That's a hard thing to do Ernest. Sometimes we can't change student perceptions but we can focus a little more on helping the students who do care.
I think one of the biggest stressors in this job is trying to take a student that just doesn't care & turn him into a true technician that cares about what & how he or she doe's a job.
My biggest stress is getting everyone on the same page and things done in a timly matterI need to get talk to team members and have a daily check list the stress list will help a great deal
Obviusly it is hard to be productive when stress makes you fatigued and reduce your effectiveness.
Instructors often experience strees from many diffirent situation can not be happy to be positive impact on their students.
Sounds like a tough situation James. I'm glad to hear you occasionally get to enjoy FreeCell and other relaxation techniques. To your point though, until your instructor / class ratio improves, you'll continue to experience this challenge.
Working double-shifts constantly is the biggest stressor I am faced with, and I am pretty sure the other instructors who work with me will agree to this. Unfortunately, until there are either enough of us to cover all the classes that are being scheduled, or the number of classes being scheduled matches the number of instructors there are to teach (imagine that!), this is one stressor that we simply cannot eliminate. It also becomes very difficult to reduce this stressor because of its great demand on our time. Unlike the examples in the module, we are full-time instructors, and when we work a double-shift it is for 15 to 16 hours each day for a three week period, not counting the time it takes to get ready for work, drive to work and drive home. In my case this becomes an 18 to 19 hour day. Getting enough sleep during the week is not an option, so I devote one entire Saturday on each week-end to doing absolutely nothing but what I want and need. My family understands this and cooperates as well as they can, but sometimes you just have to grin and bear it. During the work week I often take the break and lunch times to play a games of FreeCell on my computer just to "veg out", and this seems to help as well. And I also bend my wife's ear over the week-ends about all the things that happened at work. Does it work? Not enough.
Administrations are a challenge for many instructors Kenneth. Changes in policy make teaching hard, especially when they happen mid semester.
Personally I try to set time aside during the week to do something that I enjoy. Both my wife and I work. We are lucky enough to have schedules that are compatable compared to other type of jobs and we manage to support each other. But we also understand that we enjoy certain activities and we give ourself time for them.
Administration is by far my biggest stressor. Our administration does not communicate very effectivly and they change policy in the middle of the stream
I try to hold stress to a minimum because of health concerns. In many cases I am able to do this and I find that your favorite form of stress relief is a big help. Many people now days refuse to admit that a form of relieving stress is quite healty because they do not feel it is "politically correct". This is a sure path to an early grave if not dealt with. People that do not do their job and leave me to clean up the mess they have created is the thing that raises my blood pressure several numbers.
It sounds like you are in a tough situation Gina. Financial stress really can impact all aspects of life. It sounds like you have some good ideas on steps to take to reduce your monthly bills.
My biggest source of stress is always financial. I have a spreadsheet I use each month, I know exactly when the bills are coming, and sometimes there are columns in the red that I have no resources to cover. It is like a slow train wreck that I can't stop. Managing money is something I am good at, but gas needs to be put in the car, mortgage needs to be paid, and food has to be on the table. The fact that I am a full time chef instructor, full time online student and a parent of a 5 year old doesn't help either. Because of this, I have to REALLY manage the time to cook dinner for the family, because dining out is way too expensive, or unhealthy. I won't sacrifice the health of my family for anything.
Steps to improve the stress are to map out grocery purchases based on a set menu. Coupons aren't an option because coupons are always for processed foods that cause hypertension, obesity and heart trouble. I generally hold it together, but really need to slim down the grocery bill, and maybe cancel cable tv.
Keeping up with your health is so important Chris. It sounds like you are taking the right approach with good food and exercise.
My biggest stressor I guess would be my health, I worry that I might not perform my job duties as well as I like. I have started eating better foods,excercise,not as often as I should and that is something I need to work on. I have regular doctors check up's. Lately I have been feeling better.
This is true. It's hard when coworkers create dependencies. Working as a team can be tough when everyone isn't pulling their weight.
Putting things off, either by me or coworkers. What I'm trying to do is do the tasks in a timely manner, making sure I don't put too much on the plate to handle. As far as coworkers, all I can do is politely ask them to get their part done without creating stress on everyone.
It is a challenge when we work with people who are incompetent - especially when we work to complete tasks in teams.
I think my Number 1 would be incompetency by others. I have to understand that the trained rat syndrom is rampant most times.
Accreditation standards can definitely set limits to how and what we can accomplish. Many instructors find this stressful. Being able to work within this context without feeling micromanaged is a challenge.
Aside from the day to day of policy enforcements for clothes, haircuts and attendance dealing with adminstration and how they want things done are probably my biggest stresses. I do understand that for accreditation purposes many tasks are done in a certain fashion but some of the things are just not consistent. I would refer to these areas as overly micro-managed. Give us the tools: (time, scheduling, and curriculum) we need for the job and just put a little trust in us that the students will learn and succeed.
