Schools Aim to Ease Teachers’ Tension, Burnout

More school systems are making an effort to deal with some of the problems teachers face, including taking care of their mental health.

Many schools do not have enough teachers. Current problems facing teachers include behavioral problems and fears of shootings.

Some school districts have provided increased mental health training for workers and support in the classroom. They have also provided resources aimed at identifying burned out teachers and getting them connected to help.

Being burned out means a person has become very physically¹ and emotionally tired after doing a difficult job for a long time.

A recent opinion study by the Rand Corporation found that twice as many principals and teachers reported frequent job-related stress as other working adults.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted² a similar study that came from a coalition³ of mental health organizations in New Orleans. It found educators working during the COVID-19 pandemic reported rates of emotional difficulties similar to those of health care workers. It found 36 percent showed signs of anxiety, 35 percent had depression, and 19 percent showed signs of post-traumatic stress disorder⁴.

Leigh Mclean is the main investigator⁵ at the Teacher Emotions, Characteristics, and Health Lab at the University of Delaware School of Education. She said, "It's all pretty bad."

She found levels of depression, anxiety, and emotional tiredness among elementary school teachers that are 100 to 400 percent higher than before the pandemic.

She said those problems are increasing the most among less experienced teachers. She said she recognized similarities between teachers and the general population "with underrepresented groups being hit the hardest..."

Some districts have or are planning to spend federal COVID-19 aid money on teacher mental health. They hope it might improve the classroom environment, keep teachers on the job and help students. Nebraska and Pennsylvania are among the states choosing teacher mental health as a top goal.

A Delaware school district hired two social and emotional learning experts who deal with problems teachers are having in the classroom.

And an elementary school in Indiana starts the week with Mindful Mondays, where teachers guide their classes in deep breathing. There are also Thoughtful Thursdays, where a student is called on to write a letter to someone working at the school to show that they are thankful. And on Friday Focus students and teachers talk about self-care.

A growing number of groups offer training to improve mental health. Methods include breathing exercises, yoga, gentle movements and meditation⁶.

One program aimed at improving mental health is Cultivating Awareness⁷ and Resilience in Education, or CARE. Researchers found improvements, including reductions in mental health problems, in studies of its use among 224 New York City teachers. The studies also found reductions in stress and improvements in quality classroom interactions. Researchers found it helped students show increased engagement.

Words in This Story

district –n. an area set up by a government for a specific purpose

principal – n. the person in charge of a public school

frequent – adj. happening often

anxiety –n. fear and nervousness about what might happen

post-traumatic stress syndrome⁸ (PTSD) –n. a condition of extreme stress caused by a shocking or severe event in the past

pretty – adv. to a great degree or extent

meditation –n. the process of spending time in quiet thought

stress – n. a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life or work

interact – v. to talk or do things with other people

engage – v. to become involved with (someone or something) or to show interest in something

1 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

4 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

5 investigator   

n.研究者，调查者，审查者

参考例句：

• He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
• The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。

6 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

7 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

8 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。