If we are lucky, when we start untangling a ball of string, it will pull apart easily. But, sometimes, it knots and tangles even more, causing frustration to the point where we throw it back in the cupboard for another day when we have more patience. Well-being can have a similar vibe, and here is why.
It’s Complex
The reality is well-being is complex and comprehensive. It’s not linear and it can be vague and confusing for some. Well-being is a multi-faceted construct that can be difficult to measure. In education, administrators are asking schools to make it measurable and asking teachers to facilitate students’ well-being during every school day. In some cases, teachers attempt a little bit of this and a little bit of that to meet this demand.
It’s Multi-Faceted
A little bit of this and a little bit of that may address various aspects of well-being, but we know that it is not just Wellness, Social and Emotional Learning, Mental Health, or Spirituality that needs to be addressed. It is various aspects of all these components that make up well-being. All these aspects can overlap one another. Are you feeling confused yet? Let me break it down into smaller, bite-sized pieces:
• Wellness is about physical health.
• Social and Emotional Learning is developing positive relationships with self and others.
• Mental Health includes cognitive, social, and emotional well-being.
• Spiritual Health is about your values and beliefs.
By now, you might be saying, HUH? Isn’t there a little bit of everything in all aspects of these concepts? The answer is yes, there is; that is why it can be messy. When we blend all of these aspects together, we are practising well-being. It is a holistic approach that brings all aspects of self together. We know that we are not just our mind or our body or our spirit—“self” comprises all these aspects. Well-being is cyclical and forever changing.
Implementation
Now that you have a basic understanding of the framework, it is time for implementation. How do schools begin this work? What does it look like, sound like, and feel like in the hallways of schools? Messy . . .
In the system where I currently work, well-being is part of our Student Support Plan, which means we create a goal around well-being, collect data, analyze the data, and then report on the data. And don’t forget we need teachers to buy in so that the program is actually implemented in classrooms.
As a school, we started by looking at what we already had in place:
• breakfast programs
• morning affirmations
• social and emotional learning time embedded in daily schedules
• school counselors collaborating with classroom teachers on targeted lessons
Once we established what we already had in place, we looked at what we needed to implement school-wide. We looked at our student data and from there we created a path.
One of the concepts we are using is the Well-Being Wheel. This provides our teachers with a framework for well-being and a consistent way of collecting data and moving through the concept based on students’ needs in their classrooms. All our students have created their own well-being wheel and identified strengths and challenges in each section.
The classroom teacher and school counsellors work together to identify which aspect of the wheel the class should start with based on the results of the students’ strengths and challenges identified in the Well-Being Wheel. Every class will have a different starting point and end point, but everyone will be working on the same aspects of well-being. The activities the students do provide them with an experience and tools for them to use when they are faced with a challenge. As they use these tools, these skills become intrinsic and their well-being increases. When the class completes a section of the wheel, the students are asked to complete a feedback form that provides the teacher with information for next steps.
The Well-Being Wheel
The concept of the Well-Being Wheel comes from the Mi’kmaw culture and the Medicine Wheel teachings. The wheel is divided into four components: Mind, Heart, Body, and Spirit.
• The mind explores mindfulness and a growth mindset
• The heart explores self-awareness and gratitude
• The body explores a healthy body and anxiety and stress
• The spirit explores Who am I? and self-confidence
As a school, we hope that the Well-Being Wheel will give our students and staff a framework that will provide a holistic approach and bring balance into students’ lives.
As an instructional leader, I hope that we improve the well-being of all of our staff and students as we embark on this journey. I know that it will be a messy one, but I am up for the challenge and excited to see the outcome for everyone. As we begin to pull the yarn apart, my hope is that we will see the connections and embrace the mess of it all.
Tracey Quinn
Tracey Quinn lives and works in Halifax NS. She has been an administrator for over ten years and is the founder of a company called Choose2BeYou Ltd. www.choose2beyou.ca
This article is featured in Canadian Teacher Magazine’s Winter 2025 issue.