I have a couple of major stressors in my life, one of which is my time I work 8 - 5 Monday - Friday and 6 - 10pm Monday - Thursday night. My evening job where I teach is more of a relaxing, winding down type point of my day. Once I am able to quit my "day job" a lot of my stress will be alleviated.
oh my! Where do I begin? I'm experienced at what I do but strive to learn all the detailed material and articulate it to the students.
Having printed material printed in time for class
Having a back up plan in case something goes wrong
with original plan.
I am a wife, mother, grandmother, sister, daughter-in-law......how do I make time for my family and friends.
I don't want to let my director down, but I don't
want to take on to much.
The list goes on and on.
Deb, It sounds like student success or failure really impacts you and your stress levels. On one hand, that's a great motivator and likely keeps you focused on helping students achieve success. On the other hand, it is likely frustrating to watch students who do not make the cut, no matter how much help you offer. Sometimes we have to focus on our successful students to bring up our own morale.
Dr. Melissa Read
Some of my stress is "home-grown". I feel a need to be on top of my game all the time. I do not accept less than the best from myself. I want to be liked and appreciated. All of these things combine to make even little things more stressful. I want to be the perfect mother, wife, nurse, teacher, friend...and the list goes on. It requires a daily personal intervention to keep myself in check and not over-react to those less than perfect moments.
Student Needs:
Grading assignments quickly and accurately and getting grades posted by the end of the day so students have feedback.
Students needing extra help and stopping by my desk throughout the day, stopping me from one task to concentrate on their issue.
Organizational Factors:
Limited staff at the college and nobody to cover my clases if I need to take a sick day.
College Requirements:
I would prefer not to use the Anatomy book that is required for the course I am teaching. I think there are better books out there.
Managing the attendance of students based on company policy doesn't allow for students to have any flexibility on their schedule.
My commute is a major stressor in my life . It is a 2 hour roundtrip commute with a 10 hour work day. I am often exausted by the time I get home and feel I have nothing left to give myself or my family. I love my job and rarely feel stressed at work.
There will always be some level of stress in your life weather it be personal or professional, it's how you choose to deal with it that makes the differnce.
Tammy, Oh wow, that sounds really tough. Two hours is an incredible amount of time to spend on the road. I understand what you mean about missing out on family time too. Some instructors use their road time to catch up with family members who don't live in the house by phone. They can also start some of their phone meetings for work while on the road or listen to lesson plans on tape to make the most of their time. This way, their workdays are a little shorter when they arrive. Carpooling is another great option if you know someone who lives in your area because when you are not driving, your hands are free to do work like grading papers.
Dr. Melissa Read
Tammy, Oh wow, that sounds really tough. Two hours is an incredible amount of time to spend on the road. I understand what you mean about missing out on family time too. Some instructors use their road time to catch up with family members who don't live in the house by phone. They can also start some of their phone meetings for work while on the road or listen to lesson plans on tape to make the most of their time. This way, their workdays are a little shorter when they arrive. Carpooling is another great option if you know someone who lives in your area because when you are not driving, your hands are free to do work like grading papers.
Dr. Melissa Read
Life in general can be stressful but we learn to liove with it the best way possible
Stress in the classroom come from lack of training, false information and equipment not in working order.
Time is a big stress factor.It seems like there is never enough time to get things done and it leads to stress.
Some time the college requirements stress me out, i have to do many things at the same time
My stresses are from my students whom who do not come to school but need to make up hours because of it and do not take their careers serious.
I love my job teaching nursing students in the hospital setting, however, I had to change hospitals a few months ago and also departments. I am now on a maternity floor and find some of the nurses who work there are very negative with my students. This causes stress for both my students and myself. In addition, some of the staff have tried to get me to perform their jobs, when they are short staffed. I can appreciate their dilemma, however, and although, I am a MSN prepared nurse, I am not an employee of the hospital and it is against my school's policy for me to act like an employee, plus a tremendous liability for the hospital. This stress has affected each clinical day. I would label it as a 'difficult teaching environment' and a 'workplace stress.' As a way to combat the negativity on the floor, I have prepared an extensive list of what the students can do, and presented it to the director of the unit. She is going to share it with the nurses on the floor. I am hoping this communication will provide a basis for what the students can and can't do, and a means to accomplish our clinical objectives.
My youngest daughter is getting married late this year. Because she lives out of state the planning has been mainly on her end. I can appreciate that as the date draws nearer, my stress level at home will rise. I am attending a workshop in April on 'Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for nurses. I anticipate that I will learn ways to keep my stress at a tolerable, steady level.
I think being aware of stressful issues and then confronting them and seeking assistance can prevent them from becoming catastrophic. Also,taking time to nourish your mind, body and soul keeps you healthy and decreases your stress.
Alejandro, So true. Stress in the classroom does come to us from multiple sources. In addition to the ones you mentioned, student motivation is another source of stress that instructors often comment on in this course. For these reasons, it's critically important to stay calm and organized as an instructor.
Dr. Melissa Read
Marcia, It sounds like you face a significant amount of stress in both personal and professional areas of your life. That can be tough. Your work stress sounds particularly challenging. When we switch roles to work in a new environment, we often deal with the stress of a big adjustment. Our environment works differently than before and sometimes people at work can take advantage of eagerness to fit in. It sounds also like you are exploring a lot of great options for dealing with stress and that you are investing in making your future better. That's wonderful to hear. Keep up with this direction.
Dr. Melissa Read
Student issues at work- student needs
Commute-Logistical
Kids-Life
Kids Schedules-Life
The balance of life and work is the biggest stressor in my life. I have two kids, and a husband plus I am the program director at work. The daily commute is at least an hour each way. Once at work, I manage 7 instructors and 7 cohorts of students. With over 150 students the student issues are very abundant. I have students and instructors in and out of my office all day. I then drive an hour home to take care of my home and two small boys. Most of my stress comes from logistics and student needs.
My 2 biggest sources of stress in my life come from the home and from work. At home I deal with living with an alcoholic wife who is more off the wagon than on. I also have 2 young children that I try to shield this behavior from.
At work I am employed with a company that really doesn't understand how to roll out new cirriculum. It's not uncommon to get notified a few days before the beginning of a new block that the entire course I'm teaching is getting revamp. None of the recipes are tested and there's no power point presentations made. That makes the new block extremely stressful.
I get stressed when asked to do work that takes me away from my teaching
