Teacher Stress Introduction It is well known that stress is something that is very prominent within the life of a teacher. The most difficult area surrounding stress from day to day is recognizing the negative implications that stress is having on life. As a teacher, it is very important to acknowledge that stress is present within day to day activities, while being conscious of the effects that this stress may have on the students inside the classroom, and learning the best ways to deal with this stress. Negative and Positive Stress
Stress can sometimes help, or encourage one to perform better, but it is when the stress level gets too high that negative implications can begin to occur. Although some level of stress is desirable, each of us has a breaking point in terms of stress (Powers, 284). Unfortunately, there is often no way to control many of the stressors that are present within the lives of teachers. Teachers can, however, try to control the way they respond to the different stressors that arise within day to day activities. It is our perception of the stressor and the way we respond to it that will determine any resulting health effects (Powers). There are a number of physiological and psychological symptoms of being overstressed. Such symptoms include persistent neck, jaw, shoulder or back tension, nightmares or insomnia, headaches, fatigue, indigestion, diarrhea, constipation, loss of appetite or excessive appetite and feelings of weakness and dizziness (Bozzone). Along with health problems, stress can have negative affects in other areas of a teacher's life and their classrooms.
Stress Implications in the Classroom
Stress can cause problems in the classroom for both the teacher and the student. In an interview with an Intermediate / Secondary teacher, she stated that early in her career, she noticed she was a better teacher, and had a better relationship with her students when her stress level was not too high. She also stated that dealing with certain students can often be very stressful, but learning better ways to deal with such students often reduced her stress levels. One method of reducing stress is to deal with students one at a time (Rominger, 11). Students are often easier to work with and tend to behave on a more rational level when they are not being influenced by others. Another way to deal with stress in the classroom is to stop wherever you feel overwhelmed, take a deep breath, and give yourself a minute to figure out how to best handle the situation (Rominger). Along with these suggestions for dealing with students in a different way to reduce stress, there are other suggestions available for teachers to attempt to reduce the amount of stress that they deal with on a day to day level, such as realizing that you have a choice regarding how you react to the stress that exists (Bozzone).
A Healthy Lifestyle One of the best ways to deal with the negative stress within day to day activities is to have an overall healthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle sometimes requires behavior change, or eliminating the unhealthy behaviors and replacing them with behaviors that will contribute positively to our overall level of wellness (Powers, 291). A healthy lifestyle includes a reduction of bad habits and an increase of good habits. Healthy eating, exercise and sleeping well are all elements of life that will not only make a person healthier, but will also help in reducing stress levels and dealing with stress once those levels get too high (Powers). One major step towards a healthier lifestyle begins when one decides to modify unhealthy behavior. A healthy lifestyle sometimes requires behavior change, or eliminating unhealthy behaviors and replacing them with behaviors that will contribute positively to our overall level of wellness (Powers). A major element in being able to change any behavior is the desire and decision to make changes. Changing sleeping patterns, eating habits and exercise routines requires devotion and commitment. Without a genuine desire to make lifestyle changes, the best behavior modification plan is doomed to fail (Powers).
Conclusion There is no denying that stressors surround teachers on a day to day, class to class, and student to student basis. Certain stressors can help teachers their different tasks better, such as deadlines for returning student work or preparing lessons, but when stress levels become too high, teachers often become overstressed. The most difficult task for a teacher trying to manage their stress is their ability to recognize their stress level is high and to acknowledge that their responses to the stressors in their lives can often lead to an increase in the stress level. For some teachers, it is difficult to see the negative implications that this high stress level has on life itself, which often carries many health consequences. Teachers also often struggle to recognize that the stress in their lives tend to have negative implications within their classrooms and with their students. Once it is acknowledged that the stress level is too high, one can work take steps and suggestions to help deal with the different surrounding stressors and lowering the overall stress level from day to day. Finally, a major step towards managing stress and decreasing the health effects that stress may have on both the body and the mind begins with an overall healthy lifestyle. For many people, a healthy lifestyle can be reached only through specific behavior modifications. Modifying behavior is not a task goal that is easily reached, but requires much devotion, commitment and the decision that this goal must be reached.
References
Bozzone, M. A. (n.d.). A teacher's stress survival guide - includes related articles | Instructor | Find Articles at BNET. Retrieved July 11, 2009, from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0STR/is_n5_v1 04/ai_16564666/
Powers, S., Dodd, S., & Noland, V. (2006). Total Fitness and Wellness. San Fransisco: Pearson Education.
Rominger, L., Laughrea, S. P., & Elkin, N. (2001). Your first year as a high school teacher. Roseville: Prima.