with teachers?
Why does this matter?
What can we do?
How can we also prioritize our own wellness as leaders?

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What if we treated teachers like pro-athletes?

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What’s the matter with teachers?

Compensation
Safety

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1. Compensation

Salary and benefits
Classroom resources
Human needs and dignity
Professional respect, feeling valued

1:50-1:54; 4 minutes

The first thing that is the matter with teachers that I’ll address today is compensation. Teachers are feeling adverse physical, emotional, and mental health affects, and in many cases leaving their positions or the profession altogether, because they aren’t being compensated for their time and expertise.

Salary and benefits is a main factor in overall compensation, (CLICK) but is not the only factor. We all know that teachers are overworked and underpaid. But teacher pay is below that of a restaurant server in some areas. A few years ago when I taught in Nebraska, I was walking in to campus and noticed a help wanted sign outside a Panda Express for an assistant manager, and the advertisement noted that the position would make much more than me as a music educator. Many companies are actively recruiting teachers because they know teachers are hard-working and intelligent, and they’re willing to pay much more. Teachers have other options and are taking them. I conducted a study last year that examined factors that hinder the ability of music faculty to feel like they are productive and can advance in their careers. One participant responded, “I really just want to be compensated fairly for the work I do and treated like a professional.”

It’s also becoming harder to convince young people to choose music education as a major due to the rising cost of tuition, licensure fees, and student loans compared to the projected salary of a teacher.

But pay isn’t the only source of feeling adequately compensated. Compensation is often non-wage in nature, including differences in benefits and workplace treatment (CLICK) A lack of accessible, functional, and applicable classroom resources is another area where teachers are feeling stressed. Classroom resources is related to:

instructional technology (in its access, reliability, appropriateness/usefulness) and applications to music learning
Facilities
And Equipment and instruments.
Teachers are being constantly asked to do more with less. In many cases, they feel like they don’t have adequate resources to do the job they’ve been assigned to do, or they pour their own money (that they already aren’t making enough of) into their classrooms and students.

In addition to financial support and resources, many teachers feel depleted when it comes to being adequately compensated with time for being a human. (CLICK). Teachers can feel unable to address human needs with dignity during the work day (such as access to Fresh air, hydration, nutrition, bathroom breaks). This can feel more pronounced with music teachers who lead before or after school or weekend or summer obligations. For example, the music room I taught in when I worked in the public schools was in the windowless corner of the building and there were more working days than not that I never saw the sun. And now that I teach at the college level…my classroom is in the windowless basement of the building! In my study, work-life balance concerns among music teachers comprised some of the most significant responses from the participants I surveyed. One person wrote that their school held them to “brutally high expectations relative to the support offered.” Several people also indicated that the struggle of finding a healthy work-life balance makes it difficult to be a parent, have friends, or spend meaningful time in relationships. One wrote that they would “delay or even forgo having children due to the demands of the job.” One man stated, “My career advancement was definitely delayed during the time I had young children. There was no support for young fathers…I had to figure it out as I went along.” Another participant wrote that “the main challenge currently is a constant stream of administrative work and teaching overloads that highly limit my time.”

Finally, (CLICK) compensation can take the form of Professional respect and feeling valued

My study of music teachers found that feelings of inequity and even human rights violations occur in the workplace and are preventing teachers from feeling whole. Inappropriate comments from male faculty toward female colleagues were the most commonly mentioned offenses, though other violations were included as well. One woman commented, “When my department chair asked me to help out at a conference, he told me to go home and ask my husband about it first.” Another participant recalled that the (male) band director at her work asked her “Why on earth did they hire a woman for this job?” In addition, a participant said that “When I was on maternity leave, my department still contacted me to ask me to do work.”

Although issues with gender inequity were reported most, concerns also involved race and sexual orientation. One respondent said “I felt that colleagues unknowingly and possibly knowingly used my sexuality as a hindrance to fulfilling my goals.”

Some faculty simply feel neglected or that they need to hide components of their personal lives. One participant stated, “I have lied and referred to my partner that passed as my brother” while another person stated they have “been mocked, looked down on, and belittled” by colleagues because of their faith. A participant who self-identified as older and nearing retirement stated, “I am invisible to some of my colleagues.”

