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Omaha educators address their own mental health needs
Educators from the Archdiocese of Omaha Catholic Schools reversed roles and became students today.
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – Educators from the Archdiocese of Omaha Catholic Schools reversed roles and became students today.
The Archdiocese of Omaha and Catholic Charities of Omaha held a first-of-its-kind Mental Health Symposium.
Over 1,400 educators gathered to address the growing need for mental health resources and support for educators within schools and communities.
Stacey Fanciullo, a music and art teacher for St. Bernadette Catholic School in Omaha said, “When I’m teaching music and art, it’s all about the kid’s mental health, and if you don’t have good mental health, you can’t impart it to the kids.”
Director of School Mental Health for Catholic Charities of Omaha, Jenna Whitaker said post pandemic, most schools in the nation focused on the well-being of students.
Whitaker said, “We were doing whatever we could to address our students, to meet our students where they’re at.”
Whitaker said that often came to the detriment of teachers.
Whitaker said, “I think what we’ve identified is that our teachers have kind of gotten missed in all that.”
Whitaker says the need is now greater than ever. “We are noticing that our teachers are feeling more stressed, our teachers are feeling more burnout. So, we wanted to create a day to be able to really connect with our teachers and to just let them know they’re not alone in what they’re feeling, and we are there to help them.”
At the conference, teachers learned different techniques to help them find their passion, celebrate moments of success, take care of themselves and how to gain control of the classroom.
Fanciullo said all the lessons are desperately needed.
Fanciullo said, “We’ve lost teachers that just couldn’t handle the stress. Lost them to the profession. Even lost their lives. So, it’s serious. It’s serious.”
Catholic Charites of Omaha will be bringing similar workshops to other parts of Nebraska next week.
They hope to make the symposium an annual event.
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Story Courtesy of WOWT: https://www.wowt.com/2024/09/13/omaha-educators-address-their-own-mental-health-needs/