RECLAIMING OUR POWER: USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO UPLIFT INTERSECTIONAL TEACHER WELLBEING, COMMUNICATION, AND COMMUNITY

This study examined the disproportionate mental health challenges American teachers experience compared with other professions, the unique mental health challenges teachers of color experience due to racial and gender disparities, and how effective wellness communication can positively impact all teachers. This study was conducted at an elementary school in Southeast Washington, DC, as this setting represents the district’s teacher demographics—predominantly women and teachers of color. These groups are most affected by gaps between goals, policy implementation, and effective communication. Do D.C. Public Schools effectively communicate mental health and wellness information and tools to teachers? If so, are they effectively leveraging social media to share culturally relevant and inclusive wellness communication? To this end, the researcher studied mental health data, wellness policy, digital wellness communication, and communication effectiveness. The researcher employed a mixed-methods study to analyze the gap between the intentions of D.C. Public Schools’ Local Wellness Policy and the effectiveness of their digital (social media) communication in supporting the mental health and wellness of teachers of color through surveys, questionnaires, and interviews. The researcher used media ecology and intersectionality as lenses to explore the impact of increasing the frequency of culturally relevant and inclusive mental health and wellness social media content on elementary teachers of color in D.C. Public Schools. The analysis of engagement data showed that the education sector could leverage social media to provide mental health support on a massive scale. The analysis of interviews showed that teachers who are women and of color benefit from accessible, inclusive, empowering, relatable, affirming, and appealing wellness communication. The primary limitations of this study were its narrow demographic reach and limited sample size.