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Amy Poehler

“Punch fear in the face.”

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Woodrow Wilson

“I not only use all the brains I have, but all the brains that I can borrow.”

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Partner Discussion #1

How have concerns about compensation affected music educators in your setting?

Salary and benefits
Classroom resources
Human needs and dignity
Professional respect, feeling valued

What are some ideas for helping your teachers feel valued (treating your teachers like pro-athletes)?

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2. Safety

Students
Staff
Parents
Community

1:58-2:01; 3 minutes

The second thing that is the matter with teachers that I’ll address today is safety. Teachers are feeling adverse physical, emotional, and mental health affects, and in many cases leaving their positions or the profession altogether, because they don’t feel safe in their workplace—from the outside AND from the inside.
Most people who decide to become a teacher do so because of a love of sharing their discipline with their students (CLICK). However, behavioral concerns and the complexity of student needs leave some teachers actually feeling afraid of their students—even in elementary schools. Students are dealing with increased isolation, anxiety, and other mental health concerns, but teachers often don’t feel adequately trained or equipped to navigate the density of student needs. Any additional training usually comes at the expense of personal, “off the clock” time or valuable plan time during the school day. The classroom management or rigor necessary to maintain a safe classroom environment can feel dehumanizing.

Another safety concern from music teachers is other staff or personnel (CLICK). Lack of sufficient staff, paraprofessionals, SPED, or ELL support can not only negatively affect discipline-specific subject matter, but also class sizes and the student to teacher ratio. Larger class sizes can mean that teachers will work with more students at a time with behavioral concerns or varying needs that need to be addressed, more challenges in dispersing classroom resources or equipment, and more time needed in administrative tasks such as attendance, lesson planning, and grading. In my study, participants felt challenged by extra administrative duties that are "constantly falling on faculty" and indicated there is often not enough faculty to meet the needs of the school. Financial impacts within education, including the elimination of faculty positions can make it difficult to find the work-life balance necessary to feel successful. Faculty can feel like they are expected to do increasingly excellent work with decreasing amounts of compensation and support. Budget cuts, loss of staff and faculty lines, and lack of teaching support for faculty who go on leave of absences places additional burdens on the faculty who remain. As financial trends within education demonstrate increasingly less promise for improvement in the future, it is likely that workload will continue to increase for everyone.

One year, I taught a middle school full-band class during 6^th period right after lunch and had 115 students enrolled. I was the only teacher in the room. In our crowded space, chairs were touching each other and there was hardly any room to move around. I remember telling my principal that I was terrified of there being a fire drill—or a real emergency-- during 6^th period and asked for more staff support, but I was told there was nothing to be done. The next year, I had 126 students enrolled. Of course I was happy that so many students were enrolled in band, but it brought me a great deal of stress and worry.

Teachers are also feeling more unsafe because of Parents (CLICK). Teachers are being verbally attacked by parents; parents are increasingly challenging school decisions, and taking out their anger or frustrations with teachers. (This picture is from a recent Virginia school board meeting). Many teachers feel bullied by parents, but also feel powerless to do much about it. In my survey of music faculty, one participant wrote, “I have to keep tight records and have reported two incidents to HR. Nothing has been done in terms of apologies or consequences.”

Finally, teachers feel unsafe in their workplace from the outside Community (CLICK). Violence and school shootings have become unfortunately more commonplace. Just two weeks ago, I had to evacuate my office in the music building because someone threatened via social media to shoot people on campus. Thankfully, the individual was found before anything happened, but there are so many cases that aren’t as lucky. Still, I went home that day finding myself wishing for the days I only taught remotely during the pandemic. Concerns about school safety and violence are also preventing young people from wanting to major in education and pursue jobs as teachers.

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Partner Discussion #2

How have concerns about safety affected music educators in your setting?

Students
Staff
Parents
Community

What are some ideas for helping your teachers feel safe on the job?

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Why does this matter?

Stress
Distress
Burnout

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1. Stress

Physical symptoms

Psychological symptoms such as anxiety and depression

Reduced performance and productivity

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2. Distress

Perception that situation is threatening, harmful, or a risk to wellbeing

Causes tension, nervousness, fatigue

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3. Burnout

Outcome of prolonged or excessive stress

Emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, reduced personal accomplishment

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3. Burnout

Symptoms =

Physical
Emotional
Behavioral

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More pronounced for music teachers?

