Stress originates from a variety of sources – depending on the individual. I think maturity has a lot to do with how people cope with stress. At the same time, a person can be stressed and not know it but people around them see behavioral traits that are ignored and or are not acted upon. If someone is stressed out or “pinging” due to something as simple as an overhead projector template not fitting properly, chances are there is something else going on in that person’s life. Then there is the issue of an instructor stressing out over course content or the institution’s policy on grading. This is certainly a justifiable reason stress given the instructor’s passion for their student’s and their perceived value of their instruction. However, it’s important to recognize what can be controlled. In both instances cited, the transparency simply does not fit. So what! Improvise and move on. Some people cannot adapt to such a simplistic solution for such a simple problem. Curriculum and grading are institutional issues of which an instructor has only so much control over the result. Again, make adjustments – then move on.
