Stress strains the relationship between teachers and students

The primary school teacher enters the classroom rather tensely on this Monday morning. She knows that today is going to be stressful. She has to cover for a colleague who is ill. What's more, it has been raining all weekend. This means that many children have spent a lot of time on their mobile phones or in front of the TV instead of going outside. They are more restless than usual. This stresses them and the pupils out.

The teacher describes this situation at a parents' evening. But the parents present also have something to complain about - namely how much school attendance is stressful for their children. Some sleep badly, others cry during homework, others come home from school quite irritable.

A third of teachers describe themselves as being under heavy or excessive strain.

Everyone agrees: it shouldn't be like this. Children should enjoy going to school and not experience stress that makes them ill. Not being able to recover sufficiently from stress can lead to stomach ache, sleep problems, concentration difficulties, social withdrawal or depressive moods.

Burdens are increasing

And this is now often the case: for many teachers, pupils and parents, school and stress go hand in hand. Every five years, the City of Zurich's school health services conduct a health survey among young people, who are on average 14 years old. In the latest survey from 2022, only 6 per cent of girls and 14 per cent of boys stated that they do not feel stressed by school, while the rest experience increased stress.

Over half of the girls said that exams, pressure at school and grades put a lot of stress on them, while career choices and job searches also cause stress for 39 per cent. Boys feel just as stressed by these things at school, albeit not quite as much. This is also noticeable physically: A third of the students surveyed experience headaches or stomach aches at least once a week. 30 per cent of the girls have signs of an anxiety disorder.

Parents are not unaware of their children's stress. In 2022, the Mercator Foundation Switzerland surveyed around 2,500 parents of school-age children for the study «What kind of school does Switzerland want?». 35 per cent stated that their children were often stressed about school, particularly because of assessment and examination situations, homework, but also because of the early start to school in the morning, upcoming changes of level or grade and conflicts with classmates.

No trust in the teacher

And then there are the teachers, around a third of whom also describe themselves as highly stressed to overworked, as a six-year study by the Bern University of Teacher Education on the subject of stress among teachers showed. The study was supervised by educational scientist Alexander Wettstein. For him, one thing is clear: healthy teachers are crucial for good teaching quality and good child development.

More well-trained teachers would relieve the system and thus reduce stress.

Alexander Wettstein, educational scientist

After all, one of the most important tasks of teachers is relationship work. A trusting and respectful relationship with pupils is an important protective factor against stress.

«However, this relationship work is very strenuous and time-consuming. You can only do it if you have the capacity,» says Alexander Wettstein. And that is precisely what many teachers no longer have today. For example, because they have to train unskilled lateral entrants on the side due to staff shortages. «More well-trained teachers would definitely take the pressure off the system and thus also reduce the pressure and stress that many pupils feel today,» says Wettstein.

The latest health survey conducted by the city of Zurich shows how they react to their stressed teachers. Only half of the girls surveyed stated that they had a lot of trust in their teachers. A third felt that their teachers were not interested in them. Here, too, the judgements of the boys are somewhat more positive, but have also decreased compared to previous years.

Parents have a duty

However, Alexander Wettstein believes that blaming teachers and the school system for the stress experienced by students is too short-sighted. Parents could also do a lot to reduce stress in schools: by sending their children to school well-rested and with a full stomach, by ensuring sufficient exercise and limited media time, and by providing free time that is not fully timetabled.

If children know that their parents are there for them and have an open ear for their worries, this can already have a very relieving effect.

Simone Schoch, pedagogue

Simone Schoch from the Zurich University of Teacher Education also emphasises parents' responsibility for their children's well-being. «It is important that parents do not burden their children with additional pressure to perform,» says Schoch. Rather, children should be strengthened by providing them with emotional support, regardless of specific successes.

«For example, by taking their situation seriously, listening to them or looking for solutions together. If children know that their parents are there for them and always have an open ear for their worries, this can already have a very relieving effect,» says Simone Schoch.

These transitions need a lot of support

A study by Pro Juventute, the foundation for the promotion of children and young people, shows at what point in the school career this support is particularly important. «We observe a significant increase in stress levels when the change of school becomes an issue in years 5 and 6 and later when choosing a career from around the age of 15,» says Lulzana Musliu from Pro Juventute. As a result, many more pupils contact the 147 counselling service.

«This shows that they also need more help from parents and teachers at this age,» says Lulzana Musliu. She experiences today's generation of parents as one that has usually made a very conscious decision for their children - and therefore often only wants what is supposedly best for their offspring, such as top grades. «For example, the child should go to grammar school if possible. People often forget that a child with average grades can also be very happy,» says Lulzana Musliu. Especially if such a life means less stress.