Well-Being in the Work of Preschool Teachers

Teacher well-being is a key factor that conditions the learning process and influences the pedagogical relationship. A study published by the European Commission (2023a) states that 50% of teachers experience stress at work and recommends that curricula include a component dedicated to “Personal, Social and Learning to Learn” key competence (2023b). For this study, using an autoethnographic methodology, we accompanied three preschool (kindergarten) teachers during their intervention with children with special needs in the family home, with the aim of understanding the constraints on teacher well-being when working in a non-formal setting. The analysis of the narratives presented by these professionals revealed several related categories and highlighted the need for effective support to foster emotional resilience. It is necessary to conduct more research on this topic with teachers from other levels of education and to use different research questions, methodologies, and contexts for further exploration.