Helping Teachers Cope

with Stress
ELAINE G. WANGBERG
get from our work (Selye, 1974; School Events Survey (Young.
T here can be no doubt that teacher
stress, burnout, and job dissatis
faction are critical issues in edu
cation today. If we are to reduce stress,
Pelletier, 1977). It can also impair our
ability to think clearly, solve problems,
and deal effectively with the demands of
1980)
Q-Sort Stress Survey (Manera and
Wnght, 1980)
we must provide teachers with greater life (Sparks, 1979). Stress Inventory (Sparks, 1979).
support and rewards. Improvement is The body reacts to stress as a whole.
needed in working conditions, profes We cannot separate mental from physi Strategies for Coping with Stress.
sional status, public support, and com cal stress or personal from professional After personal and professional stressors
pensation. In the meantime, school sys stress (Pelletier, 1977). The goal in are identified, teachers need to develop
tems should provide teachers with stress management is for each of us to strategies for coping with them. As indi
environments and programs of support find our optimal stress level. viduals, we will have different stressors
to help them cope with the high levels of as well as different coping solutions.
Identification of Stressors. It is essen While we may not be able to control
stress they continue to experience. tial that the causes of personal and pro
I have organized several stress man stress, we must realize that we are re
fessional stress be identified so that sponsible for our reactions to stressors.
agement programs for teachers and stu problems can be isolated and resolved.
dent teachers. In general, these pro No one else can control our reactions
Among the instruments that help iden It is important at this point to explore
grams deal with stress theory, tify personal stressors are:
identification of stressors and strategies the myth of the "super teacher." Teach
for coping with them, development of The Social Readjustment Rating ers often think it is possible to do all that
support systems, and professional Scale (Holmes and Rahe. 1967) is asked of them and to do it perfectly.
growth opportunities. The Wellness Inventory (Travis, This is an impossible standard to live up
1977). to. Given the number of roles teachers
Stress Theory. S tress is part of all of are called on to play (Edgerton, 1977)
our lives, but it is not necessarily bad The following instruments can be
used to identify sources of professional and the number of interactions they
for us. Too little stress results in bore enter into each day, there is no way they
dom and stagnation Too much stress stress:
can always be successful. Programs of
eventually affects our mental and physi NYSUT Survey on Teacher Stress stress management should help teachers
cal health and lowers the satisfaction we (New York State United Teachers, set realistic standards for themselves.
1979) Teachers must get rid of the myth of the
Elaine G. Wangberg is Assistant Professor. Dismal Dozen Checklist (Kossack, "super teacher" and begin to focus on
Department of Curriculum. University of 1980) and feel satisfied with the successes they
New Orleans, Louisiana Caretaker Survey (Roy. 1979) do have Instead of thinking about what

452 EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

 Stress management can help teachers identify
their problems, find ways to deal with them,
provide support for each other, and increase their
self esteem.

