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What is Room to Be Well (R2BeWell)?
The objective of the Room to Be Well (R2BeWell)* program is to empower educators to attend to their own personal well-being so that they are best positioned to model well-being for young people and positively contribute to a culture of well-being within the school.
R2BeWell does this this by providing every adult on campus (both certificated and classified staff) a stipend to use toward a well-being practice of their choice for the duration of one school year.
* Formerly known as the EWBSI, or the Educator Well-Being Stipend Initiative
We believe that when adults thrive,
students thrive.
We also believe that each person’s well-being is an individual journey. No two journeys will look exactly alike.
Finally, we believe that our journeys are best supported by a community that values and prioritizes well-being.
We believe...
"The stipend program had a really positive impact on our school community and culture. A lot of my colleagues also took part, and it brought us closer together... This positive vibe carried over to our students, who noticed how much more energetic and enthusiastic we were... Overall, the school felt more vibrant and focused on well-being, which was great for everyone."
"With increased energy and a better mood, I'm more enthusiastic and patient in the classroom, which creates a more positive and engaging learning environment. My improved physical health means I can actively participate in and lead physical activities, making lessons more dynamic and interactive. Overall, my commitment to fitness has helped me be more present and effective as a teacher, benefiting my students' learning experiences."
"I noticed my mood got better as did my relationship with myself. This was my first year working in education full-time and I felt burnt out very quickly. Having the funds to support something I like to do during my free time definitely gave me the push I needed to take more care of myself. Mentally, it was a great help and always grounded me in times of stress."
"My mood is improved and I'm better able to deal with the stresses of my work and everyday life. I am more calm and even-keeled, which really helps in my work with children. I feel like I am also better able to handle a stressful situation that may come up at work, by approaching it with a calm and objective point of view."
"My energy levels and sense of well-being have increased from my new well being practice…I find that I am more patient, easy going, and positive.. It feels great to keep a promise to myself, my trust in myself has grown over this past year.”
"By prioritizing my own wellness, I can serve as a positive role model for students, demonstrating the importance of self-care and healthy habits. Additionally, incorporating elements of well-being into educational settings... can help students manage stress, improve focus, and enhance overall academic performance. Creating a supportive environment that values well-being can also contribute to a positive school culture, fostering a sense of belonging and resilience among students."
Our '24-'25 R2BeWell School Partners
We are proud to be partnering with the following 13 SFUSD schools this school year:
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Bret Harte Elementary School
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Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 Community School
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Cleveland Elementary School
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Dr. Charles R. Drew College Preparatory Academy
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E. R. Taylor Elementary School
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Guadalupe Elementary School
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John Muir Elementary School
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Leonard R. Flynn Elementary School
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Longfellow Elementary School
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Paul Revere (PreK-8) School
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Sanchez Elementary School
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Sheridan Elementary School
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Visitacion Valley Elementary School
Hear from two participants about their experience with R2BeWell:
Comedy Night - Collective Joy!
On Friday, May 10 2024, Room to Breathe, in partnership with the San Francisco Education Fund and Laughing Together, hosted a Teacher Appreciation Comedy Night at Bimbo's 365 Club. SF-based comedian Shanti Charan opened and comedian Chris Gethard headlined. It was HUGE success! We hosted over 200 SFUSD educators who have worked hard this year to grow their well-being and impart those habits on their students. Many of the attendees were recipients of our R2BeWell grant, a stipend given to each educator on a school campus to be used toward a well-being practice of their choice. We came together to experience collective joy and celebrate a whole year's worth of working on our individual and collective well-being.
Thank you again to all of the inspiring SFUSD educators who joined us; we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate all of the incredible work you do than by laughing together!
What is well-being?
R2B references the field of positive psychology's well-being theory (called PERMA) to define what it means to be well. PERMA suggests that individuals will flourish by increasing Positive emotion, Engagement, positive Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. R2B has also added Somatics to this well-being theory because we believe that our body (how we use it, what we put into it, how we care for it) is essential to our well-being.
Think about how PERMAS shows up in your life when taking action to improve your well-being.
Menu of Recommended Well-Being Practices
The menu we provide is a guide, not an instructional manual. Use it to inspire new ideas, and please feel free to do your own research on programs/practices you could use your well-being stipend toward.
The best two questions to ask yourself when selecting a program/practice are:
1) Is this program/practice aligned to my well-being intention? (You will set a well-being intention for yourself in a quiz at the beginning of each semester.)
2) Do I think that this program/practice will help me to form new positive well-being habits?
If the answer to both of those two questions is YES, you've set yourself up well for a semester's worth of well-being experimentation. You may notice that some suggestions on our menu are slightly above or below the stipend amount. We did our best to find options that are affordable and sustainable. If there is an option you'd like to participate in that is above the amount of the stipend, this would require you to cover the difference in cost.