This paper will illustrate the lives of two high school teachers, Mrs. Natalie Wesbecher and Mr. Matthew Biver. Both teachers have obtained their Masters Degrees from prestigious universities, and proudly take the role of teachers and mentors at Freeburg Community High School in Freeburg, Illinois. Within this paper, I will discuss their daily interactions with stress and how they apply stress management strategies and techniques within the classroom, as well as how they influence the lives of many students on a daily basis.
Mrs. Natalie Wesbecher is currently in her 24th year of teaching. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 1994. This same year, she acquired her first teaching job
…show more content…
Wesbecher obtains the credentials to qualify for an interview involving stress management. Not only was it stressful for her to attend these universities to acquire these degrees, but her work environment can be stressful and challenging, as well. Her clients include senior high school students. She has taught students in all high school grade levels, but has been permanently dedicated to seniors for quite some time. The population of Freeburg Community High School includes four surrounding communities of varying socioeconomic levels; Mrs. Wesbecher, being a principle teacher for seniors, works with a sizeable amount of this diverse …show more content…
Biver encounters. He aids a lot of students that struggle with trying to “fit in” in high school. Everyone wants to be accepted and high school can be a very difficult place to gain acceptance for some people. When it comes to common stress problems, Mr. Biver takes the diligent amount of time needed to help students cope and walk them through their struggles.
To help with anxiety and stress, Mr. Biver has an every day solution. At the beginning of each class period, he poses the question, “Does anyone have anything to say?” which usually catches the attention of the whole class. During this time, he allows students to rant and rave about anything from school related problems to personal issues. He truly engages in each conversation and gives his advice and input where he feels it necessary. With his sincerity, kindness, and tough love, Mr. Biver displays paternal qualities that can help any student through a hard time.
When he was asked what advice he would give to someone entering this field, he replied that some days will be trying, and some students may test your patience at times, but the outcomes and rewards are completely worth it. Being a science teacher can be tricky, but he loves the job, the challenges, the rewards, and his
Daniel Meier uses “One Man’s Kids” to demonstrate how he, inspired by benefits that could not be spent or calculated, surpassed the stereotypical presumptions of others to become a first grade teacher. Meier begins by introducing readers to his life in the classroom: injuries, fighting, questions, and an endless need for multitasking. Despite the chaos surrounding him, Meier argues his work is not “traditionally male”(1). To him, there is no end goal, no final achievement, no rights to be earned. He states, “My energy is spent in encouraging, supporting, consoling, and praising my children” (Meier 1). As a responder to the emotional distress of a room full of six year olds, he finds himself unable to submit to stereotypical bluntness and
Counselors may want to reduce students’ stress, but a blanket ban is not the solution. Students are often well aware of
Ms. Sherman has been working in Behavioral Intervention classes for about twenty years now and is considered by her colleges at the school somewhat of an ...
Stress comes from many areas of life especially as an adult student incorporating school at a time in life when family and work are paramount. “Adults just returning to school have substantially higher anxiety about school in general and writing in particular than younger students.”3 Stress, best described by its "synonyms: strain, pressure, (nervous) tension, worry, anxiety, trouble, difficultly"1 has a medical history "According to the American Psychological Association, the majority of office visits to the doctor involve stress-related complaints, and stress is linked to the six leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, and suicide."2 If managed, stress can be a way to inform me; learning how to recognize my level of stress capacity is important. The Holmes-Rahe Life Stress Inventory 5 http://www.stress.org/holmes-rahe-stress-inventory/ is a list of stressful events that contribute to illness. My personal score on this life stress inventory is 236; I fall in the category of about a fifty percent chance of a major health breakdown in the next...
Furthermore, Amanda suffers from school anxiety and frequently has symptoms such as feeling sick and vomiting before or during school. When the therapist inquiries about school, Amanda become nervous, irritant, and fidget around in her chair. Amanda explains that she likes her teachers; however, she did not like attending school. Children at her school tease her about her appeara...
