One of the biggest causes of stress in my life is been unorganized. I find that when I am not organized. I become more and more stressed-out and I am not able to think properly, or even work properly.
My level of stress comes in many different forms. I'm the director of Cosmetology, esthetics and nails. Not only do I deal with students I also have to manage my staff. It is a great job but very stressful.
Work Stressors
1 being ready for the new block
I tried to set myself up for this buy saving copies of test and exams so i can not have the stress of making copies.
but then they change the layout.
2. Keeping up on grading assignments and admin duties
3. only having 10 minutes to change or reset class room
4 giving students enough attention with lab
Personal stressors
1 maintaining a healthy relationship with wife
2 finding quality time with kids
3 balancing home and work
to tell you the truth I come from the hotel side of F&B and the amount of pressure you are under is immense. I find that teaching is sometimes stressful it is not like the industry. I have to make sure to stop and breathe and remember that I am teaching what i love to do.
As an instructor, my stressors come from staying organized and on target with time requirements. The class I teach has recently been revised, and so there is also the stress of doing things perfectly in a new way. I have one big conflict with a coworker that I am really trying to work through, and that adds to the stress as well.
Personally, My husband and I both work full time, and we have a small child. He and I have opposite shifts (I in the early morning, he in the evening), so thankfully we are able to avoid the cost of childcare. However, we have very little time together.
Work:
*Newly revised class
*Organization and time management
*Conflict
Home:
*Raising small child
-organization and time management
-missing my husband
-no down time between work and home, not
including commute
This is true. When you work in an environment where your coworkers are unhappy, it can feel toxic. It's good sometimes to just take a break from all that when you can and recharge.
I have this same stressor we have only 10 minutes between classes and I will have to change class rooms and set up. I rarely have time to grab a restroom break or a breath of fresh air some days. I know this wont change but it is tough when i do a break in class i walk away from my students so I might have a moment but then I feel guilty by not giving them my attention.
Co-workers who are unhappy. It very difficult working with people that has such a negative attitude.
Yes, it is an age old concern indeed Judy. I like the idea of talking about their future and the impact that today has on tomorrow. This method has worked for me.
A major cause of stress to me is when my students feel I am exaggerating my experience. I have worked in several high-stress environments where the adrenaline level could be "high" for as much as 8-10 hours at a time. Mistakes are not allowed. I find it very stressful when my students shrug away any cautions or warnings i try to impart about the environment they will be working in.
A major cause of stress to me is the lack of effort from some students. It is an age old concern of students with potential not working at their best level. I try to eduate them about the harm of getting too many D's or having to pay much more back in Financial Aid when they are done. I try to encourage them to complete their assignments and am often disappointed when they do not.
This is a good list Susan. The commute, student drama / respect issues and family responsibilities are common stressors for instructors. Now that you've identified them, the next step is to start thinking about how to reduce or cope with them.
Some of the major stressors in my career are meeting deadlines for teaching online and onground while having deadlines as a doctorate student. Since I teach for CTU and attend the Institute for Advanced Studies with CTU my deadlines for grading and my student assignments tend to fall on similar dates.Last session I had 8 students out of 35 on academic probation that were high maintenance to keep them on task.This was a challenge and I took the next session off to recover. I will be starting up again the next session. My ground course has still not been scheduled for the next session so I cannot plan ahead. This is frequently done at the spare of the moment and you then have to rush to get your course materials ready and posted. However,my doctorate residency will not start at the same time since it has been moved to October 20-24. The requirements are based on logistical, student needs, and college requirements. I live in a rural area where my Wifi service cannot be accessed in inclimate weather and though I have mobile broadband too I have found that it is still hard to keep up with all deadlines while traveling. My doctorate professors are flexible but CTU Online is not. There are no concessions for travel or having many high needs students in your course.The 72 hour grading deadline is firm and substitute teachers are not provided. I have found that I am more focused working at the ground campus location or library when my husband is home since he has some loud project going or is asking me where things are while I am busy.I return after picking my son up from football practice and give them my undivided attention in the evening. Then when everyone is in bed I start studying again around 9:30 p.m until 12:00 a.m.
