Effects of Stress at School

Workload can be a stress trigger. Both students and teachers can relate to this! Amount of time to prepare for each individual class. We had a weird rotating schedule now and I had four “exploritories” in two class periods. It’s double the workload and times are different for each group. It’s like having four separate classes to prepare for and assess. It’s definitely a trigger when the workload seems overwhelming. Students were often confused where to go on what day. Positive response is taking mindful breaths before planning. A potential negative response is focussing on the schedule itself where that creates stress and does not help it.

Negative energy in the workplace is a stress trigger. There are times when people can be so negative about school, students, parents, admin, whatever. For me, this creates highly stressful situations because I just don’t like being part of it. People who often seem to be negative elevate stress levels by harping on things that for the most part are out of our control. Being negative can be so consuming and definitely triggers stress. A positive response would be to avoid being in those situations when applicable and/or sometimes finding the silver lining and trying to look at situations optimistically. Negative response would be to keep engaging in the negativity. Students get stressed when there is negative energy in classrooms, amongst peers, and even on social media!

Standardized testing is a huge stress trigger. Once results became published, the level of stress went through the roof for some good teachers who for whatever reasons are unable to “teach to the test” well enough. There are, of course, so many factors that play into a class’s success on standardized tests. Positive response is to recognize that “it is what it is” and do the best you can with what you have. Another positive response is to move professionally into a position where you have a better shot to succeed. A negative response is to dwell on the system and let it consume you.