Balancing the Teaching Scale: Insights on Mental Health and Teacher Burnout with Brittany Wheaton

Have you ever found yourself struggling to maintain a healthy balance between your work and personal life, especially in a demanding profession like teaching? Our conversation with Brittany Wheaton, a K-8 art educator from Grand Rapids, Michigan, may hold some profound insights for you. Brittany takes us along on her journey, discussing the highs and lows of her teaching career, her innovative side hustle, and her candid reflections on teacher burnout. Listen to her emphasis on the power of a reframed mindset and the pivotal role it plays in ensuring our professional sustainability.

Brittany shares her wisdom on creating a mindful balance between work and life. She explores the concept of self-awareness, urging us to recognize times when we are the source of our own struggle and stress. Her insights into developing professional confidence and competency are equally engaging and valuable. She also dialogues about the essentiality of teacher mental health and self-care, generously sharing her personal strategies to manage stress. Her emphasis on seeking help and taking time to rest is a reminder we all need.

In the final part of our conversation, Brittany illuminates the crucial subject of mental health within the education sector. She discusses her experiences working with students with emotional impairments and the importance of fostering a safe and supportive environment. Brittany passionately argues for the need for mental health resources for teachers and urges for more open conversations around this topic. This episode is not only a testament to Brittany’s resilience but also an inspiration for teachers grappling with similar issues. So, join us for a deep, meaningful conversation about the challenges and triumphs of teaching.

Brittany is a teacher, advocate of inclusive learning spaces, lifetime adventurer, founder of Teaching to a Riot, and a new mom.

With over 10 years of experience in the field of special education, she has mentored, instructed, and presented on diversity, equity & inclusion, teacher burnout, and student advocacy. She is currently teaching in a center-based program for students with emotional impairments and has narrowed her focus to helping educators stay happy, healthy, and inspired.

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Chapters

• 0:35 Reframing Teacher Mindset and Advocacy
• 12:00 Balancing Work and Life With Mindfulness
• 32:00 Promoting Teacher Mental Health and Self-Care
• 42:10 Mental Health in Education
• 52:22 Naming Students With Emotional Impairments