Stress and the

C lassroom 1

JENNIFER
REEC E
MODULE 6
NOVEMBER
24TH, 2008
 Table of
C ontents2
⚫ Slide 3: Stress in the
⚫ C lassroom Slide 4: Stress in
⚫ your C lassroom Slide 5:
Summary
⚫ Slide 6: The Impac t of Stress on
⚫ Learning Slide 7: Stress on your
⚫ Students
Slide 8: Summary
⚫
⚫ Slide 9: Stress as a
⚫ Teac her Slide 10: Are
you Stressed?
11: Tying
⚫ Slide 12: Summaryit all together:
Stress
 Stress in the
C lassroom 3
-A stressor is "any event in which environmental demands, internal demands,
or both tax or exceed the adaptive resources of an individual, social system,
or tissue system"

-Children are affected by school-related stressors such as: failing grades,

overly demanding classroom environments, athletic requirements, peer
relationships, tests, and conflicts with their teachers

-Some signs a student is stressed: academic problems, behavior problems,

drug problems or the child complains daily about headaches or
stomachaches.

“Stress is part of even the youngest students' lives,

making the concept of a carefree childhood nearly
obsolete.”
Coleman, M. & Fallin, K. & Wallinga, C. ( 2001). Helping children
cope with stress in the classroom setting. Childhood Education.
Retrieved
November 22, 2008,
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3614/is_200110/ai_n8967781/
pg_1?tag=artBody;col1
 Stress in your
C lassroom 4
What you can do as a Teacher Helpful
Resourc es
⚫ As a teac her you c an help ⚫ Listed below are lesson plans that
students deal with daily stress. you c an use to inc orporate stress
⚫ Teac hing ways to c ope with into your daily lesson plans:
stress c an be inc orporated into
several subjec t areas like: Art, - Health Lesson Plan: Striking Out
Health or Language Arts. Stress
-Computer Lab Lesson
⚫ Art: Have the students paint or Plan
draw to express their emotions : Taking Care of Me
⚫ Health: Explain the side effec ts -Art Activities: Exploring
of stress and different c oping Stress
⚫ methods
-Science Lesson Plan: Stress on the
Language Arts: Have the students Body
journal about their emotions or
have them use c reativity and
write a story, this relaxes their
mind.
 5

Summar
y reading this
By
article, I have
learned that stress
c an have a affect
on ANY age.
Stress c an even
affec t c hildren too.
I believe
this is bec ause
c hildren have
more
responsibilities
today
than ever before.
A-HA Moments:

- C hildren have stress too

-As a tea cher, I am able

to easily inc orporate
stress management into
my lesson plans
 The Impac t of Stress on
Learning 6

- Today’s research suggests that stress can block chemical reactions in the
brain that are nec essary for learning.

- Stress can disrupt learning and memory development as it forces the brain to
revert to more primitive survival needs.

- “We have much to learn about

- the impac t of stress on
- learning and memory.”

⚫ MacArthur. ( 2004).The Human Brain. The Franklin Institute Online.

⚫ Retrieved November 22, 2008, http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/credits.
html
 Stress on your
Students 7
Example: How Stress
Impacts Learning

- Students often have

performanc e anxiety.

Most of us c an rec all a time when

the anxiety of presenting a
presentation made our minds go
“blank”. When the anxiety finally
passes all the information c omes
bac k. When this happens anxiety
gets out of c ontrol and c rosses to
the other side of the c urve and
performance plummets.
 8

Summar
y reading this
After
artic le, I have
learned that stress
needs to be handled
as a serious matter.
Stress c an have a
negative effect on
our bodies, inc luding
our brains. We should
learn how to take
c are of this issue so
we c an have a
healthy body and
brain.
A-HA Moments:

-Students c an be
negatively affected by
stress

- The brain c an be one

the first places to be
affec ted.
 Stress as a
Teac her 9
⚫ One-third of new teachers leave the profession after the first five years because
of the stressful challenges.

⚫ A recent survey by Optum Research, a Minnesota-based company that studies

work-related health risks, found that 88 percent of teachers experience
moderate to high levels of stress.

⚫ What to do in your classroom to help you: Create systems, organize, make different
“centers” in your room, upgrade your TECHNOLOGY, and make to do lists for each day.

⚫ What to do at home to help you: Have a family calendar, have a to do list for
household chores, plan your meals out, and have some down time each night with
your family.

⚫ C rute, S. ( 1997).Teac her Stress: Stressed Out. NEA. Retrieved

⚫ November 22, 2008, http://www.nea.org/neatoday/0401/stressed.html
 Are you
Stressed?
10

The Stress Test What you c an

do
⚫ C lick the URL below to see ⚫ Make to do list
what your level of stress is. ⚫ Prioritize your
⚫ list Meditation
How stressed are you ⚫ Yoga
? ⚫ Exercis
C lick the URL below to get 10 ⚫ e
great tips on living a less ⚫ Writing
stressful life
⚫ Art- Drawing or
Simple Ways to Live a Less Stressful ⚫ Painting Laugh
Life
⚫ Be with family and friends
Have a day or night to
yourself
 1
1

Summar
y reading the
After
article, I have
realized that as a
teac her we need to
not only take c are
of students but
ourselves. Our
attitude and stress
level reflec ts on our
c lassroom, our
teaching and most
importantly our
students.
A-HA Moments:

Most teac hers are moderate

to extremely stressed.

- Some teac her quit with the

first c ouple of years due to
stress
 Tying it all
Together… 12

⚫Stress can have a negative influence on our lives. It can effect our emotional
health, physical health and our mental health. As a teacher, our students come
from all different walks of life, with different stresses they have to deal with. As
a teacher, you need to notice these different stresses and help your students
work through them by incorporating stress education into your lessons plans. As
a role model to our students, we must first learn to handle stress ourselves.
Look back at some of the suggestions I listed on how to live your life less
stressful. Each one of
them will help. Don’t just imagine life with out an overload of stress…
LIVE IT!