Teacher Stress and Student Behavior

“Do School Cuts Lead to Stressed Students?“, a blog post by Sue Shellenbarger at the The Wall Street Journal, caught my eye recently. Shellenbarger cites a study of 10,700 parents and teachers of first graders that suggests that when teachers are stressed, students have more behavioral and emotional problems. For instance, the researchers found that when teachers are exhausted, when they lack essential materials or resources, or when they feel disrespected, the negative environment that results has adverse effects on students. In other words, a teacher’s well-being is directly connected to his or her students’ success.

I’ve certainly experienced this myself as an educator. When I’m stressed, my students are stressed. Since researching and writing The Well-Balanced Teacher, I’ve heard from many colleagues about similar experiences. What do you think? Have you seen this as well? What factors contribute to your stress levels at school? What do you do to combat stress when it starts to build?

June 10, 2011, Responsive Classroom Blog, Original Link: https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/blog/teacher-stress-and-student-behavior

Mike Anderson is an education consultant who leads great learning throughout the United States and beyond. He is an award winning teacher and the author of many books. You can follow him on Twitter at @balancedteacher.

Author

Mike Anderson

Mike Anderson has been an educator for many years. A public school teacher for 15 years, he has also taught preschool, coached swim teams, and taught university graduate level classes. He now works as a consultant providing professional learning for teachers throughout the US and beyond. In 2004, Mike was awarded a national Milken Educator Award, and in 2005 he was a finalist for NH Teacher of the Year. In 2020, he was awarded the Outstanding Educational Leader Award by NHASCD for his work as a consultant. A best-selling author, Mike has written ten books about great teaching and learning. His latest book is Rekindle Your Professional Fire: Powerful Habits for Becoming a More Well-Balanced Teacher. When not working, Mike can be found hanging with his family, tending his perennial gardens, and searching for new running routes around his home in Durham, NH.

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