I talked last post (called with little imagination ‘Teacher Stress’) about the fact that teachers are somewhat special in the way they have to deal with stress because many of the tools that are available to ‘normal’ people can’t be used by classroom-facing teachers.

I’d like to explore in this blog a technique that does work for teachers. The plan isn’t to deal with stress, it’s to make teachers more immune to stress and more ’emotionally robust’.

Culturally (I’m writing in the UK) we find it very difficult to say “I’m really good at this”. Some people can, of course – but even then not everyone who says it believes it. With teachers’ being judged by external factors so much, this lack of self belief can get pretty serious. We often start to believe that we’re genuinely not good at anything – and feeling like this is a sure fire recipe for being vulnerably to stress… if you don’t feel able to admit to yourself that you’re a good teacher (or good parent or trainer or accountant or whatever!) and then the proof comes in that you’re not, in the form of bad results in this year’s GCSE or Value Added Scores… you can see where this can lead!

So here’s the tool.

Create a table with three columns (a simple sheet of A4 will do, it doesn’t need to be on a computer, or even be neat!) and label the right hand column “Acts”. In it, jot down half a dozen things you’ve done successfully in the last 72 hours. Most people protest that they’ve not achieved anything in their last 72 hours when I use this exercise as part of our stress management training but that’s not the point – it doesn’t have to be something that turns the world around.

In my case I’ve been known to include driving to the venue without crashing or (as far as I was aware) breaking any laws. One client included getting dressed in the morning which seemed to me to be a great example because everyone does it! (If someone else dressed them in the morning they clearly have a far more interesting life than I do!). Leave a bit of space between each of the items on your list and dont’ get stressed if you can’t immediately create six. Half a dozen is an approximate number!

When you’ve listed your successes, label the middle column “Skills”.

Each of your successes is based upon (at least!) one skill so beside each Act, jot down a skill it’s based upon. Don’t take the word Skill too literally – anything that the Act is predicated on will do.

For example, if I get to a training venue on time (a success) it is predicated on an ability to drive (or a could have picked ‘plan’ or ‘navigate’ etc).  (I should add, in case anyone is doubting me, that I have always got to training venues on time, this is just an example! 🙂 )

I suggest taking a break before the next bit – the metaphorical cup of tea sounds like a good idea!

Step three is simple – each Skill is built in turn upon (at least!) on “Fundamental”. Label the left hand column that way and (the obvious bit here!) list a Fundamental for each of the Skills (and hence each of the Acts).

Take another break – there’s nothing worse than getting stressed by the exercise itself!

Now have a look at the list of things you have in your left hand column. These are basic, fundamental, important and timeless things that are

• about you
• true
• positive.

The important thing to remember is that no matter what may or may not go right tomorrow.  If you get stressed every time things like these go wrong you’re going to suffer from a lot of stress! But by drawing attention to the fundamental, positive things about you, you’ve now got a tool to fight that response with.

Just because this year’s value added is negative doesn’t automatically mean you’re a bad teacher and should get stressed! Go back to your list and remind yourself of the important, long-term, robust positives!

If you’re a teacher, your mileage will vary, of course, but personally I use  this technique every six months or so to keep my list fresh and in my mind – or whenever I’m told to use it by one or two of my most trusted friends (who spot when I’m getting wound up long, long before I do!). I realise that training and teaching are different in many ways but there are similarities too: live by the feedback form, die by the feedback form! 🙂

I’ll look next time at a couple of techniques for dealing with stress using physiological tools for when stress does get to you in the classroom!

You may want to know a bit about our stress INSET for teachers

… can get pretty bad, can’t it. So bad in fact that this week’s TES (Times Education Supplement) is running an article headlined ‘Why do so many teachers kill themselves?’. Fortunately stress is  not that bad for many teachers…

…but it’s still pretty horrific!

The stats are awful and the case-studies about stressed-up, suicidal teachers are shocking: if you want to read the shape and scale of the problem, you can read it here.  What I want to concentrate on here is why teacher’s stress is a special case, why most of the stress tools available to the rest of us don’t work for teachers and what strategy might be a good one for dealing with stress in schools.

Cards on the table first – I’m married to a teacher and I’ve done lots of work with teachers over the last seven years (suffering stress and not) but the only actual teaching job I’ve done was many years ago in a girl’s private school, teaching sixth-formers statistics… (insert your own joke here!)

I believe the main problem (stress-related that is) that plague teachers stem from the lack of control teachers have over their own jobs.

What do I mean?

Success is measured against criteria that change frequently and are largely not related to things that can be controlled by the teacher – grades are a function of many things, not just teaching, such as the pupils themselves, obviously. Pressure without control is a recipe for stress.

Furthermore, the ‘tyranny of the bell’ means that each high-pressure performance is done to someone else’s timing. There’s no time to for a teacher to take stock and regroup: nor can work be re-scheduled or taken slowly if you’re feeling down.  The pupils in front of you can’t allow that, and the classroom timetable pins teachers to a schedule without the flexiblity that the rest of us take for granted to the point we don’t even think about it.

Teaching combines the pressures of management with the strictness of factory-floor work.  When was the last time ‘normal’ people couldn’t decide their own holiday dates? Again, a stress-recipe!

Then… teaching strips away some of the best anti-stress support techniques that we take for granted – being a teacher is, essentially, a solo activity in that there’s no time in the classroom for banter and supportive conversations. As a teacher you’ve got a tiger by the tail and you can’t let go. ‘Normal’ people use support at work as a defense against stress.

In short, teachers have trouble finding time to ‘sharpen the ax’.

All of this means that the tools that work in the ‘normal’ world can’t be (readily) applied in schools. Taking time off, for example, to prevent longer-term damage isn’t an option…

So what anti-stress options for teachers have we got left?

Basically, if tactical tools are out of the window, we’re left with strategic ones. We need to develop emotional resilience rather than coping mechanisms. It’s difficult to put things like this in a blog because, by definition, a blog is more suited to tools, tips and techniques rather than long term tool and superficiality won’t help anyone…

All I can suggest is that it’s really important that teachers – before they begin to suffer from stress! – develop and strong, flexible and robust self-concept… something that’s internally orientated rather than being dependent on external validation.  By the time the symptoms of stress start to show, it’s an uphill battle for a teacher.

That’s easier said than done, I know – but there are anti-stress tools that can be taught. (I know, I teach ’em!). I have to ask though, why more INSET isn’t given over to dealing with stress amongst teachers, given how big the problem is…!

In the meantime, I’ll outline a useful anti-stress tool that’s suitable for teachers in the next post about stress amongst teachers.

You may want to know a bit about our stress INSET for teachers