Many people might think that teachers are the luckiest human beings alive – having four compulsory holidays a year and all… The reality of a teacher is somewhat different though. Without those four holidays standing on the verge of a mental and emotional breakdown is as real as every employees’ first cup of coffee in the morning, but between a teacher and a holiday stands the most terrifying monster of all – EXAMS. This is surely the one word that every teacher despises in their wide vocabulary of wisdom. This time of the year is without a doubt the most stressful with final exams banging on the door and destroying the hopes and dreams of every teacher’s social life. The endless marking combined with never-ending report comments is a tried and tested recipe for loss of sleep and fluctuating stress levels.
For students of course, this is also crunch time to apply themselves and work for that incentive that mom and dad has been dangling in front of their noses the whole year for good marks. Nifty tips for students to survive the exam stress take over magazines and break the Internet, but has anyone ever really stopped and thought about the important, underappreciated saints that educate our leaders of tomorrow? How do teachers survive the exam stress without boarding the next available plain to Iceland to rather go and pack fresh fish for a living? Here are ten helpful ways how:
You know that T-shirt you love to wear, but think it’s better to dress like office personnel instead? Go ahead, wear that Darth Vader shirt that reads: ‘Stay Calm and May the Force Be with You’, when your day for invigilation comes. When you feel quirky, the students will automatically start the exam with a smile on their face and you have dodged a bullet to deal with a nervous breakdown from an overachiever in the exam location.
We are all a mess sometimes. Love and embrace the madness. When your papers go flying while marking and you feel like feeding your marking homework to the dog, allow yourself to be human and laugh at yourself.
Ever heard the term ‘retail therapy’? Of course you have! Whether you are single, married or in a relationship, nothing can beat stress like pushing the limits on your credit card. Once the marking is done and your little darlings have all passed with flying colours, then only can worry set in on how to pay off that new little black number or super-charged lawnmower.
Just like screaming, shattering an object is a fun way to reduce stress, just make sure it’s not the fine china tea cup set you inherited from your gran. Round up some old plates and ugly ornaments, grab your goggles and close-toed shoes and let all that frustration rip! Just make sure puppy, kitty or birdy are not in the vicinity when you have your own Greek-style party.
What is the most annoying sound in the world? A kid in your class playing with bubble wrap or a BIC click pen. But guess what? Everybody loves popping bubbles, no matter how old they are. And it’s been factually proven to reduce stress. So go on, give in to craze!
It is known that music releases dopamine in the brain and can make you happy – learning every day here… Channel your inner diva, take a break from those boring papers and pick your favourite song and sing your heart out. It’s amazing what a bit of transporting of the mind to another lifestyle will do for your soul.
So, the one thing you have to refrain from doing every day in the classroom, you are allowed to do now – swear! In Germany there is even a hotline you can call to swear at trained operators whose job objective is to get you as livid at them as possible. Find an object in your house, print a little face of your nemesis for it and let them have it. Let’s rather refer to it as soul-cleansing than swearing.
Everyone could use an energy boost during a late-night marking session. Whether you prefer coffee or a glass of wine. Remember, fruit can be considered as brain food. Wine is made of grapes… You’re welcome!
First and foremost, education falls in the category of serious business. While marking and asserting your utmost concentration to an individual’s paper, allow yourself to see the humour in the young minds that you teach every day. If there was a question surrounding what a ‘hermaphrodite’ is and an answer like ‘Lady Gaga’ pops up, don’t be saddened or outraged. Just remember that nobody is learning and keeping their sanity without a joke now and again.
Sleep. You have to. Pulling an all-nighter may be appealing to some, but sleep is vital to coping with your marking workload and maintaining your sense of humour. Watching a full marathon of American Horror Story will definitely not help if you are trying to switch off either, it might only give you ideas, and the wrong kind at that. Count those sheep and get some sleep!
With this ten-step program you can be sure to survive exam stress and keep your sanity in tact. At the end of every dark tunnel filled with formulas, conjunctions, sketches and a mark out of a hundred, there is a six-week long light filled with cocktails, sleeping in and SILENCE.
Hang in there dear educators, the end is in sight!
AUTHOR
Inge Liebenberg
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