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Written by EI Team | 
A study to discover common work-related stressors and their effect amongst school principals has revealed that pressures stemming from teachers and parents, and to a lesser extent, from work overload are the number one cause of burn-out amongst school heads.
In Kenya anxiety due to the Government’s Public Service Reform Programme (PSRP) that demands radical reforms in schools coupled with minimal administrative support from the education ministry, and poor working conditions, lack of involvement in school decision making by parents, the increased load of paperwork, and lack of resources have all been identified as factors that cause stress on the school heads and college principals. Unfriendly education ministry policies, KNEC standardized assessments, families’ avoidance of responsibilities of their children, peer pressure to undertake continuing education, low salaries, and poor working conditions are other stressors that contribute to school-heads’ burn-out.
The data collected and analyzed by Robert Moody and James Barrett in their research (2009) clearly indicates that there is a difference in stress between principals and teachers. In a twist, Principals were seen to make healthier choices than their teachers do; and those principals were able to handle what stress they had better than their teachers.
In East Africa principals are likely to be under more stress in January/February and October/November than the rest of the year, but this may not be true of their teachers. Studies by Kings Langley show that teachers experience less stress in their lives during these seasons!
The possible explanations for the increased pressure among school heads during this period are that Form One admission occurs in January/February and October/November. It is also the time that KCSE results are out and form fours sit for KCSE and subsequently clear with the school in readiness for completion of their high school education. The sensitive activities taking place during these seasons coupled with the highly involved activities of the high school have contributed extensively to high stress levels of principals.
The positive change for the teachers on stress is more difficult to explain, but the situation could be attributed to January/February being the beginning of the year and that work has picked up and Form One students are yet to report. The months of October and November are exam time. Workloads related to class work and co-curricular activities are likely to be reduced.
Indeed, education is a high stress occupation with high rates of attrition for a variety of reasons. Information generated from additional study of stress has the potential to increase job satisfaction and to reduce the turnover rate for experienced as well as novice teachers.
Stress can be a killer for educational administrators: Stafford Cameron Talks Frankly about Stress
Stafford Cameron, a deputy high school principal for six years, says most parents are very supportive of departmental and school policy, but a significant number react aggressively and angrily when their child is in trouble. “In my job, stress levels are often high, simply because the DP is the link between the school and parents in matters regarding discipline and unacceptable student behavior.” Cameron said. “The students themselves can be a constant irritant, and teachers also can be difficult to live with!”
Teaching is listed as one of the most stressful occupations in Australia, and the exposure to and degree of stress increases with the amount of leadership and responsibility taken by the individual. “I can tell when my stress levels are becoming too high through both physical and emotional indicators,” Cameron said. He has been the Deputy Principal of Coffs Harbour, a large comprehensive High school in Australia for 6 years.
Physical indicators include increased heart-rate, feelings of tenseness (the ‘coiled spring’ effect) and occasional heart palpitations. Emotionally, stress related to interpersonal confrontation lends itself to feelings of frustration, reciprocal anger and fight-flight responses. Prolonged stress of this sort manifests itself in over-reaction to minor problems - making mountains out of molehills. “Unfortunately, it can also lead to short-temperedness and snappishness towards colleagues and office staff - the latter is the key indicator for me. When this happens, I know I need to take a step back, withdraw and try to restore my equilibrium,” Cameron said. “It’s not often that I have to resort to relaxation exercises as a result of work-based stress, and doing so would be very difficult in a large school anyway. However, there are times when I simply shut my door, close my eyes and try to breathe normally.”
On managing stress Cameroon said, “Since taking time out like that is not always an option at schools, the importance of building support networks is paramount. Fortunately, I work with a very good team, and I’m able to discuss problems, solutions and my reactions to stress openly with my fellow Deputy and the Principal.”
He said emotional support is also essential. “I find being able to discuss matters that are troubling me with my wife - who also works in my school - to be the ultimate panacea. Nothing beats a hug and a kiss when you’re feeling put-upon! Furthermore, being told by a loved one that you are a worthwhile and good person lifts your self-esteem, which is often one of the first casualties of really aggravated stress.”
Away from the workplace, physical activity, sports or hobbies are ideal stress-busters. Stress is a manifestation of the problems in your mind finding a physical outlet, so being able to do something which you really enjoy, and thereby taking your mind completely off your troubles, generally takes away all of the symptoms of stress.
