PERSONAL SAFETY OF PRESCHOOL TEACHERS: THE CURRENT CHALLENGES

Abstract

Summary. The article characterizes the meaning of the concepts "safety", "personal safety", and outlines the influencing factors on ensuring the personal safety of preschool teachers. Personal safety is the basic need of an individual in the course of their life. Personal safety of a teacher is the most important social value, it involves the creation of safe conditions for the teacher’s pedagogical activity. The problems of security and personal safety have increased due to extreme situations, changes in the life of the society, pandemics, war, which cause uncertainty and unpredictability of the future, anxiety and stress. The results of the research conducted among teachers of preschool education institutions of Lviv Oblast are presented regarding their attitude to factors affecting their personal safety (to a large extent, to a small extent, not a threat) in today’s conditions. Attention is focused on the factors that pose a threat to personal and national security: military invasion from the east, terrorism, environmental pollution, economic, political, demographic crises, restrictions on civil liberties and democracy, etc. Physical factors and psychological dangers both are security threats for teaching staff. They feel the safest in their family, among relatives, while less safe among friends. It is important for the teachers that the restoration of the educational process in preschool education institutions, and creation of safe conditions for their activities correspond to the industrial, natural and military situation in the region. The main areas of activity of the teachers under the martial law are highlighted (creating appropriate conditions for safe life, organizing the educational process; providing psychological and pedagogical support for the children; provision of methodical assistance and psychological support to the teachers; helping parents who find themselves in a difficult situation, etc.). The priority task of a preschool education institution is the personal safety of the staff and the safety of the children.