Helping ESPs Cope Through SEL
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As Seen in NEA Today By: Cindy Long, edited by Giovanna Bechard Stories of teachers and students struggling with education during COVID-19 are pouring in. What we don't hear about as often, however, are the difficulties experienced by Education Support Professionals (ESPs). Like everyone else, they have been feeling enormous stress during the pandemic. Confusion, uncertainty, isolation, frustration and anxiety are among the many emotions they report having each day.
“During the current COVID-19, I feel I'm on an island. I'm an administrative specialist and I'm not involved in my usual day to day functions of dealing with students and staff. Most of the focus is on what needs to be done in the classroom. This leaves me not really understanding my role during all of this." 8
Maine Educator • December 2020
"I am very concerned for our students, teachers and staff. I am uncertain as to what our entire year will look like. I am sad for what is happening in our community, country and world," said one ESP in a recent survey. "During the current COVID-19, I feel I'm on an island. I'm an administrative specialist and I'm not involved in my usual day to day functions of dealing with students and staff. Most of the focus is on what needs to be done in the classroom. This leaves me not really understanding my role during all of this," said another. "As we transition from reactive to proactive on our journey to wellness, the compounding traumas of this crisis call for schools to rethink what it means to educate the whole child and invest deeply in the whole school community," said Chris Cipriano, Assistant Professor and Director of Research at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. Cipriano understands how few people actually know that ESPs make up a third of the entire education workforce and there is a widespread lack of acknowledgement of the scale of their work, which exacerbates their stress. In a survey her research team conducted of ESPs, they found that most felt overlooked in school reopening plans. They also said they felt frustrated, anxious, and overwhelmed. When asked to take a moment to think about their experiences of stress and frustration at school and the factors that contribute to these experiences, they said those factors
