Cross (2015) identifies teacher stress as a major factor in the attrition rate of teachers at all career stages, but especially early career teachers. She identifies as major factors leading to teacher stress:

• excessive workload,
• pressures of assessment targets and inspections,
• changes to curriculum and teaching styles including a lack of decision making contributions,
• false public perceptions of teachers coupled with poor student behaviour and management of that behaviour leading to poor self esteem and self-efficacy,
• aggression and
• classroom and school culture.

Clement (2014) suggests that some factors contributing to teacher stress as it derives from educational change are:

• feeling a sense of compulsion,
• a lack of opportunity for meaning-making and
• teacher perception of change as transitory.

Protective factors against teacher stress, as identified by Cross (2015):

• resources to increase sense of self-efficacy,
• connectedness with students and colleagues,
• support from colleagues and
• receiving recognition for their work.

Bandura (1997) defines self-efficacy as “an individual’s belief in his or her capacity to execute behaviors necessary to produce specific performance attainments”, in other words, a belief that they are able to be successful. so, how might teacher librarians work to reduce the stress of our colleagues? I believe the key lies in the relationships that we develop with and between colleagues. Servant leadership, characterised by listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, commitment to the growth of others, and building community (Spears, n.d in Burkus, 2010) presents an opportunity to build those relationships and address the needs of colleagues. From a more practical standpoint, teacher librarians can assist by curating a collection of professional learning resources directly around areas of need, analysing and synthesising and then publishing information about key changes and developments in educational theory, provision of instructional leadership as needed, by team teaching with colleagues, modelling key strategies, targeting teaching to areas of curriculum need, eg approaching some HSIE content during library lessons from an information literacy perspective. Collection and curation of resources both for students’ and teachers’ learning needs and promoting them at point of immediate need is an important skill for teacher librarians. Provision of a safe space, a cone of silence, for problems to be talked out can make colleagues feel heard and increase a sense of contribution to the overall direction of the school.

Teacher librarians can also support plans and initiative of the leadership team by promoting the advantages and resources needed to complete the tasks needed.

References

Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 191-215.

Burkus, D. (2010, April 1). Servant leadership theory. David Burkus. http://davidburkus.com/2010/04/servant-leadership-theory/

Clement, J. (2014). Managing mandated educational change. School Leadership & Management, 34(1), 39-51. https://doi: 10.1080/13632434.2013.813460

Cross, D. (2015). Teacher well being and its impact on student learning [Slide presentation]. Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia. http://www.research.uwa.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/2633590/teacher-wellbeing-and-student.pdf