Stress Factors Affecting Teachers
Despite the long summer breaks, being a teacher is a challenging undertaking that is associated with a multitude of stressors. The stress factors affecting teachers is a popular topic for conversation, especially as societal, behavioral and financial issues affect a teacher's capabilities in the classroom. Teachers must manage their stress so that they do not burn out or lose their ability to effectively manage students.
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Budget Cuts
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Across the country in 2011, the public education system is experiencing budget cuts, which affects the tools and resources a teacher has access to. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, cuts to K-12 education have been implemented in at least 34 states and the District of Columbia. For instance, Illinois cut school education funding by $311 million in fiscal year 2011.
When public schools do not receive funding for materials, teachers are forced to develop alternatives to stick to a curriculum with limited supplies. Budget cuts do not only affect teachers' classroom resources, however. They can also impact teachers' salaries, which is cause for financial stress. The CBPP reports that Hawaii had to shorten the school year by 17 days and furlough teachers for those days. Budget cuts serve as a double stress factor for teachers.
Student-to-Teacher Ratio
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The student-to-teacher ratio is high, which is another stress factor affecting teachers. Many public schools in the K-12 system are understaffed and overpopulated by students. Yet, it is still expected that teachers perform and meet the same expectations that they would if classrooms were smaller. The result of large classroom sizes is that teachers must split their attention between all of the students, which does not allow each student an adequate amount of individualized attention, which is essential to a quality education. Accordingly, teachers find it stressful to provide a fair and balanced learning experience when they are overwhelmed by classroom size.
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Behavior Management
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Classroom behavior management and discipline puts stress on teachers, according to the Teacher Support Network. Teachers must be careful when it comes to disciplining students. Allegations of harassment or abuse can be filed by sensitive a student who feels like a teacher inappropriately disciplined him. As such, teachers are warned to be cautious, and, as a result, it becomes more and more challenging to control and manage student behaviors. Teacher Support Network reports that behavior management and discipline is a major source of anxiety for many teachers.
Evaluation Apprehension
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Policies such as the No Child Left Behind Act cause teachers to be under the microscope in terms of what they teach to students and how effectively students are learning the course material. Accordingly, teacher evaluations have become more widespread in terms of being used by academic administrators to score teachers on their ability to provide students with the material they need to learn. Visual in-class observations are often a form of teacher evaluations, which puts a lot of pressure on the teacher, according to the Teacher Support Network.
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References
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