THE STUDENT IS NOT ABOVE THE TEACHER, BUT EVERYONE WHO IS FULLY TRAINED WILL BE LIKE THEIR TEACHER.

Transcription

1 WHOLENESS REVIVING THE SOUL OF LEARNING THE STUDENT IS NOT ABOVE THE TEACHER, BUT EVERYONE WHO IS FULLY TRAINED WILL BE LIKE THEIR TEACHER. THE STATE OF ADMINISTRATORS 75% OF PRINCIPALS FEEL THE JOB HAS BECOME TOO COMPLEX. IN LESS THAN 5 YEARS, JOB SATISFACTION AMONG SCHOOL PRINCIPALS HAS DROPPED BY 9 PERCENTAGE POINTS TO 59%. 48% OF PRINCIPALS SAY THEY ARE UNDER GREAT STRESS SEVERAL DAYS A WEEK. jimmckenzie@trsonline.org Luke 6:40 (NIV) THE STATE OF TEACHERS IN THE PAST 15 YEARS, TEACHER ATTRITION HAS GROWN BY 50%. THE NATIONAL U.S. TEACHER TURNOVER RATE HAS RISEN TO 16.8%. IN URBAN SCHOOLS IT IS OVER 20%. STRESSED TO THE MAX TODAY, TEACHING IS ONE OF THE MOST STRESSFUL OCCUPATIONS IN THE U.S. HIGH LEVELS OF STRESS ARE AFFECTING TEACHER HEALTH AND WELL-BEING, CAUSING TEACHER BURNOUT, LACK OF ENGAGEMENT, JOB DISSATISFACTION, POOR PERFORMANCE, AND SOME OF THE HIGHEST TURNOVER RATES EVER. 46% of teachers report high daily stress during the school year. That s tied with nurses for the highest rate among all occupational groups. 1 Gallup (2014). State of American Schools. Retrieved from MAX COGNITIVE OVERLOAD

2 EPINEPHRINE EPINEPHRINE NOREPINEPHRINE EPINEPHRINE NOREPINEPHRINE CORTISOL Chronically elevated diabetes osteoporosis obesity high blood pressure heart disease digestive disorders infertility chronic fatigue syndrome thyroid disorders CORTISOL immune system disorders in rare cases, Cushing s syndrome puts you at higher risk for:

3 CUMULATIVE IMPACT OF STRESS OVERWHELMING THE TEACHING PROFESSION Teachers psychological stress also affects their physical health. In a study of high school teachers, 46% of teachers were diagnosed with excessive daytime sleepiness and 51% with poor sleep quality, compromising health, quality of life, and teaching performance. A TUI? Chronic work stress and exhaustion among teachers is associated with negative changes in biological indicators of stress. Chronically stressed teachers show atypical daily patterns of physiological stress reactivity (cortisol). HEALTHY HEALTHY UNHEALTHY Neo-cortex is high functioning cause & effect, delayed gratification Neo-cortex is high functioning cause & effect, delayed gratification Neo-cortex shuts down a person is REACTIVE (fight) or a person is DETACHED (flight) YOU DON T LIKE ME.

4 THE TEACHER AS A HUB OF CONTENT IS OUT THE TEACHER AS A HUB OF CULTURE IS IN TEACHER STRESS IS LINKED TO POOR TEACHER PERFORMANCE AND POOR STUDENT OUTCOMES. According to a longitudinal study, elementary school teachers who have greater stress and show more symptoms of depression create classroom environments that are less conducive to learning, which leads to poor academic performance among students. Students who began the school year with weaker math skills and had a teacher with more depressive symptoms had the lowest rate of achievement. 1 1 McLean, L., & Connor, C. M. (2015). Depressive symptoms in third-grade teachers: Relations to classroom quality and student achievement. Child Development, 86, TEACHER STRESS IS LINKED TO POOR TEACHER PERFORMANCE AND POOR STUDENT OUTCOMES. Teachers who report greater burnout early in the school year have classrooms with more behavior problems. When teachers are highly stressed, children show lower levels of both social adjustment and academic performance. 1 Hoglund, W. L. G., Klingle, K. E., & Hosan, N. E. (2015). Classroom risks and resources: Teacher burnout, classroom quality and children s adjustment in high needs elementary schools. Journal of School Psychology, 53(5), THE CONVERSE IS ALSO TRUE Most strikingly, a survey of over 78,000 students in grades 5-12 in 160 schools showed that higher teacher engagement in their jobs predicted higher student engagement, which in turn predicted higher student achievement outcomes. 1,2 1 G. Gordon. (2010). The Other Outcome: Student Hope, Engagement, Wellbeing 2 Gallup. (2009). Student and teacher engagement predictive study. Unpublished raw data. Omaha, NE.