Music educators may experience greater symptoms of anxiety and depression than educators in other disciplines (Payne et al., 2020).

Lack of professional development in recognizing signs of stress and coping strategies for challenging situations (Gustems-Carnicer & Calderon, 2013).

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More pronounced for music teachers?

2:07-2:09; 1 min 30 sec

In 2021, I conducted a research study to look at differences in the self-perceptions of anxiety and depression between people pursuing a career in music and those pursuing a career in other disciplines. I found that those studying music, on average, reported severe anxiety and moderate depression, with scores significantly higher than non-music participants who reported both mild anxiety and mild depression. Some possible reasons for this include that music educators may experience more demands on their time than other teachers because of additional rehearsals or performances beyond the scope of the regular school day. They may also experience health concerns more common to musicians, such as temporary or permanent hearing loss or tinnitus. In addition, they may submit themselves to public scrutiny more frequently. A career in music can be emotionally and physically exhausting and highly competitive. Compared with other education degrees, the “stressful nature of the performance experience, coupled with program demands and the need for constant justification for music’s inclusion in the curriculum may provide emotional stressors not encountered by the general teaching population” (McLain, 2005, p. 82).

It’s important to attempt to identify the underlying causes for stress, anxiety, and depression and work to find strategies to deal with them positively. Some argue the source of the anxiety or depression could be internal to the individual or could occur as a result of environmental or external factors.

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Partner Discussion #3

How have concerns about stress, distress, and burnout affected music educators in your setting?

What are some ideas for helping your teachers reduce stressors?

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What can we do?

Know the job
Create a safe space where teachers can ask for help
Listen, recognize, and act proactively
Advocate for policy based on what is applicable, practical
Help ease burdens rather than add to them

Promote meaningful human connections
Encourage rest as part of the work
Develop and follow “SMART” self-care plans

2:13-2:14; 1 minute

So what can we do, especially during these difficult times? While I don’t advocate abandoning attention to academic or musical success, I strongly recommend prioritizing the behavioral, mental, and emotional health of teachers and students. Music program leaders are positioned to help music educators develop workplace coping strategies, foster an awareness of the signs and symptoms of stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout, and promote the acceptability and access for seeking treatment if needed (Wristen, 2013). There are 5 points I’d like us to consider today to help meet the needs of teachers: (CLICK) Know the job; (CLICK) Create a safe space where teachers can ask for help; (CLICK) Listen, recognize, and act proactively; (CLICK) Advocate for policy change based on what is applicable and practical; and (CLICK) work to ease burdens rather than add to them through promoting meaningful human connections, encouraging rest as part of the work, and developing and following SMART self-care plans.

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1. Know the Job

Walk in their shoes?
Consider adjustments?
Schedule and logistics
Sufficient time to be human

2:14-2:16; 2 minutes

I thought I understood education. I am currently a music education professor who teaches prospective educators how to teach. I have taught in multiple educational settings including a large university, small liberal arts college, community college, online education, and elementary and middle school. However, I completely reevaluated everything I knew about education after substitute teaching for six weeks between semesters during the pandemic. I was genuinely curious about what was happening in schools and wanted to witness it first-hand. With my own university students completing their field experiences, I suddenly found myself struggling to best prepare them, provide suggestions, and answer their questions. How can I teach my students what to expect if I’m unsure? The biggest lessons I learned during my substitute teaching experiences were in classroom management, technology, and the need to better connect the ivory tower to the trenches of K-12 education.

If it has been a while (or never) since you have served as a practicing K-12 music educator, maybe a similar experience could be helpful for you as well. As music program leaders, our responsibilities and schedules can be vastly different than the responsibilities and schedules of K-12 music educators. If you are able to truly walk in their shoes in today’s educational environment—which is vastly different than school settings 5 or more years ago in so many ways—it might benefit your understanding or at least empathy of the issues teachers experience. It might encourage you to consider adjustments or even overhauls of teachers’ responsibilities and expectations. What has worked in the past or what we have always done, may not be the best solutions for our environments now. Maybe it could lead us to think more creatively and go outside the box when it comes to the schedule and logistics of music education, including ensuring to incorporate sufficient time for teachers to be whole and healthy humans.

