Last minute changes. Sometimes there is not enough time to do things properly.
Being organized in my personel life makes it easier to focus on work.
At the college level, many students are struggling with having to manage 100% of their own lives and expect to do well with only a mediocre effort.Management is expecting everyone to succeed and pass and stress results.Often a few students eat up enormous amounts of time and it begins to affect your ability to accomplish other important things in your career and private life.
Trying to learn to teach auto technicians after working on cars for all of my life but having no real teaching background.
I have a few stressors in my life. I am not a parent yet, but I am usually stressed out by my full time job of teaching 4th grade students. While the actual teaching of my students doesn't stress me out, it is everything else that is expected of me that does. I try very hard not to let it get to me, but over time it really does. In addition to teaching 4th grade, I coach field hockey, and teach a college course. My stress all comes from trying to manage my time effectively. I used to coach softball as well, but decided to give that up to that I wouldn't be nearly as stressed in the spring.
My main stressors are mainly student need driven. It is difficult to constantly deal with students who are unwilling to meet the instructor half way by coming to class and dong the assigned work and then demand special accommodations. It is usually only a few students but that is all it takes to feel the frustration.
I agree. I believe that communication may be the best form of stress relief. As I age I have discovered that calm subdued communication is equally & in most cases better towards the relief as one is not a stressor for those one is communicating with.
On top of the classes that I teach I also have to manage anywhere from to 4-15 students who are externing. It takes careful planning in order for me to accomplish everything that I need to do. By planning my time out I have a timeline established and that helps me. However, It never fails that something happens which throws a monkey wrench into those carefully laid plans and that is where I find myself stressed.
Also like everyone I have stressors in my home life. I am the mother of a teenager who is learning to drive (ugh!) and I am constantly struggling with juggling my home life and my career.
Areas of responsibility: Family and Work. These stressors are based more on logistical and student needs more than college requirements.
Family: feeling of not being able to spend the time that I need to spend with them.
Work: Desire to fulfill the students expectations for the program.
Home and money are the leading stressors and a couple of those specifics are uncontrolabe. I believe that ( me being a control geek ) these are the hardest issues I have and being unable to resolve those conflicts after years is burdensom..but , the miles I have added to the stressor has reduced it considerably.
Our school some times has us doing to many things at once. meetings, training, web training, lab work, class, extra awareness days etc. Its stressful trying to get it all done. I try to spend some time on each one so I dont get behind.
Balance is absolutely the key Joseph. I like how you can see the relationship between happiness at home and the need to work. We've got to work some to make sure we've got our basic needs at home met and more. At the same time, we've got to make sure we don't work too much or our personal life needs go unmet.
When the necessity of employment dictates the productivity and happiness in the home, stressors are developed. The ability to separate the work life from personal life and create a positive balance is important to good health and happiness
Traffic,Time management. Too many unneccessary activities that interfere with getting things done, like grading.
Hello Sarah,
I can definately relate as I am in the same stage of life as you and work from home. I have 2 boys ages 4 and 2.5 years. Naptime, bedtime, and if I can get them to sit down together and watch a tv program are the times that I am busily working away on the computer. Finally, I was just getting too worn out from not having any downtime and my oldest stopped taking a nap, so I did end up enrolling both of them in a little preschool a couple mornings a week and that has been a huge stress reliever. I know that I can always have a set time those days to work on my classes without being interrupted constantly. It is amazing what you can accomplish in an hour without interruption! Hang in there!
Organizational changes are happening in so many educational institutions Aaron. They are a common stressor for many instructors. I like your approach to change though. It's good to see you embracing what's new and what's to come.
Conflict
- Dealing with students. Without fail, there are always one or two students who have lives that put immense pressure on them that distract them from their studies or worse from attending class. I’m a kind person. I want to help; however, I also need to uphold standards. This conflict causes the most stress in my life when dealing with students.
- Organizational Changes. The school that I work for is undergoing many organizational changes that are out of my control. These changes will mean an end to my employment as an adjunct. Even though, I have been told that work will exist though the end of 2011 and perhaps in to 2012, I’m unnerved. Finding a faculty position is akin to winning the lottery. I love my job. I’m not looking forward to a career change in my future.
My major stresses right now are centered on balancing my workload with my personal life. I work from home, and am responsible for my two toddlers (they do not attend daycare). My daughter is in preschool two days a week, and my son is with me full time. My work time occurs early in the morning, in the evening, and during nap time...so basically when my kids are asleep! On days when they wake up early, go to bed late, or do not take naps, I experience stress.
The major area I face with stress is the commute from where I live to the career campus. I live about 45 miles away from the campus and getting to class on time can be a great stressor in my life. As within the module the feeling of being hurried and not able to take the time to eat constantly comes into play. As for the college requirements I find them to be ideal and teaching materials are more than adequate to teach content.
Sounds like a great strategy Lee. What's nice about breathing exercises is we can do them anywhere. You don't even need to wait until you get to work. Even when you are sitting in traffic, these techniques are available to you.
