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Introduction

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, stress is the number one occupational hazard today and personal life style, which impacts stress arousal, is estimated to account for 51% of the total effect of all 10 leading causes of premature death (Center for Disease Control). Stress seems to strike those in the helping professions, such as teaching, disproportionately to other workers. Today, more than ever before, students and teachers, school administrators and staff, experience a great deal of stress.

Much is expected of contemporary teachers. They are called upon to deliver exemplary curricula to students with a wide range of abilities and needs. Teachers are asked to be tireless in their dedication - ever ready to be kind disciplinarian, nurturing substitute parent, counselor, advocate - whatever is demanded in a particular situation. We want our teachers to love their work, to remain humorous, creative, responsible and dedicated, regardless of the situation.

Due to the nature of their work, teachers are under performance and time pressures, in high tension, stressful situations, and cannot just walk away. The goal of this course is to learn to recognize stress and its impact on one's life, to learn to identify "stressors" in the environment, and acquire the skills to manage stress in one's life. This course hopes to enhance the physical and psychological well being of the participants.

Course Description

Good teaching is a high-intensive activity, demanding a great deal in all arenas - intellectually, physically, psychologically. Given the responsibility they assume for the lives of future generations, the lack of attention and support given to classroom teachers once they complete their formal training is surprising.

This course presents key concepts, methods, techniques, and resources essential for establishment of clinical stress reduction programs. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of the teacher, the helping professions, life styles, belief systems, coping strategies, and practices that can be used in the classroom. Active participation in experiential activities is required. The last thing you need is more stress, so the intent is to keep the course as stress-free and stress-reducing as possible, while still ensuring you acquire the necessary information and experiences.

The class will utilize both didactic and active learning strategies. Lectures will expand upon, and critically evaluate, assigned reading material. Lectures and experiential activities will be augmented with class discussions, video presentations, guest speakers, breakout groups, practices, and case presentations.

Required Texts


Davis, M., Eshelman, E., & McKay, M. (1989). The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook, 4th ED. Oakland, CA., New Harbinger Publ.


Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., Jon (1990). Full Catastrophe Living. Bantan Doubleday, New York, NY.


Texts can be ordered through Amazon.com at considerable savings to you.

Recommended Readings

Aldwin, Carolyn. (1994). Stress, Coping & Development. Guilford Press, New York, NY

Behbehani, S.S. (1994). The Messenger Within.SF: Mellen Research Univ. Press

Benson, Herbert. (1975). The Relaxation Response. Avon Books, New York, NY

Burns, D.D. (1989). The Feeling Good Handbook. NY: Plume

Cherniss, Cary. (1995). Beyond Burnout. Routledge, New York

Eliot, Robert, & Breo, Dennis L. (1989) Is It Worth Dying For? Bantam, New York

Everly, G.S., Jr. (1989). A Clinical Guide to the Treatment of the Stress Response. NY: Plenum.

Houston, Jean. The Possible Human.

Leichtmen, R.F., & Japikse, C. (1982). Active Meditation, the Western Tradition. Columbus, OH: Ariel Press.

Masters, R., & Houston, J. Listening to the Body.

Miller, T.W. (1989). Stressful Life Events. Madison, CT: International Universities Press.

Neufeld, R.W.J., (Ed), (1989), Advances in the Investigation of Psychological Stress. NY: John Wiley & Sons.

Rice, P.L. Stress & Health (3rd Ed), (1999). Pacific Grove, CA.

Romas, John A. & Sharma, Manaj. (1995). Practical Stress Management, Allyn & Bacon.

Schriner, Christan. (1990) Feel Better Now. Jalmar Press, Rolling Hills Estates, CA.

Course Objectives

By the end of the semester, students will possess the skills to:

  1. Define stress and examine the ways in which stress effects your immune system and your overall health.
  2. Improve their health and well being through decreasing their blood pressure, (if called for), improve their nutritional intake, and implement an appropriate exercise program.
  3. Discuss psycho social, environmental, and self-imposed sources of stress.
  4. Examine the special stressors that affect teachers.
  5. Explore and develop techniques for managing stress.

