BY ERIC KING
A high number of teachers suffer stress relating to their health because of the demands of the job including coping with problem children, a NASUWT– the largest teachers’ The annual Big Question survey shows. Representatives at the Conference in Birmingham debated a motion calling for more support for teachers facing mental ill health issues.
The findings reveal that over 86% of teachers have experienced increased workplace stress in the last year and 87% believe their jobs have negatively impacted on their health and well being in the last 12 months.
Nearly two thirds of teachers (62%) believe their jobs have also adversely affected their mental health over the past year. An entitlement to mental health training, professional counselling or cognitive behaviour therapy is needed, according to the teacher’s union.
Teaching, particularly in many secondary schools, can be very tasking for many professional teachers. Many schools have extremely unruly children with inherent attitude problems, some of which stem from they dysfunctional background they are from. Rudeness to teachers, resistance to punitive measures, and many times unjustified complaints about teachers, are some of the many problems that accumulate the stress on teachers, who already have a high workload to deal with.
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Good schools report problem children to their parents, however some children have irresponsible parents who might as well be children themselves. Besides this sad state of affairs, even parents who want to discipline their children sometimes encounter the hard reality that some children are simply rebellious to any sort of discipline. The challenge is sometimes so daunting for teachers that they break down or suffer stress related issues in silence.
Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, said:
“Teachers’ health and wellbeing is all too often a low priority for employers and Government.
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“The stresses teachers are facing are having a serious adverse impact on their health and yet all too often the response is not support, but a punitive sickness management procedure which causes even more stress.
“The Government’s negative attitude to working people has created a climate in schools where anything goes and if there is an adverse impact on the health and well being of teachers it is simply regarded as collateral damage.
“High quality education for children and young people cannot continue to be sustained by teachers whose physical and mental health is being broken.
“A coherent, tangible and sympathetic support strategy is required which includes access to mental health training and professional counselling.”
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