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Cultivate The Disney Experience

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Transformation

What is your destination? Your end goal?
What is the current state of reality in your setting?
How can you use backwards planning to map out a path from the finish line to the starting line?
Positioning = advertising, selling your “product”
Reframing = providing a new context to break down negative associations

2:16-2:17; 45 seconds

To effectively transform our environments, we need to ask:

What is the destination and the end goal? (CLICK)
What is the current state of reality in your setting? (CLICK)
How might you use backwards planning to map out a path from the finish line to the starting line?

You can’t just get up and cross the finish line, or you wouldn’t meet your goals. We need to scaffold and structure, through small approximations, safe steps to take over time to effectively meet our goals.

In advertising, the term Positioning (CLICK) refers to how you sell your product. What is your product and how would you sell it? How can you convince others of your vision forward to the finish line and get them on board?

Sometimes, it’s necessary to reframe (CLICK) our setting and circumstances by providing a new context to break down negative associations that may have developed.

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2. Create a safe space

Culture of the school district--be the administrator who helps teachers feel safe to ask for what they need.

2:18-2:19; 1 minute

The second thing we can do is to create a safe space where teachers feel comfortable asking for help.

One study I examined found that music teachers are unlikely to ask for help. Music program leaders can provide teachers with district support options prior to the start of the year, and remind teachers of available resources periodically, so they are aware of appropriate support should it be needed at any point along the way. We should not take it upon ourselves to dispense mental health advice to teachers, but it is necessary to be prepared to recognize symptoms of stress, distress, and burnout, and guide teachers to suitable avenues of support. Another project I reviewed found that when administrators help teachers in problem-solving and coping strategies together, it has a beneficial effect on symptoms of depression and anxiety. Conversely, avoiding underlying problems, cognitively or behaviorally, is associated with negative psychological wellbeing, and is a strong predictor of psychological distress. To reduce burnout, it’s recommended that schools “provide an effective environment that includes training in stress management, assistance with the development of strong classroom management skills, and that schools provide strong administrative support” (p. 82).

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Charles Schwab

“I have yet to find a man, however exalted his station, who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than under a spirit of criticism.”

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3. Listen, recognize, and act proactively

2:19-2:20; 1 minute

The third thing we can do to help meet the needs of teachers to promote their wellbeing is to listen, recognize, and act proactively rather than reactively. We must demand zero tolerance for workplace disrespect and violence. When concerns arise, it’s important to take immediate and visible action. Teachers need to see us DO and not just SAY.

In the study I conducted, some music teachers’ experiences were often damaging, including instances of bullying, name calling, sexual harassment, discrimination, and human rights violations. However, a positive work environment with encouraging colleagues and administrators was seen as beneficial to participants. Faculty reported a desire to see “more oversight and involvement on the part of…administrative leadership.” Respondents appreciated “Support from…departmental colleagues” and “Encouragement to improve.” One participant mentioned their “Institution has a very good collegial environment” while another said they have been “Respected as a teacher.” Some found their administration very open to “Changes in curriculum and assessment” and provided them with “Autonomy to…work.” Faculty were particularly vocal about how important it was to them to feel that the work they do is valued by not only their peers, but their superiors as well.

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4. Be an advocate

Look at comparable districts for salary and pay
Address teacher concerns regularly with school board, policy makers, PTA, local and state officials
Be informed so you can best inform

2:20-2:21; 1 minute

In my recent project, some participants pointed to a lack of leadership and diversity in their departments, which can negatively impact the professional environment.

So What can we do? When it comes to the salary and pay side of compensation, we can advocate for pay adjustments and look to comparable districts or divisions to ensure equitable pay for similar positions. “Clear policies for how faculty are evaluated” was also seen as a way to support teachers, along with administrators providing “space and time to grow” into positions.

States keep raising standards, but teachers can’t keep doing more with less.

The people making decisions aren’t always educators, so sometime solutions are not necessarily steeped in practical reality.
So we can ensure we are being a regular Advocate for teachers to the school board, policy makers, community, PTA, and local officials.

