Get Your Students Hired
My biggest stressor right now, is finding an honest/reliable/caring babysitter for my child. I have tried and tried but keep getting people who I don't trust. This is a personal factor.
Another stressor is finding time in between terms to get everything done before the new term starts. Currently,I am trying to develop ways to cope with this. This is a school requirement factor.
Distance from work.
Family responsibilites.
Employer responsibilites.
Keep my self updated through education,
These are a few items that can create some stress and have write them down can help with coordination minimizing stress.
My list of stressors is long and the answers for corrections is short. Life as an instructor has numerous challenges; we usually have support from personal experience, fellow staff members, and protocols handed down from administration. Sometimes we are faced with issues that are undefined by normal processes requiring creative engagement that may or may not be to the liking of leadership. Most of my issues are logistical in nature; student problems are few and easily resolved.
Some stress due to distance from work.
Stress with kids going to school and paying for there school.
I think the major stressors in my career are when you put everything into teaching the student and they put nothing in. My life stressors for me is cancer that I was diagnosed with last year. My other stressors:
Getting students motivated
getting students employable
getting fear from upcoming cancer testing.
Eric, Somehow I have a feeling that you are not much of a procrastinator. You have a lot of work stress that you keep top of mind. This likely drives productivity, but at a cost with respect to your experience. I'm glad your to do list helps you stay focused and on top of things.
Dr. Melissa Read
Randall, Sounds like you are dealing with a tremendous amount of stress - coming from all sides. For many of us, the stress just keeps pouring in. While we can't always control what we deal with, we can control our approach on how we deal with it. That's usually the key.
Dr. Melissa Read
Being the supervisor in my department I feel I get the most stress from a combination of faculty and administrative needs. I do not like to miss deadlines and requests from both. One thing that seems to help with the stress is the "To Do' list. It helps me stay focused on day to day tasks and I feel more in control. Fear of losing control at work can/will ruin time off. If I feel in control I can leave work at work, and home at home. Stress still creeps in and can be dealt with if you stay organized and focused in both the work environment and the outside environment.
I keep notes about everything on to-do list daily.
Procrastination is probably the worst thing I can do to raise my stress level. The stress level goes down with completion of a task or project.
Robert, Sounds like you have stress coming at you from all sides! This can be tough. When we're stressed at work and at home, it doesn't give us much tolerance for even the smallest of problems.
Dr. Melissa Read
I FEEL THE SAME WAY IT NEEDS TO BE AN EFFORT THAT ALL ENFORCE THOSE RULES NOT JUST A FEW IT WOULD MAKE OUR JOBS ALOT LESS STRESSFULL
Married life, family issues. Working two jobs. Several Stressors in all three categories Logistical, time sensiitive/ deadlines, personal communication hurdles, health issues. Sometimes I wonder where does it stop?
I think one stressor in my career now is with enrollment going down, there have been cutbacks. Faculty members have lost their jobs, and it's difficult to sometimes concentrate on lecturing when we're always thinking about whether or not we'll be the next to pack up our stuff.
Stressors at work,
Mostly conflictual
Trying to get alone with those I work with and the many different styles that all feel they have the best way of doing it.
Stressors in home life
5 childern
Sean, I like your thinking and you end your post with a great quote too. Communication and connection is truly the key. When we reach out to others, we set their expectations and can also get the support we need.
Dr. Melissa Read
I find that information and communication are the best ways to avoid stressful situations. Sometimes at work the double standard rule gets thrown into the machine like the pervebial monkey wrench. Keep everyone informed and abreast of any situation and then finally chaos can take a backseat to progress.
Limited time between classes, unmotivated students, students who feel they don't have to follow rules, students who avoid taking tests on time, going to the copy machine and finding a sign that reads "service now". Trying to arrive early enough at work in the morning to get a parking space close enough to school, people who drive 30 mph in the left lane in a 65 mph zone, getting home from work at 4:30p, but not having dinner until 10:00p. Part of this list may sound trivial, but when you do the math, it does add up to "stress".
I feel that society is on a decline. It is unfortunate that there have been soooooo many laws put into place that protect stupidity. I think AMERICA needs to hit the reset button because our founding fathers are rolling over in their grave!
sources of stress: employer's requirements for student management; single mom of three young boys
stress at work,
-not fully understanding what my boss
-given a big work load last minute
-watching students just throw away their life due to laziness
stress at home
-restoring a classic car
-planning a wedding
-keeping up with all the "honey-do" tasks around the house