Course Requirements

  1. Attendance and participation in stress reduction exercises are an essential part of the process. Developing a daily practice, or practices, to manage your stressors is a necessary commitment.
  2. Completion of text and workbook assignments, as indicated.
  3. Development and implementation of a personal stress reduction program.
  4. Maintain a daily log or journal to monitor your progress. This will be faxed or emailed to instructor weekly.
  5. Development of at least 5 stress management practices which you believe are appropriate to use in your classroom, with colleagues, staff, and administration. These can be developed with other teachers or class participants, i.e., math teachers providing a stress reduction exercise prior to giving a test so students are more relaxed, i.e., deep breathing and imagining themselves having all the resources needed to answer the questions.

Evaluation

( The accomplishment of the following criteria will be demonstrated through journals, workbook exercises, discussion of readings in class, a written paper, and implementation of stress management practices
in your personal and professional life.)

 Physical/Emotional

  1. Participants will become more aware of their own body's response to stress and monitor the changes they recognize through their regular journaling as well as recognize reduction of physical symptoms of stress, i.e., headaches, back pain, muscle tightness, sleep patterns, dry mouth, sweaty palms, lowered blood pressure, et.al.
  2. Participants will become more aware of their nutritional intake, and begin to alter their eating habits to enhance their health and well being.
  3. Participants will add more laughter to their lives, more playfulness, and become more physically responsive.

Psychological/Cognitive

  1. Participants will complete the self/tests in the Workbook and the reading assignments.
  2. Participants will maintain a journal of their progress, or lack of it, and begin to learn what behavioral, thought, and emotional patterns prevent them from changing those habits that are damaging to them.
  3. Participants will begin to develop new ways of behaving, thinking, and responding to the stressors in their lives as they incorporate what they are learning into their daily lives, including teaching the appropriate practices to their students.
  4. Participants will identify five primary stressors in their lives, and develop a minimum of five cognitive and/or behavioral practices to manage these stressors more effectively.
  5. Participants will analyze and use appropriate stress management practices, problem-solving strategies, and critical thinking when coping with stressors in a variety of contexts.

Mythic (Rewriting your own story)

  1. Participants will recognize the existing physical, psychological, and emotional patterns they currently utilize to cope with stress. These will be recorded in your journal for one week. At the end of the week, summarize what you have learned about yourself and your ways of coping with stress.
  2. After the first two weeks of class, participants will implement stress management practices into their lives, and continue to monitor, in the journal, changes in their patterns of feeling, thought, and behavior.
  3. Participants will begin to incorporate their learnings into their classrooms, thereby enhancing the lives of their students, and become aware of changes in attitudes, test taking, test scores, and responsiveness of their students.

  Grading

It is assumed that participants making the commitment to this class will receive either an "A" or a "B" grade, and therefore you will grade yourselves based on your own process based on the following criteria:

  1. Classroom or distance participation, completion of readings, journal, workbook assignments, implementation of stress management practices in your life and in the classroom, and a minimum of a three page paper detailing these practices = A.
  2. Classroom or distance participation, completion of readings, journal, and workbook assignments = B
  3. Classroom or distance participation only = C.

 

Journals

A journal needs to include daily entries of your responses to your readings, any difficulties or successes with your practices, and your observations of your own process and progress, or lack of it, to what you are learning. Examples of journal entries are:

8/30/99 First Stress Mgmt. class today. Wondered if this was going to be helpful to me or if it would be too strange for me to take seriously. Find the book titles to be somewhat challenging and realized that this was going to require a commitment on my part - to myself. See myself already beginning to judge how well I'll do in comparison to others in the class, particularly because I had some trouble with the breathing exercise.

Another example of a JOURNAL entry might be:

Content
Process
Observation

 8/30/99
First Class
Breathing Exercise

Some difficulty with slowing down, was judging myself

I was focused on my competitiveness rather than my learning.

Instructors: Barbara Glazer, M.S. and  Debra Marcus, B.A.
Office ED 413A
Phone (916) 278-5530
278-5399
e-mail: marcusd@csus.edu
fax: (916) 278-5904

September 13, 1999