Music program leaders can also help teachers engage in professional development geared toward constructive problem-solving techniques and encourage teachers to use positive self-talk and avoid excessive self-criticism, particularly to help relieve performance anxiety.

In addition, we can provide music teachers with information about specific occupational health concerns, such as noise exposure and hearing health, which is shown to lead to depressive and even suicidal symptoms (Vogel et al., 2014).

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5. Ease burdens when possible

Promote meaningful human connections
Encourage rest as part of the work
Develop and follow “SMART” self-care plans

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Meaningful human connections

Social support can mitigate symptoms of burnout

PLCs/PLNs where positive social interactions among colleagues are the goal

Mentoring partnerships

Inclusive work environments

2:21-2:22; 1 minute

Stress management as well as social support can mitigate symptoms of burnout (McLain, 2005). In fact, supportive social relationships are shown to help alleviate mental health concerns such as anxiety and depression, while a lack thereof may contribute to them. Although people are built for social interactions and interdependence on one another, musicians may be more prone to isolation and introversion. Therefore, music program leaders can help teachers who struggle with performance anxiety, stress, depression, and burnout, through developing opportunities for positive social interactions among colleagues.

In the study I conducted last year regarding music faculty’s perceptions of career contentment, several participants indicated that having effective workplace mentoring relationships in place between senior and junior faculty strongly impacted teachers’ feelings of being supported and valued. Participants also wrote about the importance of their school and administration being adamant about inclusion to ensure no one is negatively affected.

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Rest is part of the work

Non-negotiable plan periods

Time for bathroom breaks and rest built into school day

Adequate lunch breaks

Encourage sufficient personal time and sleep

2:22-2:24; 1 minute 30 seconds

If you have ever flown on a plane with small children, the flight attendant reminds you that if oxygen masks are needed, you need to secure your own mask before helping others with their masks. The same advice is true for music educators—we cannot help others and be successful teachers in the long-term if we cannot find ways to first take care of ourselves. We owe it to our students to show up each day feeling our best, whole, and healthy.

Being a music educator can be physically and mentally exhausting at times, especially when balancing other caretaking responsibilities outside of school. Being a teacher means that you are constantly “on,” in a state of active performance for most of the day, utilizing high levels of energy, focus, enthusiasm, and stamina. Teachers sometimes feel like while they are looking out for everyone else, who is looking out for them? In my study, concerns with work-life balance was a significant contributor to teachers’ perceptions about their career opportunities. Several participants wrote that challenges within their music teaching positions made it difficult to balance work and family responsibilities, care for dependents, or to even become a parent. Prior studies have shown that this can result in negative performance ability (Bennett, 2008) and decisions by some to change their career goals entirely to be caretakers or to not have children at all (Macarthur et al., 2017).

It’s important to avoid hidden job assignments– that is, expectations or “requirements” that are not explicitly part of the job. Teachers may feel pressured to do more than what is mandatory, making it much more challenging to manage their time and find balance. In my study, faculty reported benefiting from PAID or compensated professional development training offered by their institutions or at specialized off-campus conferences that does not add to their work, but is integrated into their work.

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Rest during work—�Code of Federal Regulations

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/subtitle-B/chapter-V/subchapter-B/part-785#page-top

5–20-minute breaks improve efficiency
Breaks for meal periods are not worktime—they are rest periods. The employee must be completely relieved from duty for the purposes of eating regular meals.

2:24-2:25; 1 minute

Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations, last amended on January 10 of this year, states that “rest periods of short duration, running from 5-20 minutes, promotes the efficiency of the employee and are customarily paid for as working time—they must be counted towards hours worked. Breaks for meal periods are not worktime—they are rest periods. The employee must be completely relieved from duty for the purposes of eating regular meals. The employee is not relieved if he is required to perform any duties, whether active or inactive, while eating.

