Our schools need healthy and safe adults in order to foster healthy and safe students. During these stressful times, our education workforce is working harder than ever to nurture and educate their students. They continue to be called on to re-invent and even defend their profession, addressing unfinished learning, new or increasing anxieties, and disrupted protocols on how schools and societies should function.

We know our workforce is short staffed, and therefore doing more than is possible, while also trying to meet the needs of their families and themselves. We know staff, students and the families of our students may also be more frustrated, exhausted or anxious. We need our adults to take care of themselves and one another, and to take time to attend to their physical and emotional well-being.

With our educators' needs in mind, the Maine Department of Education is pleased to announce the development and release of SOS! Supporting our Staff (SOS), a library of online modules designed for our educator workforce here in Maine.

These free, online activities are designed to support educators in many different areas, from adult emotional intelligence and prevention to classroom skills. The modules are available for use by anyone, including parents, caregivers, and educators. They are asynchronous and designed to be used with flexibility such as part of a professional development day, a team or staff meeting, or part of an individual self-care and professional development plan. The Maine DOE hopes that these resources are a support for the educators who are doing everything they can to support students and their families.

Please check out SOS by registering/logging into: sel4me.maine.gov and share this resource, along with our gratitude and offer to support or listen in whatever way we can.

Together we can ensure our schools are places where physical health and emotional well-being are prioritized, creating an environment when all students and adults can thrive.

For more information or support with the SOS modules, contact Kellie D. Bailey, Maine DOE Social Emotional Learning Specialist for the Maine Department of Education at at Kellie.Bailey@maine.gov.

For media inquiries, contact Kelli Deveaux, Maine Department of Education Director of Communication at kelli.deveaux@maine.gov.