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Are your nerves hanging by a thread at the end of every school day? Is the stress of the classroom carrying over into your living room? Is the life of a stunt pilot beginning to look tame compared to yours? If so, it’s time to take a deep breath, get out the Education World Stress Relief Kit, and start to replace that frenzied figure in the mirror with a newer, calmer you. Check out the Education World resources below.

Treasuring Found Humor
“I’m a big fan of ‘found humor,’" says Regina Barreca, “the sorts of things that aren’t meant to be funny but brighten the day…If you don’t laugh at the absurdities of everyday life, you’ll miss a great deal of fun… And let’s face it -- most of us need all the fun we can get."

Medicate to Educate
“What do I tell those teachers who ask me for my secret to staying motivated in the classroom? I tell them to ‘get medicated.’ But what I’m referring to isn’t a prescription; it’s more of a philosophy. It’s the secret weapon I like to call “the medicine cabinet.”

A Little Change Will Do You Good!
“I believe we have three choices when it comes to responding to change: we either can get up (do something about it and learn from it), give up (throw in the towel), or shut up (accept it for what it is).”

What Are You Paying Attention To? “I tell my friends when they question my sanity (which is quite often) concerning teaching and my ability to maintain a positive attitude, ‘I have a simple choice: I either can focus on whining about teaching or I can focus on winning as a teacher.’”

Keeping Your Cool Amid Classroom Chaos
Can there possibly be a job more stressful than teaching? We asked members of the Education World Tech Team for their suggestions for keeping one’s cool despite career challenges and classroom chaos. Discover what they told us.

Imitate to Motivate
“Think back and remember your favorite teacher. Reflect on everything about that teacher that made you admire and respect him or her. Now, I want you to pretend to be your favorite teacher for at least one week this month.”

More Who, Less What
”One of best lessons I learned in my early years of teaching was to focus on WHO we teach, not just on WHAT we teach. Now, don’t get me wrong. WHAT we teach is vitally important to our students’ success, as well as our school’s success. But sacrificing the WHO for the WHAT is just plain criminal.”

Raise Your Standards
“We as teachers already face enough negativity from the public and media without having to worry about dissention and tension within our own ranks. This month, therefore, I’m asking you to ‘raise your standards’ when it comes to your colleagues.”

I Owe, You Owe, We Owe
“My question to you this month is, “How much do you owe your favorite teacher?” If your favorite teacher was anything like mine, I’m sure he or she would say, “Just pay your students what you think you owe me.”

Teach Like Every Day Is Christmas
“The night before every new school year, I get to be a child again by re-living Christmas Eve. Because when I arrive on the first day of school, I have approximately 25 to 30 gifts waiting waiting to be opened. And they’re ALL mine.”

Calm Is Strength; Upset Is Weakness
"Classroom management requires calm," says Dr. Fred Jones. "You never will be able to manage another person's behavior until you can manage your own. A calm response to provocation can be learned. Because upset happens quickly, however, you have to learn to relax immediately and automatically when confronted. That takes practice."

Comedy in the Classroom: Just What the Doctor Ordered
Emily Oldak is the author of Comedy for Real Life. Oldak explains the role of comedy in teaching and how it can ease the tensions of children in an unsettled world.

From Chaos to Coherence: Managing Teacher Stress
"’I'm totally stressed out.’ Listen carefully when teachers repeat that routine mantra. The stress they're experiencing could affect their performance, students, and personal lives. But stress doesn't have to take a toll -- not with these stress-fighting strategies in your arsenal."

Help Staffs and Students Cope With Stress
Sandra Harris has seen firsthand how principals handled the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. But not all disasters are natural ones. In the event of job loss, illness, death, and divorce, BRAVO principals do all they can to help faculty and students cope.

How Do You Spell "Stress Relief?"
Stress can take a toll on a teacher's health and effectiveness. Several people who have conducted stress-reduction workshops recently shared with Education World their advice-- along with exercises and activities to relieve teacher stress.

I’ve Grown Accustomed to the Stress
To many teachers, the hurried pace, the frantic race, the mountain of unfinished details … might seem too much to bear -- but not to Eric Baylin. "My system," he sings, "has adjusted. I've grown accustomed to the stress." Maybe this song can help you too.

Learning to Tap Away Stress, Anger
Since discovering the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), a self-soothing method that involves tapping on areas of the body while thinking positive thoughts, psychologist Dr. Lynne Namka has been spreading the word about it.

Maybe It’s Time to Reform Demands We Put on Educators
Need a little inspiration to renew the spirit? Check out "Maybe It's Time to Reform Demands We Put on Educators," by columnist David Waters. The article first appeared February 21, 2001, in Waters's "Faith Matters" column.

Mastering the New Three R’s
Most educators find themselves constantly feeling that they have too much to do and too little time. John Blaydes offers advice for mastering the three R's of resiliency, renewal, and reflection to keep you healthy and more productive.

Principals Offer 30 Ways to Fight Stress
Being a principal is a stressful job -- no doubt about it. But principals do a great job of figuring out how to beat that stress. We asked our "Principal Files" team to share their stress-busting tips. Maybe some of these 30 ideas are ones you haven't thought of before.

Reduce Stress With Humor
Is your morning pencil-sharpening routine cutting into your day? Is the disruption worse before quizzes and tests? Try this stress-reducing tip.

Reflections on Teacher Burnout
Does teaching consume your life? In this candid reflection, Brenda Dyck describes the signs of teachers consumed by the job. Have you experienced some of the signs of burnout Dyck describes? Read what a teacher whose mind and body are in sync might look like.

Saving Kids from Stress
Facing fierce competition to get into top colleges, many students are compromising their health and values to get ahead. Experts are even seeing stress levels increase at the elementary school level. Some educators are working to reduce the pressures on students.

Stress Relief
Do you ever find yourself dealing with unmotivated, disrespectful, or unruly students? With large classes, heavy workloads, or unreasonable accountability standards? With job-related stress? What teacher doesn't? These resources can help.

Striking Out Stress
Andrea W. Petho, who teaches at Mahwah (New Jersey) High School, submitted this lesson, which actively involves students in a discussion about stress and how to cope with it. (Grades 6-12)

Twenty Teacher-Tested Tips for a Stress-Free Year
A great deal has been written about what teachers can do to ensure a successful school year. Most of the tips are sensible and well intentioned, but few make a significant difference in the average teacher's stress level. Teachers today need more powerful and useful strategies for dealing with difficult students, parents, and job-related responsibilities.

Where Have All the Staff Rooms Gone?
As working lunches become the norm in schools, educator Brenda Dyck reflects on a time when the staff room was the hub of the teaching community. Included: Ideas for improving social networks and teaming in your school.