Strengthening the Teaching Profession: Preparing Educators To Cope with Stress.

A 1997 survey examined the stress factors and perceived remedies of 45 K-12 student teachers and 40 K-12 cooperating teachers. Stressful events they listed included material selection, unmotivated students, working with peers, supervisor's visits, discipline, preparing for the unexpected, relationships with parents, cooperating teachers, lecture, inconsistent student behavior, time management, power debates with students, and relationships with students. Perceived solutions included expelling disruptive students, inservice workshops, parent involvement, increased security, class size reduction, payment for student teaching, presence or absence of cooperating teacher from the classroom, reduction of interruptions from pull-out programs, reduction or increase in visits by college supervisors, and having full control of the classroom from the beginning to the end of student teaching. Teachers in this survey appeared to prefer more input into the removal of students with disciplinary problems over more computers and supplies, merit pay, or better benefits. One conclusion is that teachers need better preparation for dealing with diverse students and their various needs and with disruptive, unmotivated students. (SM)