Whether an instructor is teaching in a primary, secondary or university level, he or she will in no doubt, experience some type of stress in their teaching career. It can be from the lack of respect in and out of the classroom, or the overwhelming workload and poor time management, or the shortage of resources available. Whatever the case, the instructor may breakdown into something called a burnout. According to Mearns and Cain (2003), a burnout is chronic stress from working with other individuals will have a bodily response of cynicism, emotional exhaustion, depression and so forth. Not only does the burnout have a negative affect on the teacher himself, but also it will ultimately affect the students in the classroom, who may be particularly unaware of their teacher’s circumstances. Although, not everyone will fall ill of a burnout while under a plethora of stress. There may be individuals, especially Type A behavior people, who will thrive under the stress and be unaffected by a burnout.
Jones, F, Bright, J, Clow, A (2001). Stress: myth, theory and research. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. p. 10.
Most students experience one or both types of stress, appraisal and coping. Appraisal is the range of responses a student has to everyday stressful situations. Coping...
Skalski, A., & Smith, M. (2006, September). Responding to the mental health needs of students. Principal Leadership, 12-15.
“Revelation is from God alone, scripture is from revelation alone, and preaching is from revelation and scripture”, this is what Karl Barth stated in one of his works, Church Dogmatics. This statement gives a glimpse in what Karl Barth, Emil Brunner, and C.S Lewis believe. Although within each work, they touch on semi-different topics, they all conclude that God’s word is uniquely and wonderfully made—no matter what the interpretation or the understanding behind the scriptures.
Any transition a child goes throughout their school years; kindergarten, moving to middle school, high school, and college, can be a time of stress and apprehension. The anxiety which can come from such a change can affect parents, as well as, students. The counseling department at the West De Pere Middle School is aware of the difficulty which comes from the shift from elementary to middle school. The school offers two new student orientations in August before the school year starts. They send a letter home which details what the orientation will consist of; tour of the school, introduction to the staff, counselors, administration, lunch procedures, extra-curricular activities, and how to open a combination lock. Parents are highly encouraged
Adults repeatedly refer to their high school as the “best four years of your life” with students cheering on their favorite football team, bright eyed couples in the hallway, and friends spending time together. However, this generation of students experience so much pressure to do well in school that their worlds revolve around their grades and extra circulars. Along with the increased workload, high schools in 2014 have placed an enormous amount of pressure on admission to colleges and standardized testings. As a result, severe depr ession caused by stress has greatly increased among high school students today. Organizational change should be made to schools to decrease the anxiety of college admission and workload as well as addressing mental health issues; by adjusting their curriculums and excluding high stake tests, schools can reduce stress on students and, as a direct result, decrease depression rates.
During the course of this class, I have learned a lot about stress and how it affects different aspects of our lives as human beings. Stress management to me refers to the different techniques and other controlling factors that helps regulate or control a person’s level of stress, in other to improve their everyday functioning. The key concepts that has impacted me so far in the course are as follow;
Stress is something that everyone has to deal with in life, whether it is good or bad stress. Stress management techniques are a great way to deal with stress. Some of the stress management techniques that I learned from this course are prioritization, scheduling, and execution. Using these techniques has effectively helped me deal with my own stress. When it comes to dealing with stress I still have many strengths and weaknesses that I will explain. Some stressors I have in my life that I will discuss are psychointrapersonal, social, life events, and daily hassles. Next, I will give my opinion on my post-course survey, and compare and contrast it to my pre-course survey scores. Finally, I will explain my last goals for this stress management course.
Teaching is a daunting task that I do not intend to take lightly. Becoming a teacher has been a dream of mine for several years. I always knew that teaching would be the career for me, especially when I began working in the school system as a substitute secretary. I loved working in the school environment; coming in contact with children everyday made me realize how much I would enjoy teaching a classroom full of students.