Impacts of Stress, Especially as it Applies to Teacher Burnout - Page 2 of 7

External stressors are on the increase these days. They often include changing family structures, peer pressure, easy access to drugs, alcohol and cigarettes, tightly scheduled activities, and conflicts between school demands and the time required for a job - whether it is actually necessary or seems to be necessary. Even greater stress is experienced by some students in the form of abuse, neglect, and emotional abandonment at home.

Classroom management has become increasingly stressful. Many teachers daily face students who are having their own problems. They become disruptive, irresponsible about school work, and sometimes involved in violence, vandalism, and substance use. When children are overly stressed, they are likely to act out in some way at school to get the attention they crave. Inclusion programs that attempt to better meet the learning needs of "at-risk" students create challenging classroom dynamics. The growing ethnic diversity and changing populations within schools demand a high degree of sensitivity and understanding from teachers. It also requires that they help their students accept and respect one another. Given the close ties between our schools and our communities, community and social problems inevitably impact educators. There is a fairly strong belief in our society that any social problem which concerns and involves school-age children should be addressed in our schools. We scramble to educate ourselves and our students about pressing social problems. Substance abuse, teen pregnancy, AIDS, domestic violence and sexual abuse, sexual harassment and gender discrimination, racial and ethnic diversity, and changes in the family structure and support system have become topics to be addressed in the classroom.

We want to prepare students for life after school and life outside of school. Yet there is still a need to teach the "academic" stuff--basic reading, writing, speaking, and thinking skills; mathematics; and basic knowledge of the sciences, literature, and history. New subjects and courses are often added to the school curriculum but rarely are any of the old ones dropped. Somehow, teachers are expected to "do it all."