Helping teachers reduce stress is a team effort!

Helping teachers reduce their stress must also come from those around them. The districts they work for, the parents, and community members must realize they can also chip in.

Teachers often feel stressed out due to various reasons, including pressure from administrators, lack of resources, or feeling overwhelmed by expectations. In order to help teachers be successful and content in their roles, it's important to identify these issues and develop strategies for reducing teacher stress. This can involve setting realistic goals, providing sufficient resources, and creating a supportive atmosphere so educators can thrive without anxiety or burnout.

Managing expectations from teachers is an important part of reducing teacher stress. It's essential for administrators to have open and honest conversations with their staff about what they expect in terms of performance, outcomes, and workloads. By communicating openly, they can ensure that everyone understands the standards set by the school or district and how those goals will be achieved. This also allows teachers to provide feedback on what works best for them so that a balance between expectations and individual needs can be reached.

In an article by Michele Lew, he writes about a “staff help line” that his school put together for their teachers. “As assistant principal at Arcadia High School, outside of Los Angeles, I have been involved in creating some unconventional but extremely successful channels of support for not just our teachers but all of our staff—certificated and classified—as they weather the upheaval of the pandemic.” Lew jumped in and listened to what his teachers told him. Lew surveyed his teachers to make sure they would use the helpline he proposed, and said, “the response was positive!” Michele Lew created the helpline so that he could offer teachers “mini check-in therapy sessions” that wouldn’t overwhelm them.

In Nashville, an elementary school uses a system called, “tap in/tap out” to help teachers get a quick break during the workday, if needed. “It’s a way to briefly step out of the classroom environment when things get overwhelming, take a breath, and get back on track.” I believe this shows understanding and empathy from the administration, and teachers can feel comfortable asking for help.

Discussing standards between administration and staff is another critical component in relieving teacher anxiety. A clear understanding of what’s expected from both parties helps create positive relationships between educators and administrators, which then leads to more effective communication throughout the school community. When it comes to assessment methods, it’s important for administrators to recognize different types of assessments such as standardized tests versus project-based learning activities so that teachers are given options when creating lesson plans that meet their students' needs without feeling overwhelmed by unrealistic demands or excessive paperwork requirements.

Additionally, it’s important that administrators allocate enough time each day/week/month into supporting their teaching staff by allowing sufficient planning time. Setting aside specific periods during which teachers can plan, collaborate, and receive feedback from peers or administration allows them the opportunity to reflect upon how things are going in class without adding extra work onto already full plates – this practice also helps build trusting relationships between educators & administrators which goes far beyond just ‘reducing teacher stress’ but provides meaningful connection & camaraderie instead! Shayna Levitan, a journalist for the National Council on Teacher Quality says the administration can “support higher-quality instruction, with the important added benefit of reducing stress on teachers”.

In the end, helping teachers find a balance between work life and home life is key in reducing teacher anxiety levels over time. To do this, administrators must ensure that staff is given realistic expectations when it comes to workloads – this means recognizing when too much has been asked of someone and adjusting accordingly rather than expecting them to simply ‘do more’ without any extra recognition or reward for doing so! It’s also important for school districts/administrators to recognize each individual's unique situation; by understanding what challenges each person may face outside of work hours (e.g., childcare responsibilities), initiatives can then be implemented which allow employees the chance at achieving a healthy balance between work & home obligations too!