The ABCs of Managing Teacher Stress

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For my article response assignment, I chose “The ABCs of Managing Teacher Stress.” In this article, it discusses the major stressors that come with being a teacher and how to decrease the stress so they do not become a statistic. The way the authors break up the article is by making three strategies: A is for acknowledge, B is for Behavior Modification, and C is for communication. The article did not mention some stressors including salary, little down time, constant paperwork, student test scores, and selflessness.
Acknowledge is the first strategy of the article and is the most important for successfully decreasing work-related stress. Teachers need to acknowledge which stressors are affecting them the most, so that they can work towards eliminating or at least decreasing them. The list of general stressors that effect most teachers include professional relationships, class size, resources, workload, student behavior, changes, and role conflict. After acknowledging their personal stressors, teachers are recommended to eliminate or decrease current behaviors and implement new ones.
The second strategy of reducing stress is Behavior Modification. This is step encourages certain behaviors that will decrease stress and effectively handle any future problems without acquiring as much stress. This section recommends exercise, meditation/diaphragmatic breathing, daily quiet reflection, and to find a positive environment for social support. Three other major pieces of advice include time-management strategies, creative problem solving, and cognitive restructuring. For time-management, the use of “boxing” is recommended for teachers to determine three levels of important tasks and provide a timetable to complete all tasks on time. Thes...

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...etimes people become complacent and hit a plateau where they are comfortable. Whenever this happens, God wants to wake them up and encourage growth. This can happen in many ways, including stress. “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4). Christians also need to remember that everything is on God’s time. Though a teacher may not be able to fully eliminate a stressor, they should still stay positive and keep their focus on Jesus, because he is doing works in them.

Works Cited

Nagel, L., & Brown, S. (2003). The ABCs of managing teacher stress. The Clearing House, 76(5), 255-258. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/196878004?accountid=12085

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