The teaching profession has increasingly been associated with stress, burn-out and an overwhelming workload. According to the Education Support Partnership, the number of teachers seeking support for their mental health via the charity’s confidential helpline increased by 35 per cent in the past 12 months (from April 2017 to March 2018).
Poor teacher wellbeing doesn’t just have a detrimental impact on mental and physical health, it also affects performance in the classroom. Therefore, poor wellbeing doesn’t just affect teachers, it also corresponds with poor pupil progress and poor mental health among students.
A 2016 Canadian study – Stress Contagion in the Classroom? (Oberle & Schonert-Reich) – found that children whose teachers reported feeling close to burnout had much higher levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) than those whose teachers were not stressed.
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