Educating Young Children Volume 1 - Summer 2025 | Page 29

Have you ever felt like Sarah? As teachers, we help children understand that everyone makes mistakes and that mistakes are an opportunity to learn and grow. But how often do we tell ourselves that?

It can be hard to be kind to ourselves when we fall short of our expectations. Yet paying attention to our own well-being should be part of our professional practice. According to the NAEYC“ Professional Standards and Competencies for Early Childhood Educators” position statement, it is imperative that educators in any setting are able to develop strategies to manage the physical, emotional, and mental stresses inherent in the profession. To engage effectively and empathetically with children and families, teachers must have the supports and resources to attend to their own resilience, mental health, and wellness.

Practicing self-compassion can help us do that by offering strategies to manage stress, relate to others, and be more satisfied in our jobs and lives. It also models healthy emotional skills for the children we teach.

Self-compassion is the ability to offer oneself care and understanding during challenging times, whether these challenges arise from perceived failures or from external circumstances. It’ s about treating ourselves with the same kindness and understanding that we would offer a good friend, acknowledging that we are all imperfect and face challenges.

According to Dr. Kristin Neff, an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin and a leading researcher on the topic, self-compassion has six components that work together in pairs:

› Self-kindness versus self-judgment

› Common humanity versus isolation › Mindfulness versus over-identification