My life stressors are my 16 year old son who is a scholar athlete that is not working up to his potential in Math and Science which in previous years has been his strengths. Tutors have not helped either in improving his grades. He claims he just is not connecting with the teachers like in his other courses at the district public school and that he is doing his best. Efforts to resolve this with conferences has not helped. So I am trying a state early colleges charter school this fall for him while he still plays athletics for his district. He did improve over the summer by advancing 3 test levels in math. This program was provided by the charter school. My husband's disposition and health due to stress from his career was a challenge but now he is retired. So my son and I encourage him to enjoy life and get out of the house to stay busy. He has a Blues Band and likes to play golf. We play golf with him sometime. He went to a Blues concert yesterday with a fraternity brother with our encouragement.He said he had a good time.
The categories are:
Career stressors:
Meeting deadlines for
doctorate
Meeting deadlines for
grading
Meeting deadlines while
traveling
Not notified of course
I will be teaching in
advance so I can plan ahead
Life Stressors:
Son is underachieving
Teachers are not
meeting his needs in
Science and Math
Husband interrupts my
work and study
Gardner:
Last session I too had students that did not show up for live chat while sending many emails with questions that the live chats addressed. Yet, we are required to respond to these emails.
I agree this is a waist of time or even worse not good time management for both the student and professor. Just a thought. I wonder if a Q & A could be incorporated into the live chats based off of the emails? Your thoughts?
Wanda
I find that most of my stressors are time management issues and student needs. My commute stresses me, student drama stresses me, lack of respect from students stresses me and taking care of my family while balancing my job also stresses me.
Dr. Melissa:
I have the stress of the balancing act. I am a doctorate student, professor, mother of two (one in college and one in high school), and a husband who has recently retired and wants more time with him.
So I have to be very focused in studying and work. Sometimes on campus, faculty members want to chat. So I tend to go to the library and spend time focused on my work. Often I stay on campus after teaching a class that ends at 8:00p.m. and work until 11:00p.m. I then do not have to bring work home. I also spend at least every other Saturday at the library from 10:00 a.m to 6:00p.m. which is good time management for me. I find I cannot get alot accomplished working from home when my husband is home or in the evening before 9:00p.m. on weekdays. reserve Friday nights for the family and my sons varsity football games.
I also serve on a board of directors at a state level that governs over 13 community colleges.I use my experiences in my doctorate studies which saves time and I do not try to make it to every event, only those that are pertinent to my doctorate interests or my region.
Wanda
I came from owning my own business and worked 18 hours a day, 6 days a week. That was stress, from dealing with customers, purveyors,and employees on a daily basis.Now I have more time on my hands to balance my work life with my family life so my stressors are the normal paying bills,work and family related issues.
For me stress comes with trying to balance my work and home life. As in the module example, I work very unusual hours and cannot work around my children's schedule. I continue to feel stress when I cannot be with them and feel that am not meeting their needs. I am looking forward to the nest module to see how I can cope with this stress.
This is true Rhonda. Having the right level of support from our administration can make all the difference. Too little or too much involvement can hinder our performance.
I find that the lack of support I receive from administrators is my main cause of stress. If I had more help and more support, my job would be easier for everyone.
One major area of stress in my daily teaching routine is the short ten minute break between classes. This stressor is a logistical factor, but can also affect the needs of my students because I do not have time to address questions after class. If the class time runs over even a few mintues the other students waiting to get in are in the hall getting anxious. This time frame only allows me a few minutes to reset the classroom or demo table for the next class lecture. Often I am given two different classes with a different set of lesson plans and materials needed. It is very hard to regroup in ten minutes and this makes the opening of the second lecture get off to a rough start. This can create a lot of stress for the instructor.
