A consistent theme throughout the literature is the high stress nature of the teaching profession. In an American study, one of the top ten most stressful jobs in the modern workplace is associated with education (Sorenson, 2007). The stressful nature of teaching extends beyond the western context, as cross-cultural studies indicate work stress is an “epidemic in a diverse range of western and nonwestern contexts” (Klassen et al., 2013). Furthermore, teacher attrition is a global problem (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2015). The attrition rate amongst new teachers in the first five years is as high as 50% (Le Maistre & Paré, 2010), although this percentage does not directly correlate with workplace stress.
The culture of teaching as a high stress profession manifests from day one of entering teacher education programs. Depending on jurisdictions and schools, teacher education programs vary in length and degree requirements. When pre-service teachers enter a condensed one year program equivalent to the workload of a two year program, time management becomes a major concern. In addition to the expectation of excelling in a professional program, pre-service teachers are expected to prepare for teaching at their placement schools. Once pre-service teachers are placed at a school, they are faced with the challenges educators encounter on a daily basis. Reasons include an increase in societal expectations and lower societal recognition, greater accountability to students’ parents, curriculum changes, growing needs for technological literacy, accommodating diverse student bodies, and a workplace culture characterized by stress, tension, and anxiety (Le Maistre & Paré, 2010; Sorenson, 2007). During the practicum experience, pre-service teachers express the overall workload during this period of time as the greatest source of perceived stress (Murray-Harvey et al., 1999, qtd. in Klassen et al., 2013). Fellow teacher candidates also perceived the lead up to practicum is the most stressful period of the program. Leading up to the short practicum, I noticed many fellow teacher candidates were stressed about not learning enough about lesson planning.
During the short practicum, I fell ill within the first couple days of school. Although this could have been due to a variety of factors, I am lead to believe the many late nights and early mornings I had was a contributing factor to falling ill. Like many teacher candidates, I also had the opportunity to teach several classes. However, it was stressful to create a lesson plan for Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew in which I had only finished reading the play for the very first time!
Although many professors, instructors, and teachers are well-meaning and are very open about the difficult nature of intensive professional programs, there is a disconnect between experiencing stress and stress management. When left unmanaged, the early stress pre-service educators experience can have a negative long-term impact. For pre-service and brand new teachers, “high levels of stress may dissuade entry into the profession, lower occupational commitment, or encourage abandoning the profession soon after entry” (Conley and Yu, 2009; Rots et al., 2007, qtd. in Klassen et al., 2013). More specifically, varying commitment levels are linked to declining initial entry into the profession (Champlain, 2008, qtd. in Klassen et al., 2013). However, providing tools to pre-service educators on how to manage stress during the early stages of their careers is a critical, long-term confidence booster (Klassen et al., 2013). Unfortunately, the information and resources regarding stress management and health is inadequate. Several peers commented on the extent of information available on mental health relates to trigger warnings and awareness of counselling services. Both these topics were discussed in relation to students in the classroom. Out of the seven courses I have been enrolled in this term, only one or two instructors emphasized the importance of self-care.
Once pre-service teachers complete their studies at their respective universities, the majority of graduates receive extremely limited support upon enter their profession. Compared to graduates of physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and social work programs, brand new teachers receive little guidance from seasoned colleagues (Le Maistre & Paré, 2010) or their alma mater. As a matter of fact, “no other profession takes newly certified graduates, places them in the same situation as seasoned veterans, and gives them no organized support” (Le Maistre & Paré, 2010), thus making the first few years of being a new teacher more difficult than newcomers in other professions. Sadly, this further perpetuates the culture of stress in education.