‘Cruel Wellbeing’: Neglected Policies and Conditions Worsen Teacher Stress

Working conditions and broader policies on teacher welfare remain ignored, exacerbating frustration and workloads for educators tasked with balancing student education and prioritising their own wellbeing, a new study reveals. It noted that discussions between teachers on social platform Reddit highlighted how “cruel” approaches to wellbeing intensify teacher stress, workload burdens, and suffering. Teacher educator Saul Karnovsky from Curtin’s School of Education coined the term “cruel wellbeing” to describe the main approaches that rely only on positive thinking strategies for wellbeing while failing to consider harsh work conditions. “The imposition of responsiblised wellbeing does not improve challenging workplace conditions nor address the wider political and economic contexts shaping these,” he said....