Teachers are human employees that need time for bathroom breaks and rest built into school day as well as adequate lunch breaks where they are completely relieved from duty—not eating while on lunch duty or otherwise supervising students or engaged in meetings during their lunch breaks.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/subtitle-B/chapter-V/subchapter-B/part-785#page-top

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“SMART” Self-Care Plans

S = specific

M = measurable

A = achievable

R = realistic

T = time-bound

2:25-2:26; 1 minute

Finally, music program leaders can help teachers prevent or reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression by encouraging them to design and follow a self-care plan. Kuebel (2019) described self-care as intentionally working to maintain health mentally, physically, and emotionally. Self-care is not a luxury to take advantage of when you have met your breaking point, nor is it a bubble bath or a walk through a park—that is just good hygiene and physical maintenance-- but should be thoughtfully interwoven into the fabric of your life to help you avoid reaching a breaking point at all.

Self-care should be individualized, a nonnegotiable component of one’s schedule, and follow “SMART” goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound (Kuebel, 2019). It may be helpful for music program leaders to share examples of their own self-care plans with teachers and encourage them to develop tangible, personalized strategies for staying healthy throughout the school year.

I'll give you an example of mine (CLICK)...preparing for the half marathon after Nola…

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Partner Discussion #4

What are some strategies you have used to:

Know the job
Create a safe space where teachers can ask for help
Listen, recognize, and act proactively
Advocate for policy based on what is applicable, practical
Help ease burdens rather than add to them

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How can we also prioritize our own wellness as leaders?�

Passion
Immersion
Enthusiasm

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PASSION

We are not always passionate about teaching all the time…and that’s ok!
How can we intentionally find passion to bring to teaching role every day?

Content Passion (teaching music)
Professional Passion (What do you want to DO?)

Purpose

Personal Passion (What drives you as a PERSON?)

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IMMERSION

= the ability to completely give yourself up to the moment and fully “be” engaged

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2:33-2:35; 2 minutes

Distractions prevent us from being fully immersed in the moment. What is distracting you? Amy Poehler = “My cell phone is trying to kill me.”
Worries about what comes next can be distracting. Write down a to-do list of all the things worrying you or things you have to do, then put it away.
Prior preparation and planning helps us to perform at our best, allowing us to be fully present and engaged in the moment.
Physiological issues can prevent us from really showing up. Take time to take care of your mind, body, spirit. It may seem counterproductive, but taking just 30 seconds to close your eyes and focus on your breath can help to realign you physically and mentally. Let’s give it a try! Close your eyes, and for 30 seconds, just focus on your breath. Try to make each exhale slightly longer than the one before. If you find your thoughts or concentration wandering, remind yourself to listen only for your breath. You may choose to place your left hand over your chest and your right hand on your belly.

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ENTHUSIASM

Make a commitment to being “on”…while balancing adequate time for rest!
Deal with circumstances as you find them—don’t let factors outside your control affect your effort and enthusiasm.
How to light your fire:

1. “Act as if…” or shift your perspective to moving toward a positive outcome.

2. Change your focus to what empowers you.

3. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude.

4. Practice self-care.

2:35-2:36; 1 minute

Finally, Burgess encourages us to lead with enthusiasm and to make a commitment to being on. Now, I subscribed to this idea of always being "on" for many years. But after experiencing my own symptoms of stress, anxiety, and burnout, I suggest adding, "while balancing adequate time for rest." We simply cannot be "on" all of the time and have sustainable, long-term careers without falling apart.

I previously suffered from FOMO, or the fear of missing out, but I've tried to shift to JOMO, or the JOY of missing out= I can’t do ALL the things…but I can focus my attention on what is really important to me and do those things well (CLICK)
Deal with circumstances as you find them...(CLICK)

You can strengthen or rekindle your enthusiasm by...

Self-care = work. It is not a break from the work, it IS the work! What do YOU need on a regular basis to be filled, healthy, whole?

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CARLOS SANTANA

“There is nothing more contagious on this planet than enthusiasm. The songs become incidental. What people receive is your joy.”

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Partner Discussion #5

What are examples of your:

Content passion (job assignment)
Professional passion (your purpose, your WHY)
Personal passion (what drives you as a human)

What are some ways that you can be fully immersed while removing distractions and worry?
Give some examples of times when you lost your enthusiasm. How did you overcome and refocus?

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Thank you!

Dr. Danni Gilbert

Assistant Professor of

Instrumental Music Education

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

gilbertd@umn.edu