Abstract
Educator well-being crisis and attrition have emerged as urgent global concerns, affecting not only schools but also families, communities, and the broader social fabric. These challenges are not purely professional or technical; they are complex social issues that demand collaborative and interdisciplinary responses. This paper presents findings from a year-long practitioner-researcher project that engaged educators in guided circles to support renewal and resilience. Twenty educators including teachers, instructional coaches, and school leaders participated in monthly virtual gatherings that integrated meditation, reflective journaling, symbolic imagery, and group dialogue. Each circle was anchored by natural and cyclical metaphors—such as roots, rivers, fire, and moon phases—which offered shared symbolic language for exploring balance, boundaries, and professional identity. As both facilitator and participant-observer, I drew on my four decades as an educator, along with certifications as a Reiki Master Practitioner and Forest Therapy Coach, to design reflective spaces that bridged disciplinary, cultural, and personal boundaries. Data sources included participant journals and drawings, transcripts of circle conversations, surveys on stress and renewal, and researcher field notes. Findings suggest that the guided circles created opportunities for release and grounding, fostered sustainable approaches to balance, encouraged courage and renewal, and built community resilience. Participants described the circles as supportive spaces that reduced isolation and affirmed their professional purpose. The study highlights teacher renewal as an ongoing, unfinished process and demonstrates how collaborative, symbolic, and healing-informed practices can serve as boundary-crossing solutions to the complex social issue of sustaining educators in an interconnected world.
Presenters
Karen TardrewAssociate Professor and Chair of Learning Sciences in Education, Advanced Professional Programs/ National College of Education, National Louis University, Wisconsin, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Teacher resilience, Educator well-being, Collaborative practices, Guided circles, Symbolic practices
