Stressed Teachers: Taking Care Of Our Educators
Some people believe that stressed teachers are the only ones who experience the consequences of this stress. Feeling unhappy and exhausted affects one’s performance negatively. This is especially relevant if you are thinking about what happens when a teacher cannot do his job in the best way. After all, they are the ones who take care of our children’s education.
That is why it is so important to think about what we can do to help stressed teachers. There are many different factors that influence their stress levels. We all have the power to influence these factors and make it easier for teachers to perform at their best.
“A teacher affects forever; he can never see where his influence ends. ”
Many studies have looked at work-related stress in many different professions. In the 6th annual study of working conditions in Spain (2007), researchers found that 54.2% of the country’s teachers experienced work-related stress. Considering that this was half of the teachers, the numbers were alarming to say the least.
The same study showed that 19.6% of teachers considered that their work negatively affected their health. And that was not all: similar figures indicated that they also had trouble sleeping and often felt tired. Many reported headaches, tension and irritability.
In 2011, researchers conducted another national survey of working conditions in Spain, and then found that 33.9% of the participating teachers stated that they had a heavy workload. To complete their duties, they had to work many unpaid hours. Unfortunately, these figures are supported by other similar studies.
A study by Gil-Monte (2012) indicates that around 50% of all teachers have high or very high stress. And not only that, because they found that these high levels of stress in teachers could gossip about mental and physical health problems.
Dissatisfaction and pressure at work were also correlated with depression and anxiety.
But what exactly leads to stressed teachers? Are they internal or external factors? We will answer these questions. Various studies have shown that the main cause of stressed teachers is students and their families. One of the main reasons for this is lack of interest in the studies or lack of motivation. Discipline problems in the classroom are also a major source of stress.
Students’ families are a major stress factor for teachers. This is because they do not tend to appreciate or understand the teacher’s work. It can also be stressful for teachers when parents do not cooperate or provide support in their work to educate their children.
This is where we can all pull our strings to reduce the stress for teachers. As a society and as parents of students, we must recognize how difficult this work can sometimes be. We must remember that these are education experts, so it is in everyone’s interest to follow the advice given at parent meetings.
These guidelines can be difficult to follow, but if we keep them in mind, things will get better. Not only in the classroom, but also in our homes and the lives of children in general. Motivated teachers who feel recognized and supported will be less stressed and do a better job.
Pictures from Tra Nguyen and Lonely Planet