5 TEACHER BURNOUT LINKED TO HIGHER LEVELS OF STUDENT STRESS University of British Columbia Elementary school children's morning cortisol levels varied among classrooms. Classroom teacher burnout predicted higher morning cortisol in children. Burnout explained more than half of the classroom variability in morning cortisol. We consider the connection between student and teacher stress a cyclical problem in the classroom." Eva Oberlea Kimberly A.Schonert-Reichlb (2016). Stress contagion in the classroom? The link between classroom teacher burnout and morning cortisol in elementary school students UNDERSTANDING WORK DESIGN: HIGH COGNITIVE LOAD + LOW AUTONOMY = CHRONIC DISEASE Autonomy (High) Autonomy (Low) Cognitive Load (High) Cognitive Load (Low) A TYPICAL TEACHER S DAY A TYPICAL TEACHER S DAY OPPORTUNITY TO BLEED STRESS TEACHER DISENGAGEMENT HAS REACHED A CRITICAL POINT Engaged Not Engaged TEACHER TURNOVER HAS A HIGH ECONOMIC COST AS WELL 40% of New Teachers Leave the Profession Within 5 Years The National Commission on Teaching and America s Future estimates that public school teacher turnover costs more than $7.3 billion per year. The cost per teacher is estimated from over $4,000 in rural areas to over $17,000 in urban districts. Actively Disengaged

6 LOOKING BACK, I HAD SEEN THE SIGNS AS FAR BACK AS SEPTEMBER LAST YEAR. I HAD A NASTY SINUS INFECTION THAT JUST WOULDN'T COMPLETELY GO AWAY AND AGONISING HEADACHES THAT FELT LIKE THEY WERE BORING INTO THE CENTRE OF MY SKULL FOR DAYS AT A TIME. STILL, WHEN YOU COMMIT TO A JOB AS CONSUMING AS TEACHING, IT CAN TAKE OVER YOUR WHOLE LIFE, AND SO I LET IT. I LOVED IT, I WAS GOOD AT IT. I WORKED AT A SUPPORTIVE SCHOOL FOR AN APPRECIATIVE BOSS WHO RESPECTED MY ABILITY AND WORK ETHIC. SO HOW DID I LET IT ALL GET SO HORRIBLY OUT OF PROPORTION? A Typical Teacher THE DAY I FINALLY BROKE I WAS CALLED IN TO SEE THE BOSS REGARDING THE WORDING OF SOME INTERNAL OF MINOR IMPORTANCE. AFTER A FANTASTIC WORKING RELATIONSHIP BASED ON YEARS OF MUTUAL RESPECT, I STOOD THERE LISTENING TO HIM, RED IN THE FACE, BERATE ME FOR SOMETHING SO APPARENTLY MINOR THAT I COULDN'T EVEN BELIEVE IT WARRANTED A CONVERSATION. RESISTING THE IMPULSE TO SAY WHAT I REALLY THOUGHT AND WALK OUT OF THE DOOR NEVER TO RETURN, I TAUGHT MY DAY S LESSONS AND PHONED MY DOCTOR AT BREAK. BY 5PM I HAD AN EMERGENCY APPOINTMENT AND WAS SIGNED OFF WITH STRESS WITHIN ABOUT 10 SECONDS OF SITTING DOWN IN HER OFFICE. A Typical Teacher THE WORKLOAD WASN'T WHAT FINALLY BROKE ME, BUT IT CERTAINLY REDUCED MY RESILIENCE. WHAT DID IT WAS A CULTURE SHIFT A Typical Teacher THE CAREGIVER DILEMMA

7 THERE ARE FOUR MAIN SOURCES OF TEACHER STRESS School Organizations that lack strong principal leadership, a healthy school climate and a collegial, supportive environment; Job Demands that are escalating with high-stakes testing, student behavioral problems, and difficult parents; Work Resources that limit a teacher s sense of autonomy and decision-making power; and Teacher Social and Emotional Competence to manage stress and nurture a healthy classroom. COMBATING THE SOURCES OF STRESS Stressor - School Organizations that lack strong principal leadership, a healthy school climate and a collegial, supportive environment Strategy Cultural Alignment & Strength-Based Teams 1) People Are Loyal To Culture, Not Strategy 2) Culture Provides Resilience in Tough Times 3) Creating a Culture Where I Am Known & Know Others 4) Healthy School Culture Is Foundational To Innovation COMBATING THE SOURCES OF STRESS Stressor - School Organizations that lack strong principal leadership, a healthy school climate and a collegial, supportive environment Strategy Power of Mentors and Community Mentorship for beginning teachers led to: higher satisfaction, commitment, and retention, better classroom instructional practices higher student scores on academic achievement tests. Research to date shows that teachers who had a mentor in their subject area, had common planning time in their subject area and grade level, and had regular communications with their principal had better retention rates. COMBATING THE SOURCES OF STRESS Stressor - Work Resources that limit a teacher s sense of autonomy and decisionmaking power. Strategy Drive Teacher Engagement 1) Involvement in Decision Making 2) Freedom to Voice Ideas that Are Listened To 3) Having Choice & Opportunities to Develop Professionally 4) Feeling That The Organization Is Concerned For Their Health & Well-Being 5) Regular Feedback & Dialogue with the Principal 6) Clear Perceptions of the Values of the Organization COMBATING THE SOURCES OF STRESS Stressor - Teacher Social and Emotional Competence Strategy Power of Mindfulness, Transitions, & Recovery What is Mindfulness? Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention to the present moment. Being mindful means observing one s thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them as good or bad. It has been related to reducing teacher burnout, negative affect, sleep-related impairment, and daily physical symptoms.

8 COMBATING THE SOURCES OF STRESS Stressor - Teacher Social and Emotional Competence Strategy Power of Mindfulness, Transitions, & Recovery What are Transitions & Recovery? Our human minds can focus on any given task for minutes. Afterwards, a minute break is required for us to get the renewal to achieve high performance for our next task again THE STUDENT IS NOT ABOVE THE TEACHER, BUT EVERYONE WHO IS FULLY TRAINED WILL BE LIKE THEIR TEACHER. Luke 6:40 (NIV) WHAT IS YOUR SCHOOL S BATTLE? WHOLENESS REVIVING THE SOUL OF LEARNING jimmckenzie@trsonline.org