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FACULTY FOCUS
Teachers ’ professional lives can be highly demanding , pressured , stressful and emotionally exhausting .
Out in the open
Why teachers can no longer hide their emotions .
By Wade Zaglas
A new article highlights how teachers believe they have to hide their emotions in the profession , which is correlating with both mental health problems and high rates of burnout in the sector .
In a piece published in The Conversation , Curtin University education expert Dr Saul Karnovsky argues that pre-service teachers should not only receive training in the technical and cognitive aspects of teaching , but also in how to manage aspects of their mental health , including emotions .
“ Despite all the theory , training and practical experience , research shows teachers ’ professional lives can be highly demanding , pressured , stressful and at times , emotionally exhausting ,” Karnovsky said .
The lecturer and Bachelor of Education ( Secondary ) coursecoordinator also referred to his doctoral research , which involved monitoring pre-service teachers throughout their degree . One of his major findings was that there appeared to be “ an invisible rule book that defines what teachers can and cannot do with their emotions ”.
Karnovsky found that pre-service teachers developed this “ invisible rule book ” for emotions very early in their careers , basing their assumptions on how teachers should behave . They then cemented these assumptions further when they began their school placements .
Some of the most insightful findings of how pre-service teachers thought teachers should behave were gleaned from the interviews , questionnaires and focus groups Karnovsky conducted , as well as diary entries .
“ Don ’ t ever cry in front of students , because if you do , they will see you as weak and eat you alive ,” one participant said . Another stated : “ Don ’ t show your emotional vulnerability , especially not to other teachers , because if you do , they might think you are not right for the job .”
Through comments such as these and other observations , the Curtin lecturer found that pre-service teachers thought “ hiding ” their emotions was an invaluable skill to develop . Failing to develop the ability to put on “ a brave face ” would be equated with negative student perceptions of them being unprofessional or out of control .
“ One participant experienced ‘ intense frustration ’ during school placement in trying to manage and engage a group of behaviourally difficult students , which led to her feeling ‘ emotionally overwhelmed ’,” Karnovsky said .
“ She hid these emotions from her supervising teacher , telling me she did not want to ‘ appear weak ’. So she held back her tears because she would ‘ hate ’ being the ‘ little woman that cries at work , who gets upset ’.”
MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS One of the concerns Karnovsky holds is that teaching is “ emotionally demanding ”, especially when faced with “ a range of emotional challenges including working with difficult students and communities , managing increasing administrative control over their work and standardisation reforms ”.
These emotional challenges , if not managed appropriately , can result in significant mental health problems . To underscore this point , Karnovsky refers to a relatively recent Australian study which concluded that teachers are experiencing anxiety and depression at concerning rates and levels .
Perhaps this is why some studies show that one in every two teachers will “ burn out ” or “ simply leave ” leave the profession in the first five years of their careers .
“ Because teaching is emotionally demanding , teachers experience what is known as ‘ emotional labour ’. This is when teachers have to manage , suppress or feign their emotions as part of the work . Like other forms of labour , doing so can become exhausting ,” Karnovsky states .
IT ’ S TIME TO ADDRESS THE REALITY At the heart of Karnovsky ’ s article is not only an acknowledgement of how emotionally taxing teaching is , but also a cautionary warning of the consequences of not providing teachers – particularly those in the early part of their careers – with the tools and guidance to deal with these emotional challenges . It is also a call to the sector to begin addressing this issue now .
“ If we are to ensure thousands of newly enrolled teachers are to thrive in their courses and careers , we must make the invisible emotional rules of the profession seen and heard ,” the education expert states .
“ I believe if pre-service teachers can come together with teacher educators to explore these emotional rules , they could build resilience to confront the many emotional challenges of modern teaching .” ■
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