Jillian DeBritz

Teachers need support.

Educators are some of the hardest working people we know. They pour themselves out for the sake of their students day in and day out, balancing a never-ending list of responsibilities that extend well beyond the time spent with kids in their classroom. 

Teachers choose to teach because they care about kids, but they often struggle to care for themselves. There’s simply too much to do.

The Purposeful Teacher Life & Leadership Coaching Cohort provides space for teachers to prioritize their own health and wholeness. This 6-week workshop allows building and district leaders to replenish and care for our most valuable resource: teachers.

The Purposeful Teacher: Life & Leadership Coaching Cohort

Workshop Objective

To help teacher-leaders develop greater self-awareness, self-management, and self-efficacy in the context of a supportive community of their peers, in order to create sustainable personal and professional rhythms that promote wellness and prevent burnout. 

Key questions

Through guided self-reflection and interactive exercises, teachers will explore and identify how to prioritize their own well-being in order to experience greater health and wholeness, at school and beyond. 

This six-week interactive workshop will give teachers space to ask big questions, such as:

  • What would it look like for me to teach from a place of health and wholeness?
  • How can I stay in this job over the long haul without burning out?
  • What are the things that matter most about my life, both inside and outside of school?
  • What specific actions can I take to prioritize my own well-being?
  • What type of support do I need from others in order to live in alignment with my personal and professional values?

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the life planning workshop, participants will:

  • Build self-awareness about their current reality and envision their ideal future, in the classroom and beyond.
  • Gain strategies to increase self-management and self-efficacy in the context of a supportive community of other teachers.
  • Define health and wholeness for themselves, both personally and professionally.
  • Identify the factors that impact their personal and professional health.
  • Clarify their personal and professional values and priorities.
  • Identify obstacles that prevent them from flourishing at home and at work.
  • Develop an individualized vision for what health might look like in each area of their lives.
  • Write a personal and professional purpose statement that encompasses  their learning.
  • Create a realistic plan for achieving their personal and professional vision.
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About the Coach:

Jillian DeBritz is a former educator who knows firsthand how hard teachers work—and how exhausting the job can be. As a professionally trained and certified life and leadership coach, she’s passionate about helping teachers build healthy rhythms that prioritize their own health and wholeness, so they can thrive both inside and outside of the classroom.

Jillian received her Master’s degree in Leadership and Administration from Gonzaga University, and holds an ACC (Associate Certified Coach) credential from the International Coaching Federation. She’s worked with groups and individuals in the private and public sectors, and with leaders in both nonprofit and business domains. She counts it a privilege to help people move toward their desired future with purpose, courage, and confidence.

Kind words from participants:

The purposeful teacher class was a breath of fresh air. Teaching is a work of heart and is a special calling for people who care very deeply. It is easy to become consumed and begin to extinguish the flame of passion and energy for the profession, ourselves and those closest to us. Taking the time to dream, consider our purpose and what mark we want to leave on the world was powerful. When our staff is more whole, my hope is they will feel more fulfilled and support student learning to their fullest potential.
Melissa S.
Building Principal
I'm growing, evolving, changing [as a person and as an educator]—and I should be approaching this newness with curiosity and not judgment. It's been so helpful to narrow down my values and prioritize them in practical ways. It frees me from the unnecessary, life-sucking things that I kept on my plate and didn't need to. It's made it clear that I really need to prioritize my well being, in order to live out my values the way I want to. —2nd grade teacher
Cohort Participant
2nd grade teacher

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