The stress of teachers is a fact that increases worldwide and that the bulk of society does not seem to care, unfortunately. However, it is a sad reality that not only affects the emotional state of the teacher , but also clearly influences their students and most likely also the teacher’s own family environment. In addition, the educational system at a general level is affected when professional exhaustion occurs on the part of its teachers, thus decreasing the educational quality and the positive learning horizon.
That is why we believe that the so-called “ Burnout Syndrome ”, as professional exhaustion is also known, especially at the level of basic education, is a reality that should be discussed in order to find solutions and thereby improve the educational environment for teachers and learners . For this reason, in today’s article, we propose to analyze the possible factors that make this professional burnout so present in our society.
Factors that produce greater professional burnout in teachers
- An excessive workload
In addition to the activities that an educator has in the classroom, we must not forget that the teacher always takes work home. The correction of exams and assignments or class planning , among other activities, are responsibilities that the day-to-day does not allow to be carried out in the school center and that teachers must, inevitably, take home at the cost of their personal rest time .
- Conflictive organizational climate
New teachers, or those with few interpersonal skills, may feel rejected within established teacher groups, which can lead to a climate of mistrust and lack of support that is not good for a class. This is a reality that work groups of any kind experience on a daily basis, and teaching does not escape from it. It is essential to develop empathy also in professional environments, since trust opens the way to motivation and daily effort.
- Role ambiguity
In some cases teachers are overwhelmed by the number of roles they have to do in school, which could be due to poor educational management. Sadly, it is common to find teachers who have to teach several classes , whether or not they specialize, in order to save some money from the schools that should go to hiring the necessary personnel.
- High number of students per classroom
The overcrowding of classrooms with more than 30 children causes the teachers to become overwhelmed within the classroom and that the children cannot either concentrate properly or receive the attention they deserve. In other words, overcrowded classrooms are negative for both teachers and students, since stress is a main enemy of anyone’s good working and learning environment . It is impossible, in this everyday situation, to help children in a personalized way to develop their own abilities, that is why teachers find themselves in the need to attend to all of them equally without being able to apply personalized strategies.
The dangerous consequences of professional stress
Faced with these types of situations, and some more, teachers often have difficulties to feel valued as people with a great responsibility in the formation and education of society. This lack of recognition leads to work overloads, or classroom overloads, causing a personal discomfort of guilt and disappointment far removed from the perspectives that were had during the academic career.
This discomfort affects the daily mood causing headaches, fatigue, muscle aches, eating problems or problems falling asleep. But these are only the physical symptoms that a depressive state or professional lack of motivation can cause, and to this should be added the psychological and social consequences, because as we said it is not only the teachers who are harmed by stress, but also students are affected in different ways.
All this causes conflicts in the family and interpersonal relationships of teachers and students that combine again every morning with the problems in the classroom, creating a vicious circle that is difficult to break if there is no collaboration from the school environment. The worst consequences can lead to teacher absenteeism, which undoubtedly decreases in the long run also the performance and effort of students, as well as the prestige and progress of schools and other educational institutions.
Is everything possible being done to solve this serious problem of teacher stress? Have you ever experienced this situation?
Tell us about your experience in comments!
