The Nurturing Teacher: Managing the Stress of Caring

(Paperback)

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The Nurturing Teacher tackles the concerns of stressed teachers. Whether from nurturance suffering (stress related to caring for students) or from the piles of paperwork yet to be tackled, this text helps the reader sort through the causes of stress, the emotional, physical and social reactions to stress and how one can begin to plan a stress management plan. The book includes a historical overview of feminist education, the perception of caring teachers in the media and a look at emotional labor and the impact on the teacher.

Reviews

Kjersti VanSlyke-Briggs discusses why we too often tend to make ourselves miserable by taking our professional life and students' problems to heart. She begins by helpfully explaining how cultural expectations for teachers to be saints or superheroes have developed historically and are perpetuated in the popular media. Teachers can learn from the discussions that follow several brief case studies emphasizing several plans of action from individual coping strategies to collective, group support. Chapters discuss both immediate and long-term plans for nourishing our teaching selves. I cannot imagine a teacher who, after reading this book, would not gain insight about how to feel better about teaching. -- Nancy Mack, associate professor, English Department, Wright State University, Professor of English, Wright State University
The Nurturing Teacher is a must-read for all teachers-from student teachers to the most experienced. VanSlyke-Briggs offers teachers and those who work with them a path through the ups and downs of real classroom teaching. -- Tim Fredrick, editor, English Record, New York State English Council
Every classroom, every student, deserves a nurturing teacher. Every teacher's desk, therefore, should include a copy of The Nurturing Teacher. This book provides many examples of professional development opportunities to help all teachers work within a caring, supportive curriculum. Nourish yourself and read this book! -- John Harmon, senior editor, New York State English Council
1. In The Nurturing Teacher, Kjersti VanSlyke-Briggs provides a thoroughly researched theoretical rationale for why teachers increasingly experience a kind of stress she has aptly labeled 'nurturance suffering.' In addition, she offers seven readable, thought-provoking case study vignettes of teachers dealing with nurturance suffering. Through the daily details of teachers at all career stages-from student teachers and first years to veterans-we gain a clearer understanding of the causes of nurturance suffering. Readers are engaged in reflecting on the stresses in their own teaching lives and are guided to create a plan for enhancing the mental, emotional, and physical health needed to enthusiastically engage with students and to fulfill the promiseof a caring adult.. -- Heather Sheridan-Thomas, assistant superintendent for instructional services, Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga BOCES, Ithaca, New York
1.In The Nurturing Teacher, Kjersti VanSlyke-Briggs provides a thoroughly researched theoretical rationale for why teachers increasingly experience a kind of stress she has aptly labeled 'nurturance suffering.' In addition, she offers seven readable, thought-provoking case study vignettes of teachers dealing with nurturance suffering. Through the daily details of teachers at all career stages-from student teachers and first years to veterans-we gain a clearer understanding of the causes of nurturance suffering. Readers are engaged in reflecting on the stresses in their own teaching lives and are guided to create a plan for enhancing the mental, emotional, and physical health needed to enthusiastically engage with students and to fulfill the promise of a caring adult. -- Heather Sheridan-Thomas, assistant superintendent for instructional services, Tompkins-Seneca-Tioga BOCES, Ithaca, New York

Author Bio

Kjersti VanSlyke-Briggs is assistant professor of secondary English education and literacy for SUNY Oneonta. Her research focus is in literacy and feminist examinations of education.