Teachers have an important role in influencing the future by educating and leading the next generation. However, the demanding nature of their career can frequently cause severe stress, which can negatively effect their job happiness. Research has consistently found a link between high levels of stress and low work satisfaction among teachers.
As teacher shortages grow around the country, a new study from the University of Missouri sheds light on why so many stressed-out and burned-out teachers are quitting the field. The study discovered that instructors who struggle to cope with job stress report considerably lower job satisfaction than those who find solutions to manage the strain.
Seth Woods, a former MU doctoral student, worked with Keith Herman, Curators’ Distinguished Professor in the MU College of Education and Human Development, and others to analyze survey data from 2,300 Missouri and Oklahoma teachers who were asked to rate how stressed they were at work, if they found ways to cope with work stress, and how satisfied they were with their jobs.
Communicating with teachers about their concerns, demonstrating empathy and checking in on their health and well-being shows that you care. Our overall goal is to create school environments that allow teachers to thrive and give them the tools they need to be successful.
Seth Woods
While the findings were not particularly surprising, according to Woods, the study emphasizes how the ability – or inability – to manage with professional stress can be a significant factor contributing to teacher burnout, which eventually leads to many teachers leaving the field.
“I’ve seen many great people leave the profession in my 20 years as an educator, and this research confirms that we need to start devoting more time and resources to helping teachers identify and adopt healthy coping mechanisms,” said Woods, who is now principal at Beulah Ralph Elementary School in Columbia, Missouri.
“Finding ways to mitigate teacher stress and investing in ways to help them cope with stress in positive ways will pay us back by allowing us to avoid constantly hiring and training new teachers.” Furthermore, maintaining experienced teachers is likely to boost student progress.”
The researchers stated that positive, healthy coping techniques can be quick, straightforward, and free. Writing and presenting a short letter of gratitude to a colleague they enjoy working with is one healthy coping method Woods offers for anxious instructors. According to Herman, author of “Stress Management for Teachers: A Proactive Guide,” basic measures like enhancing positive connections with students and peers, developing classroom management skills, and avoiding workplace gossip can all help.
Herman added that while systematic issues, such as low teacher pay and overburdened teacher workloads remain critical topics to address, school principals, district superintendents and school administrators can all play in a role in supporting stressed teachers who may be struggling to cope.
“Communicating with teachers about their concerns, demonstrating empathy and checking in on their health and well-being shows that you care,” Herman went on to say. “Our overall goal is to create school environments that allow teachers to thrive and give them the tools they need to be successful.”
The article “The relationship between teacher stress and job satisfaction as moderated by coping” appeared in Psychology in the Schools. The study was supported by the United States Department of Education and the National Institute of Justice.
