Reframing "Teacher Support": Fostering Teacher Resilience Through Comprehensive Interventions Emphasizing Authenticity and Trust

• In Event: 58.070 - Lives of Teachers: Studies of Teacher Resilience and Work Life

Abstract

This secondary analysis of a longitudinal constructivist grounded theory approach examines the 5,897 daily written reflections documenting the lives of 38 novice teachers working in 27 different schools during the breaking of a high-stakes cheating scandal in their urban district. Teachers wrote about their need for safe relationships, spaces of trust, and meaningful support, yet rarely were these needs met. Structures that were available and were touted supportive too often increased stress, anxiety, and at times the exploitation of teachers. Drawing from the field of school psychology, we consider the constructs of trust and support as articulated by these novice teachers to imagine characteristics for comprehensive prevention models which might promote resilience, risk-reduction, and vocational commitment, both individually and collectively.

Authors

• Barbara Meyers, Georgia State University

• Teresa R. Fisher-Ari, Georgia State University