What I see as stressors are managing 100 students for 8 weeks and the instructors that help support me. I also find it hard to mange in keeping the course relevant for the students because it is always changing. The last thing is the logistics that goes with managing the course for entire year at a time.
Marriage, school and work. Marriage would include private matters, schoold would include the thesis and work would include various daily routines
Let's see. Stressors have changed periodically, but I would say currently it consists of the following. Family = first child at toddler age. Tension among staff in the clinical setting (SOOO tired of hearing complaints and "its not my job, its theirs".) Used to have a lot of students that wanted tutoring, but never showing up, especially on my days off from school. Technical issues (copier jammed ALL THE TIME, the hunt for copier paper while people protected their personal stash, 2 month wait for new bulbs in projectors, back order on lab supplies to the point that we dont' remember what was ordered). Actually I'm kind of used to the technical problems occuring in the vet hospital too, so its not too big of a deal anymore.
Steven, It sounds like you are living with stress from multiple sources. That can be tough. If there is time, you might enjoy taking a break from it all for a few moments a day. Some people try yoga or meditation. Others try breathing. Interestingly, your commute from home to work could be the perfect getaway in that you are neither here nor there.
Dr. Melissa Read
The major stress in my life is getting through traffic to get to school ontime for my classes. When I am running late I get behing and sometimes forget material on my desk that is needed in class. But now I was able to move class start time up thirty minutes to allow the traffic commute and to get on campus early and to be more prepared for class. What a relief to star the day off organized. This stress could be considered and organizational one, but I tried leaving earlier for work but with construction in the area, I was always late.
Most of my stressors in class is with spending quality one-on-one time with students who need extra help. Often when there are many in need of extra help, I then have to evaluate my teaching skills
Balancing a full time job, teaching evening classes part time and family obligations can the major stressors in my life..
Some of the stressors that I have encountered in my adjunct instructor position are college requirements. Some of the assignments are confusing to the students because of how they are written or they don't apply to the current industry needs. For students, some of the assignments are so generic that the students aren't challenged by them and end up repeating themselves in their work. I have submitted changes to the assignments before and they would be changed for the next class, yet then the following class they went back to the original assignments so I have given up on making the changes since they don't stick.
One of the biggest areas of stress in my life has been my house. I recently purchased my first house all by myself. There was a lot of work that needed to go into making it a home. Unfortunately I was only able to officially move in approximately 2 weeks before the semester started. I felt that a major source of my stress was due to organizational factors. I have boxes that I have yet to unpack. I believe that this affected my organization with the courses I was teaching. I felt that I needed to organize my house first before I felt less stressed with school organization. It can definitely be a mind over matter factor in this case. Once I was able to get my personal life more in order, I felt that I was also more organized and less stressed in my career. Another stressor is organizing course materials, getting copying completed, and grading. Juggling my work responsibilities along with the personal life can be a challenge at times, but I have learned to manage sressors more appropriately.
Lydia, Traffic is a great stressor for many instructors. It's fantastic to hear that you have flexibility in your schedule and were able to make a positive change. Sometimes shifting things just slightly is all it takes to dramatically change your day.
Dr. Melissa Read
The major area of my stress is balancing work and family. This semester I added on the stressor of teaching. I love it, but it does add to the juggling act. I am hopeful that it will be less stressful if I get the opportunity to teach the same course again. I have everything on the computer and my USB. If I get to teach the same course again, I can work to fine tune my lesson plans and my quizzes, but the effort will be a lot different and lighten my load (reducing some of my stress).
One stressor that occurs at work is the changing of text/other class material to updated versions. I try to get that material as soon as possible so I can take my time looking it over, marking important topics and not having to rush at the last minute to use the material. Then I can better help the students get the most out of the books. I don't have a good answer for the students who say,"we had the old book, no fair!" Mindy Smith
Some student's needs, my 2nd job-making wedding cakes, commuting, juggling career and home/family
I find the cause of stress for me is when we are given task upon task to complete in a very short time frame, this is not helped with personal issues we all deal with, and compounded with the work load we currently have. I feel the best stress relief for me is to get away from it all, even if it is for a few moments. read a few pages of a favorite book, listen to a good song.
areas of stress for me are the juggling of school and working. I am attending school at the same time. I also know that the fact my schedule changes often, is often a cause of stress, as I have to adjust my schedule often.
Agreed, it is amazing to me how the 90/10% or 80/20% rule is really a factor where I will spend 90% of my time dealing with the 10% trying to get them motivated and involved. While the rest of the class is on time and eager to learn.
Some major stressors in life can be family and friends while in your career they can include coworkers and students refusal to adhere to policies and schedules. In regards to life is usually a scheduling issue trying to balance with a work schedule. Career wise trying to meet with the needs of the school and that of the students.
Some stressors in my career are meeting deadlines, a few uncooperative students, and grading assignments to enter in the online gradebook. Meeting deadlines are sometimes a difficult issue at work if we are not given a lot of time. Most of my students are very cooperative and follow directions but a few decide to ignore homework assignments and not study for exams and quizzes. These are the students that typically complain about their in-progress or final grade. Grading assignments can be time-consuming, especially with some of the classes I am currently teaching, and this puts me under stress sometimes because students want to know as soon as possible their scores on assignments, exams, and quizzes. I make it a goal of mine to return tests and quizzes the next day. My students seem to appreciate the timely return of scores. As far as the basis of the stressors, I think they are management needs, student needs, and also personal. I include personal because I push myself to complete tasks as soon as possible.
Many of life's daily occurances can be a source for stress, work, commute, co-workers, bills, children, etc. Many stressers can be categorized and prioritized. This is how I handle which areas need to be addressed first and which can wait to resolve on their own. By using this hierachy many stresses seem to resolve or at the least diminish in importance which makes them more manageable. Often it is helpful to take a step back and realize that some goals vs. my capabilities may seem out of reach. I simply break down my "unattainable" goals into smaller more realistic goals in order to chip away until it is finally reached.
Administrative edicts are typically the most stressful part of my job.
