School may be stressful for the students but teachers are going through twice the burden. It was revealed that 46 percent of teachers confessed that they go through stress every day, making them at par with health care professionals.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation came up with a statistic that reveals the amount of stress that teachers would have to face each day. The study's authors Greenberg M, Brown J, and Abenavoli R mentioned that 46 percent of teachers do not get enough sleep due to their daily stress, which negatively impacts their social and physical health. It was added that their performance in school decreases as their daily stress is taking up its toll.
The study also revealed the effects of stress on the students. The researchers came up with a conclusion that stressed teachers produce underperforming students. The finding mentioned that students under a stressed teacher showcase slow social adjustment and poor academic performance.
NPR also highlighted that there are ways for teachers to de-stress and make their day more bearable. Author Patricia Jennings, who is also a teacher, talked about stress in the classroom and how to handle it. She mentioned that practicing mindfulness can ease stress and tension.
Jennings mentioned that going through mindfulness training positively impacted her health and her capability to teach as well. She mentioned that mindfulness exhibit reduced "psychological distress and time urgency" and it only improved her emotional well-being.
"These teachers were better able to cope with classroom challenges and manage their feelings," Patricia Jennings stated on one of her books. "Which made it easier for them to manage their students' big feelings."
Meria Carstarphen, who run a few big schools, mentioned that teachers cannot fully look after and take care of their students if they can't take care of their selves. She mentioned that it is important for teachers to take a breather before heading to classes so that they can productively teach their students.
