Jennifer has been a high school
special education teacher of students
with high-incidence disabilities for 5
years. She entered the profession
because she was passionate about
helping students. Early in her career,
Jennifer was known as a talented
instructor who easily bonded with her
students and their parents. However,
the stress of her job has gotten out of
control. In addition to heavy
instructional duties, she has a large
caseload. Jennifer teaches two resource
classes and four co-taught classes with
three different general education
teachers, who all have different
classroom management styles and
expectations for her role as a special
educator. Due to the range of
responsibilities, Jennifer feels she
cannot fulfill the expectations of her
position. She often struggles to keep up
with the activities in her co-taught
classes, as there is no common
planning time. As a result, Jennifer
spends most evenings and weekends
planning and preparing lessons and
updating caseload paperwork. She has
a scarcity of leisure time and often
declines invitations to spend time with
family and friends. Despite her efforts,
Jennifer feels her performance is subpar
and disappointing. During the school
day, Jennifer is fatigued and unfocused,
a drastic contrast from the bright,
enthusiastic educator she was when she
entered the profession. Until last year,
she never missed a day of work. This
school year, however, Jennifer has used
all of her available sick leave. She
frequently complains of stomachaches
and headaches. Jennifer’s physician has
been unable to determine the source of
her symptoms and has suggested these
were the result of chronic stress. She has
advised Jennifer to learn some ways to
manage her stress more effectively and
therefore improve her wellness.
Eric has been a teacher of students
with behavioral and learning
disabilities for the past 2 years at an
urban middle school with many at-risk
youth (e.g., economic disadvantages,
high-crime neighborhoods). He chose to
work at this particular school after
having rewarding experiences as a
mentor to adolescent males. He works
with a team of content-area teachers
who rely on him to co-teach math,
language arts, science, and social
studies. In addition to instruction and
casework, Eric also is the only male
teacher on his team. Other teachers rely
on him to address many issues specific
to adolescent males. Eric generally has
excellent rapport with his students, but
lately he feels overburdened. He is
discouraged by some of his students’
chronic behavior problems, struggles
outside of school, and repeated
academic failures. Eric believes that
despite his efforts, he has made little
difference in his students’ outcomes.
Lately, Eric’s otherwise fun-loving and
easygoing personality has been replaced
by one with unpredictable mood swings
and extreme irritability. Though a
proponent of health and fitness, he has
stopped exercising, has high blood
pressure, and has less patience with his
students as the school year progresses.
Nightly, he sleeps less than 5 hours,
because in addition to staying up late
to prepare for the next day of classes,
Eric’s sleep is often interrupted as he
tosses and turns all night. His doctor
has warned him that he must make
lifestyle changes and learn effective
coping skills, if he wants to restore his
health. Eric’s physical and mental
struggles started during his first year of
teaching but improved after some time
off during the summer break. That is
when he resumed exercising, started
sleeping better, and had stable moods.
However, Eric’s pattern of irritability
and sleepless nights returned with the
next school year. Halfway through the
year, Eric is considering obtaining a
general education content area
certificate, as this would allow him to
focus his instruction rather than divide
energy across four subjects. In addition,
despite his great relationships with his
students, he wonders if he might reduce