STRESSOR: STUDENT BEHAVIOR
“First of all, I work with very young children and I think that I can teach these young children [important things]. I help them learn to be respectful toward each other so they can enjoy being together. I focus very much on who we are a group—that it's not only about you [as an individual]—those kinds of things. I think it's easier with small children. But then I think maybe next year or whenever, I might teach higher grades—this would be children who are ten or eleven, and that might be more difficult. On the other hand, I think the concept is the same if you teach five year-olds or eleven year-olds, it doesn't really matter. But of course I also hear hear stories from colleagues who have a difficult group and so they have to build love and caring into the group.”
STRESSOR: CRITICAL PARENTS
“In my school (…) the parents are critical of everything we do, so of course I have also had conversations with parents (…) I'm a little bit older—I'm not twenty or thirty—and I’ve learned how to deal with these parents and to calm their fears, their worries sometimes—’Is my child safe in your class?’ ‘Yes of course your child is safe.’ But most of the conversations I have with parents are really nice, so if I have a group of thirty children, twenty-eight or twenty-nine of the parents are really okay. When I have conversations with them I talk with respect about their child. I always mention the positive things and also how to work on some things. Then you also get an opening with the parents. I ask if they see the same [behavior] at home or if it is completely different. Then you find each other. I think that that works really well.”
STRESSOR: THE SYSTEM
“Working in a system like schools is always hard, wherever you are, but I know I have freedom.”
“Because of the need for teachers, I know I can always get a job. I'm also able to teach in another country. That's another possibility. That also gives me freedom (…) I don't have to stay at this school. There are other schools. I could go to another city.”
“[The education system has problems] but I think from the inside you can change things. If you step out, you can’t change things.”
“I see the same problems in education as everywhere else, so that's not the reason to step out.”