Teaching ranks as one of the top five most stressful professions, alongside cardiac surgeons and flight traffic controllers, according to a UQ expert.
"High levels of teacher stress negatively impact the classroom environment with stressed teachers less likely to engage with students and more likely to use punitive punishment, all of which impact the learning environment," Professor Mat Sanders said.
The internationally award winning, Triple P — Positive Parenting Program is conducting a research study, Teachers as Parents Project, to measure the effects both at home and in the classroom of a reducing teacher stress levels.
Workplace Triple P for Teachers is a version of the evidence-based Triple P Positive Parenting Program, which was developed by Professor Matt Sanders at The University of Queensland Parent and Family Support Centre and is now in 18 countries. The program specifically targets the needs of teachers and covers topics such as balancing work and family, managing stress, relaxation and partner support as well as a range of strategies aimed at increasing desirable behaviour and managing problem behaviour in children.
The program runs for 8 weeks and is being offered in selected schools across Brisbane as part of the Teachers as Parents Project.
“Teachers balancing work and family commitments don’t always have the time to attend a parenting program so we’re bringing the program to them”, Professor Sanders said.
Early research suggests that teachers who complete the program can expect to experience significant benefits in their home and family lives including reduced stress levels.
“Supporting teachers and their families helps not only the individual teacher and his or her own children but also their students. Many of the parenting skills teachers are taught in the program can also be used in the classroom to engage and motivate students, which has obvious implications for learning”, Professor Sanders said.
The project will examine the effect of the program on individual teachers and their families as well as its impact on the classroom environment and on student behaviour.
For a restricted time the Teachers as Parents Project is offering some Brisbane teachers participation in Workplace Triple P for Teachers, free of charge.
Places are limited so interested teachers, with children under the age of 12, should call University of Queensland Parent and Family Support Centre on 3365 6163 for more information.
The Teachers as Parents Project is funded by the Australian Rotary Health Research Fund and the Australian Research Council
For further information and interviews contact: Divna Haslam, Project Manager on 3365 6163 or 0410 642 821.