went wrong on a given day. they should there is less work to take home. More ilar circumstances, (2) noncompetitive.
learn to think about what went right student self-direction, responsibility, (3) willing to give constructive criti
We must also legitimize "taking." and involvement in the classroom bene cism. (4) unwilling to listen to negatives
Many teachers have "caretaker person fits both teacher and students. Time or griping, and (5) committed to staying
alities" (Roy. 1979) they care for and management techniques enable teachers in the same group over time.
give to others before thinking of their to use time more effectively so they gain The Challenge Process, a technique
own needs. They must learn that they more time off In general, such tech developed by Sparks (1979). applies the
cannot continue to give without replen niques include planning and prioritizing techniques of group problem solving
ishing. This means learning to "take" in order to get more done in less time and focuses on the positive working
for oneself, even though to most teach (Lakein. 1973). The sense of organiza on challenges rather than problems. The
ers this idea seems unnatural and self tion that results is itself a stress reducer. group works through three stages with
ish. Development of Support Svstems its members: stating a challenge, brain-
"Taking" may be in the form of Teachers tend to work in isolation, yet storming suggestions, and making a
physical exercise, time outs. special they undergo similar stresses. Dunham. contract.
events or plans to look forward to. men in a study of British teachers, concluded Another type of support system is the
tal health days, nutritional diets. B and that teachers with problems see them Child Study Group. Once a week, be
C vitamins, long baths or showers, va selves as different from others and think fore school, members meet to discuss a
cations, sabbaticals or leaves, or simply they alone are having problems As a student for which a group member needs
saying a professional "no" to extra result they internalize their difficulties advice. Members offer solutions, and
duties or committees. rather than seeking aid or solutions the teacher with the problem decides
Beyond this, teachers will benefit (Newell. 1980). which of these will be implemented in
from training in the use of relaxation We need to develop environments the coming week. These meetings focus
techniques Progressive relaxation, au- where teachers can admit failures, share on the resolution of problems with stu
togenic training, and stress reduction successes, and support one another. dents, but an additional outcome is
exercises can help relieve physical and Support groups provide such environ teachers supporting teachers.
emotional tensions (Brown, 1977; ments. They meet at regularly scheduled
Budzynski, 1978) and should be in times and allow each member to share Professional Growth Opportunities.
cluded in stress management programs. while the rest of the group provides sup It is critical that professional growth
Teachers also need to take time off. port Between meetings, individual opportunities be developed and chosen
They deserve lives outside the class members can give additional support with teacher input. Imposed inservice
room, and students deserve teachers through phone calls, notes, or visits. does not reduce stress; it may. in fact,
who have had such time. Teachers may Guidelines for support groups usually increase tensions.
need to structure their classrooms so provide for members to be (1) from sim Since stress is highly related to self-

