How To Reduce Stress On Teachers In 11 Quick Steps!

by Megha Misra | Sep 22, 2020 | Tips and Tricks

The on-going pandemic has resulted in disrupting the education segment completely. While, on one hand, it has led to stress on teachers due to the sudden shift in teaching methodology; on the other hand, it has opened up multiple avenues of growth for teachers.

As most schools adopted the online teaching pedagogy, suddenly, to provide continuity in school education; it resulted in a lot of stress on teachers. But, through adequate training and support measures, most teachers have successfully adapted to the new covid way of online teaching. The initial challenges and hurdles that created stress on teachers have been handled well to reduce the stress on teachers.

Moreover, with no vaccination in close sight for Covid 19 and the numbers increasing by the day, most schools and colleges will continue to impart education through online means. In fact, the online Edtech sector is booming during this crisis.

There is increased demand for trained and qualified teachers. Through the right mix of subject knowledge, basic technical know-how, compassion, and innovation; teachers can do wonders and contribute to the country’s growth and development.

With the launch of the New Education Policy (NEP) after 34 years, there is a lot more focus not only on providing practical and skill-based learning to students but also providing the requisite training and growth opportunities for teachers.

The online teaching methodology has remarkably innovated the education system and opened up new ways of conducting classes, sharing feedback, assessing kid’s performance. It also has a positive impact on a teacher’s work life balance that helps them to deal with anxiety and cope with stress effectively. 

Let’s look at the benefits of online education in a bit more detailed manner.

Benefits of online education for teachers:

1. As the classes are online, teachers do not need to commute to and fro to the school and face the traffic hurdles day in and day out.
2. The time saved from the daily commute gives a little more time at the disposal of the teachers that can be leveraged in various ways.
3. Online classes have not only saved time but also reduced the exertion caused due to commuting.
4. With classes being conducted from home, it is much easier to teach and manage household responsibilities. The pressure of getting up early and finishing household chores within a stipulated period is much lesser now.
5. The online teaching mechanism also gives room to put creativity to use for teaching. The teachers can innovate their teaching material so that it is easy to comprehend and follow.
6. In a classroom set-up, kids often get distracted and a lot of time is wasted in disciplining them. In an online set-up, there is more personalized attention to students by the teacher.
7. The pandemic has compelled one and all to quickly adopt new techniques and technology for effective teaching so that the teachers stay relevant and productive.
8. The school management and the teaching staff have been quick to Implement new methods for subject delivery, assessment, and feedback that were unheard of before.

Reasons for stress on teachers during the pandemic

However, like with any other working professional category, the sudden transition from classroom teaching to online teaching has resulted in anxiety and stress on teachers. 

The teachers faced the challenge of getting acquainted to new norm of online teaching. It does take some time and practice to be teaching without any kids in sight on an online platform. 

The form of imparting instructions, handling an online class-room, being exposed to the technical tools and know-how does take some turn-around time.

Coupled with the above are the regular anxiety creating thoughts such as when will things improve, when will the vaccination be delivered and so on and so forth. These thoughts are actually affecting every living mortal currently.

However, we can only control what’s in our hands. So, here are quick tips to reduce stress pn teachers.

11 ways to reduce stress on teachers:

1. Meditate: Spend 10 minutes daily to focus and stay calm and composed. With everyone staying at home, it can be chaotic at times. In order to prevent oneself from burning out, it is extremely important to start the day with meditation. It has a calming impact on the mind, body, and soul.
2. Exercise: In the current situation, it is all the more important to exercise daily to keep oneself fit and healthy. This will enable the teaching staff to execute the responsibilities without any stress or anxiety.
3. Plan-ahead: For teachers, it is very important to plan well in advance so that the students are aligned with the goals of the teacher and the school. This also helps the teacher to separate high-priority tasks from the medium to low priority tasks.
4. Taking short breaks: Would suggest the teachers to take 5-10 minutes to break in-between the classes so as to give rest to the eyes and improve the body posture. A simple stretch would provide the necessary physical strength to carry out the responsibilities of the day with ease and aplomb.
5. Drink more water: As teachers spend a lot of time talking with the students, it is important for the teachers to stay hydrated. Water helps to improve the digestive system, flush out toxins from the body, and also keeps the skin glowing and radiant.
6. Speak to friends: Having little moments of fun and laughter can really ease out the stress of expectations and judgments. So, have a little fun time over a phone call or video call with close friends and family members. It also helps to stay connected with everyone.
7. Try something new: Be it preparing a new dish, reading a book totally unrelated to your field, trying a new form of exercise, choosing to take care of plants or pets, gardening, painting, baking, or playing a new game with the kids at home- there are a zillion choices to do something NEW. Don’t stop, GO FOR IT!
8. Spend time on recreational activities on weekends: Do not keep your weekends stuffed with school work and household work. Take a break and do what you want to do; even if it means sleeping a couple of hours more or just lazing around on the couch. Take time off to energize and reboot yourself.
9. Keep learning: As the New Educational Policy has been unveiled by the Narendra Modi government, teachers also need to stay updated with the latest developments and teaching methodologies. So, keep pushing yourself and keep learning new things. Taking bite-size steps give bigger results during the course of time. 
10. Stay positive: There is already too much negativity in the current scenario, so stay positive and cut yourself out from small talks and negative discussions. Different people have different appetite to cope with stress and anxiety. While some of your colleagues might indulge in fear-mongering but if you cannot handle such stress, then no need to be a part of such discussions.
11. Get proper sleep: Last but not the least, getting adequate sleep is a must for all living beings irrespective of their professions. So, if you want to start your next day with a smile for all your beloved students, sleep well the previous night!

Why it is important to reduce stress on teachers?

To conclude, teachers are the pillars of the society who groom the young minds and train them for future challenges.

It is extremely important that they are at ease and without any stress while imparting education.

By following, the above tips , it is very easy for teachers to cope with stress and deal with anxiety in a better manner.

The action items listed above not only reduce stress on teachers but also helps to improve their social and financial well-being. 

Do let us know how the above tips helped you to grow your career as a teacher and take-away stress from your lives!