Getting together with friends is another strategy guaranteed to get you feeling more positive. However, for professional people, one of the greatest dangers of constant work-related stress is the “quick-fix” - for example, having a glass or two of wine when you get home to release the demons of the day certainly provides short-term relief. However, when such stresses are day-to-day occurrences, this can lead to dependence and a huge raft of related health problems. “Fairly early in my career I learned a range of relaxation techniques, including progressive muscle relaxation and a form of meditation,” Cameron said. “The most effective of these techniques for me has always been the muscle relaxation - in this, you lie on your back on the floor: preferably on a carpet or a mat and, one by one, tense and relax all of the major muscles in your body from the feet up to the head.”
A variant of this simply requires you to focus on becoming aware of each muscle, of ‘feeling’ where it is, and what it is touching, then moving on. If done properly, either of these techniques will put you to sleep! Stress can be a killer for educational administrators. “An old principal of mine told me ‘You work to live, not live to work.’ The point of this lesson was about priorities. Many professional people are driven by the need to make deadlines, meet targets, satisfy stakeholders etc.” Cameron said.
However, if you consider how little of your life is consumed by work, then the rest of your life becomes much more important. Taking the pressure off is the first step towards relieving stress. Another Principal told Cameron, ‘You’re never going to be able to win them all, so you need to learn when to let it go.’
Like Stafford Cameron you can learn stress management skills from a variety of sources, both professional and personal. “In the early nineties I was diagnosed with adult-onset asthma, from which I had never previously suffered,” Cameron said. “This coincided neatly with the birth of my second child and a professional setback I had not been expecting. Consequently, I began having stress-related symptoms, including rather unnerving anxiety attacks. I saw a psychologist who suggested that medication would be an unsatisfactory resolution and taught me the muscle-relaxation techniques mentioned above.”
He adds that he learned more about beating stress from colleagues and from life experiences themselves. On breaking off from work, he said, “I don’t really have a favourite holiday location, although I loved traveling through Europe last year, and I enjoy going to New Zealand to see my wife’s family whenever we can. If I had to nominate a holiday destination, it would probably be anywhere with wineries!” He adds, “To be brutally honest, however, I am much happier and less stressed simply when I am at home. My wife and I are always saying that we must start walking more regularly, but it hasn’t happened yet! A bit of golf, a few games of tennis, playing bagpipes in a pipe band (which is more physically demanding than you might think) and that’s about it! However, hours spent trying to beat the weeds in the garden tends to help a bit.”
Teachers’ Stress Affect School Results
Stress is a natural part of life and helps individuals respond to a threat or rise to a challenge. It cannot and should not be avoided because without stress one could not live. Stress cannot be avoided, other than by death. It can be the spice of life when handled properly.
In their research Robert Moody and James Barrett (2009) found that many teachers agree that teaching a student of today is not only arduous work, but is dangerously stressful. Besides classroom stress, teachers claim that school heads cause stress in their lives. One teacher was heard saying that her principal had stressed her to the maximum level. Another reported that she is having a difficult time adjusting to the principal’s demand and the school bureaucracy. According to Moody and Barrett, ‘stress can widen the gap between administrators and teachers.” However, the same study found a couple of principals who help their teachers cope with their stress. “As a principal, I feel it’s my job to help my staff when dealing with stress.”
Another principal admitted that stress is often overlooked, “It is vital that we identify situations that might cause undue anxiety and stress among our staff.” His sentiments are echoed by this statement, “We should also do what we can to prevent these situations, as well as provide support for our staff to relieve stress at the workplace.”
Many teachers are aware that their chosen profession is stressful, “As educators, it is important to know that teaching is one of, if not the most, stressful occupations there is,” a teacher in the study said. “With the directions the educational system seems to be moving, I don’t see stress levels going down anytime soon,” he continued.
While teachers are aware of their stress, they are nonetheless still stressed. “I have always known that I don’t cope with stress well and need to get some ideas…things I can do to prevent stress,” a participant in the study said. “Most of my stress comes from worrying about things that never come to pass,” another said. “We become so accustomed to our levels of stress that we don’t even realize the price we are paying physically.”
If stress affects teachers, it must affect how they teach, and as a consequence, how our students learn. Several teachers in Moody and Barrett study expressed concern as to how their stress levels affect their students. One participant told the research that stress in a teacher causes student disruptions and misbehaviors. Students will not learn effectively if the school is stressful.
“When the teacher is stressed the students know. The teacher’s stress level will affect the student’s achievement,” the participants observed. “As I look back on some of my worst tense filled days, I have started to notice a pattern with my students. The students are responding to my demeanor and attitude.”
By EI Team
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