MARCH 1982 453

esteem (Kyriacou and Sutcliffe, 1978), Newell, R C "Teacher Stress Warning: Philadelphia: J.B Lippincott Co., 1974.
appropriately designed professional Teaching May Be Hazardous to Your Sparks, Dennis. "Teacher Burnout: A
experiences can raise teacher self- Health." American Teacher ( December/ Teacher Center Tackles the Issue." Today's
esteem through growth in areas of inter January 1980): 16-17 Education 68 (November/December 1979):
New York State United Teachers. NYSUT 37-39.
est or self-identified need. They also Survey on Teacher Stress. New York: New Sparks, Dennis. "A Biased Look at
provide welcome changes of pace and York State United Teachers, 1979 Teacher Job Satisfaction." The Clearing
environment. Designs for professional Pelletier, K. Mind as Healer, Mind as house 5 2 (May 1979): 447-449.
growth should include respect for Slayer. New York: Dell Publishing Co., Travis, John W. Wellness Inventory. M ill
teacher competence and willingness to 1977. Valley, Calif: Wellness Resource Center,
change, individual identification and Roy, Will. "Caretaker Survey." Milwau 1977.
pursuit of an area for growth, adminis kee: University of Wisconsin, 1979. (Mime Young, Tim "Teacher Stress: One
trative and peer support, and a practical, ographed .) School District's Approach." Action in
on-the-job emphasis (Edelfelt, 1974; Selye, Hans. Stress Without Distress Teacher Education I I (Fall 1980): 37-40
Howey. 1976: and Lawrence, 1974).
Teachers can also find renewal,
growth, and support through sabbati Portland Teachers Defy Some Common Misconceptions of Educators
cals, leaves of absence, visitations to
other classrooms and schools, job rota With so much negative publicity the expense of the great majority of
tion, exchange teaching, and conference about teacher burnout, it seems ap teachers. Inordinate concentration on
attendance. School systems should recog- propriate to give some attention to burnout may in itself contribute to the
nize that such activities are necessary the other side of the question: What syndrome by persuading otherwise
for staff development and renewal. about those who stay in teaching? contented teachers that they should
What kind of people are they and be dissatisfied with their lot in life.
how do they feel about their profes The study did not seem to whitewash
References sion? difficult problems when and where
These kinds of questions were they exist. But it does suggest that
Brown, Barbara. Stress and the An of explored in a major study in the Port substantial numbers of teachers are
Biofeedback. New York: Bantam Books, land metropolitan area. 1 Results of basically pleased with themselves,
1977. the study appear to contradict much their work, and have an almost tena
Budzynski, Thomas H. Relaxation Train cious commitment to the profession.
of the current thinking about teacher
ing Program. New York: BMA Audio Cas
attitudes and motivation. Teachers The results of this study will be
sette Programs. 1978.
Chance. Paul. "That Drained-Out. are not afflicted with mass depres questioned by many readers who,
Used-Lp Feeling." Psychology Todav ( Jan sion nor is cynicism threatening their like me, assumed teachers would re
uary 1981): 88-89. 94-95. psyches. Here's what the Portland flect the general public's cynical and
Edelfelt, Roy. "Inservice Education of area study showed. negative attitudes toward education.
Teachers: Priority for the Next Decade." Overall job satisfaction among Some might also suggest that the
Journal of Teacher Education 25 ( Fall
teachers appears to be extremely sample was too narrow and not a
1974): 250-252. cross section of "real" American
Edgerton, Susan K "Teacher in Role high. N inety-eight percent reported
receiving an "average amount" to a education. Still, the schools in this
Conflict." Phi Delta Kapnan L IX (October area have experienced their share of
1977): 120-122. "great deal" of satisfaction from
their work, with nearly 75 percent declining enrollment, "nffing,"
Holmes. Thomas D.. and Rahe, R. "The
Social Readjustment Rating Scale." Journal saying they would choose again to go school closures, budget failures,
of Ps\chosomatic Research I I (1967): into teaching if such a decision had strikes, and other ailments that have
213-218. to be made. Only 1.6 percent said afflicted the schools in such places as
Howey. Kenneth F. "Putting Inservice they are "extremely dissatisfied" Newark and Detroit But if intensely
Education Into Perspective." Journal of with their profession. dismal perspectives are held by
Teacher Education 27 (Summer 1976): teachers in those areas, similar views
36-39 Teachers' attitudes about them
should have shown up in this study!
Kossack. Sharon W., and Woods, Sandra selves and their colleagues are gen
L. "Teacher Burnout: Diagnosis, Preven erally very positive. Teachers hold
tion, Remediation." A ction in Teacher Edu extraordinarily high professional 'Support for this study, which in
cation I I (Fall 1980): 29-35. self-concepts. Ninety-eight percent cluded schools in Oregon and Washing
Kynacou, Chris, and Sutcliffe, John. "A reported feeling "successful" to ton, was provided by the Portland State
Model of Teacher Stress." Educational "extremely successful" in their University Research and Publications
Studies 4 ( March 1978): 1-6. work. Similarly, 98 percent reported Committee
Lakein. Alan. How to Take Control of
others would also think them "very
Your Time and Life. New York: Signet,
1973.
successful." LYNDA C. FALKENSTEIN
Lawrence. Gordon. Patterns of Effective Burnout may be a vastly over- Associate Professor
ln\er\ice Education: A State of the Art Sum slated problem. I f the statistics here and Director
mary fff Research on Materials and Proce are generahzable to the entire popu Program in Law-
dures for Changing Teacher Behaviors in lation of teachers, it is reasonable to Related Education
Inservice Education. Tallahassee: Florida conclude that a relatively small num Portland State
State Department of Education, 1974. ber of very squeaky wheels are get University
Manera. Elizabeth S., and Wright. Robert ting excessive amounts of attention at Portland, Oregon
E. "Stress Factors in Teaching." A ction in
Teacher Education I I (Fall 1980): 51-56.

454 EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

Copyright © 1982 by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development. All rights reserved.