The commute is the biggest stress for me. Rush hour NYC subway insanity. I always try to be early for my classes so I can decompress after the adventure, before class begins.
Albert, That sounds like a healthy approach. If we know we are going to experience stress on our way to work, it's important to allow a small buffer of time to unwind and get back to a position of strength before engaging with our students.
Dr. Melissa Read
Some major stressors include preparing for courses that are new, trying to help everyone (family, friends, students, etc.), and time-management.
Major Stressors for me:
1. getting my daughter out of the house on time in the morning.
2. Commuting over 60 miles a day in traffic through construction on highways.
3. many students and no assistant leads to loads and loads of paperwork.
4. finding time to do the paperwork and still leave school at an adequate hour for picking up my daughter, making dinner, getting her to bed, prepping the next days lunches
5. finding time to spend with my husband who is a high school teacher by day and also teaches night classes at the local community college.
This list actually makes me feel more overwhelmed. How do I actually get this all done everyday? No wonder I am tired!
I will soon add another stressor to this. I am starting classes as a student in 2 weeks.
for almost a year i was commuting an hour to and from the school that i teach at, i finally made the decision to move closer to the school, and not with that drive eliminated, i am able to dedicate more time to lesson planning and i am less stressed worrying about how long it takes me to get to and from work
1- I concur that the commute to school is a stressor. 2- Being new to multiple software programs as I am, the navigational steps required provide me a lot of stress. I am pleased to say that my peers are generous and willing to help me, and I'm getting more independent navigating programs, therefor not bothering other folks so much.
students
colleuges
traffic
These are the stressers that seem to affect me the most... and that I seem to have the lease control over.
Kaitlin, Sounds like a fantastic life change and one with many benefits. Glad to hear you made the investment. Probably was a little extra work up front but well worth it in the end!
Dr. Melissa Read
Gary, So nice to hear you've got a great support system who can help you through difficult learning curves and such. Sometimes all we need is reliable people to lean on when times are tough.
Dr. Melissa Read
Some major stressors in my life at this time are organizational. All faculty members are informed of expectations from the school and our program director at the start of the school term and the assumption is that we all need minimal supervision to fulfill these expectations. When I complete tasks on time, following all the prescribed protocols and then find out that some of my peers do not meet deadlines and are getting away with it, it causes stress.
I have come to terms with the fact that as long as I do my job and do it well, I shouldn't be overly concerned about how others fulfill their obligations. It is between them and their conscience. However, it still causes stress because it affects the smooth flow of my day at work.
Thanks for letting me vent.
A stressor of mine would be the feeling of being unorganized or not all of my co-workers being on the same page so we seem un prepared.
Mackenzie, Aligning with coworkers is often the key to success in an academic environment. Some instructors are proactive about gaining alignment. They setup meetings with fellow faculty and administrators to get on the same page. Others are more informal but keep communication of expectations frequent enough that it does the trick.
Dr. Melissa Read
Some of the student needs can be a cause of stress. The students sometimes have a hard time changing their behavior from what they may have done before they decided to go to a career school. I think that when the students try to change their life then they are going to have additional stress placed on them to test their commitment to change. One of our jobs as a teacher is to guide them on how to behave in today's society.
We also can have stress trying to meet other's expectations and sometimes by just trying to do our job right. I try to take mini breaks in my mind by using imagination or just breathing deeply for a few minutes. This really helps to keep my stress down.
The two biggest stressors I have in my field are some of my students and certification assessments. I have a few students who don’t show up for classes or leave early. When they get a bad grade on an assignment they quickly blame me for the failure. I explain to them the importance about being in class and staying the whole time, but they still refuse to realize that their lack of discipline reflects on their grade. It’s always the same students every few weeks and they quickly try to blame others for their problems. I get really stressed thinking about how clueless they are. The second stressor is the Microsoft Office Exams, my school is pushing to have all our students take the test and become certified. So sometimes I feel as I teach to the test because I am fearful that if my students don’t pass the test I might lose my job.
Stressors present in my life right now are the commute to work, conflict that may arise from student-student and professor-student interactions, studying and further education, providing adequate time for my family and friends.
Changing textbooks frequently (college requirement), working and going to college myself (organizational), finding time to do things around the house (organizational).
Time management is huge for me as I need to post daily, respond to students within 24 hours, keep up to date with my two children, try not to forget volunteer commitments, and keep my house somewhat in order so we can find things when we need them.
I can learn to set the same time each day to respond to and deal with my college class.
I can help my kids become more independent and try to reach out to friends to help.
It is too late for this year but next year, I can cut back on my children's school related volunteer work.
I can teach my kids to help organize themselves.
Dawn, Sounds like you are balancing stress from both workplace and home environments. You are not alone. A lot of instructors find themselves in a similar position. Staying on top of priorities from each environment is key to managing through each day effectively.
Dr. Melissa Read
Leticia, Sounds like a good approach with respect to volunteering. While it's wonderful to be in a position to help, sometimes we have to help ourselves and focus on our families before we can take care of others.
Dr. Melissa Read
commute, standards, personal, expecations
The commute stresses me to no end. Traffic is a major irritation for me.
Personally, I have a lot on my plate at home as I am the primary caregiver to everyone in the household and I work long odd hours.
lastly, I have a lot of responsibilities at work and trying to meet those on a day to day basis is highly stressful.
