Abstract
As members of the helping professions, educators face multifaceted challenges in their roles,
necessitating a unique blend of knowledge, skills, and commitment. Despite the essential
nature of their work, educators often grapple with stress and burnout, leading to a relatively
short average career span. Considering the pressures faced by educators, this study explored
the role of spiritual awareness, in their wellbeing, aiming to shed light on the potential benefits
of heightened spiritual awareness in mitigating the emotional demands of teaching. This study
used a generic qualitative research approach, which involved conducting semi-structured
interviews with twelve educators. The population for the study consisted of secondary school
educators in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa. The population selected for this study
were South African citizens, qualified educators, registered at the South African Council for
Educators (SACE), and who taught at public secondary schools in Johannesburg. Spiritual
Awareness emerged as tool that educators can use as a prevention to burnout. This study
found that there may be a heightened awareness which positively influences educators' selfefficacy
and support for students. This significantly impacts their personal and professional
lives by increasing a positive state of wellbeing. It is therefore recommended that educational
institutions should consider integrating programs into educator training and professional
development programs which emphasize the importance of spiritual awareness for educators
to enhance their self-discovery, authenticity, and overall personal wellbeing. This will
ultimately improve their capacity to support students and cultivate pro-social behaviour in the
classroom. Educators should actively seek to cultivate their spiritual awareness. The study
offers valuable insights into such cultivation of educators' spiritual awareness and its potential
role in enhancing their overall wellbeing and effectiveness in the classroom.
Key words: Spiritual awareness; educator well-being; self-efficacy; stress; burnout;
educator challenges