Colton sits with his head down on his desk catching a few extra minutes of sleep. Anna chews absentmindedly on the end of her pencil, worrying about the spelling test this afternoon. Noah stands guard by the door waiting to explain that he spent the night at his mom’s house and left the homework at his dad’s. Each child has a different emotional, behavioral, and physical response to stress in daily life. Most common definitions refer to stress as mental, emotional, or physical tension or pressure. A certain amount of pressure or tension can be positive, motivating us to achieve. Evaluating a student’s work and assigning a grade produces stress that is designed to motivate a student to strive to reach a standard. However, stress can quickly build to a point where it becomes a negative force. When we go past this threshold, stress becomes a deterrent to progress and an impediment to learning.
The body perceives elevations in stress as a sign of danger, which activates the brain’s amygdala and our fight-or-flight response. Once activated, this system is designed to flood the body with adrenaline and reroute blood flow to maximize our ability to fight or run from danger. Our bodies are designed so that when this system is activated, our prefrontal cortex (which controls executive functioning) decreases its activity. The two systems do not work well simultaneously. Since our executive functioning system controls reasoning, it is vital to learning. Our pencil-chewing Anna is less likely to remember what she has studied or reason effectively if she worries enough to activate her amygdala. She will perform better if she can relax and allow her prefrontal cortex to work at peak capacity.
Repeated exposure to stress that is past the positive threshold can cause decreased energy, increased irritability, and even clinical anxiety or depression. Negative stress can result in actual physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach aches, muscle tension, and decreased immunity. Emotional manifestations of negative stress may include low frustration tolerance, lack of motivation, and emotional deregulation. Stress has an extremely detrimental effect on cognition and learning. In the classroom, this negative stress inhibits retention, undermines concentration, and erodes self-confidence. A stressed body and mind has little extra energy for creativity, focused attention, or learning.
Negative stress in young children is often evidenced by regressive behavior, temper tantrums, and meltdowns. In older children, stress is often more difficult to recognize because it is more individualized. Knowing students’ personalities and patterns of behavior can help the teacher identify problematic stress. A gregarious student who suddenly becomes quiet and withdrawn, an introverted passive child who turns defiant and disruptive, or a studious pupil who falls behind in his class work are all examples of children manifesting signs of detrimental stress.
It has been my experience that boys and girls often respond differently to stress. Girls are more likely to become withdrawn and tearful, while boys often become aggressive or defiant. In recognizing stress, it is important to look beyond a child’s behavior to understand the etiology of that behavior. Why is Devon refusing to complete his math? What is the point of the behavior? What is gained by the defiance? Boys are often mislabeled as defiant, when stress or anxiety is actually the root of the behavior. For some children, anger and defiance are more acceptable socially than stress or anxiety. Regardless of gender or age, common signs to watch for in all children include poor frustration tolerance, low energy, reduced emotional control, and increased anxiety.
While we cannot eradicate stress from the lives of students, we can help increase their understanding of stress by teaching coping skills and building resistance. Teachers can work to make their classrooms safe places that empower students and help promote resiliency. There are simple and creative ways that we can lower the stress in the classroom and help students stay below their negative stress thresholds.
Establish a Stable, Consistent Atmosphere
A chaotic and unpredictable environment creates stress. Students need to know what behaviors are expected of them and what the consequences are if expectations are not met. Rules need to be applied consistently and fairly, creating an atmosphere of stability.
Increase Students’ Sense of Control
Decrease stress by allowing children a sense of control in the classroom. Consider giving students options on assignments, subjects of study, partnering projects, and seat selection.
Remind students that God is in ultimate control. When life seems to be chaotic and out of control, remember God still has the master plan. Proverbs 16:9 says, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” Make time to share experiences that recognize God’s sovereignty.
Allow Appropriate Expression of Feelings
Expressing feelings allows children to discharge their emotions and lowers stress. Encourage appropriate expression of emotion through journaling and creative writing assignments on a regular basis. Encourage children to identify accurately how they feel, and understand how that feeling affects their behavior. Be careful not to judge the emotion; judge only the negative behavior. Remind children that emotions themselves are not sinful. Ephesians 4:26, “In your anger, do not sin.”
Cultivate a Collective Identity
We are created to be social creatures; isolation causes stress. Help students function as a team and include each other in activities. Celebrate individual strengths and eccentricities as they benefit the whole. Support shared experiences in order to build a sense of community. Use team-building activities and group projects. As 1 Corinthians 12:27 says, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”
Celebrate Humor and Fun
Laughter is good medicine for stress. Create opportunities to have fun and laugh in the classroom. Proverbs 17:22, “A cheerful heart is good medicine.”
Teach Relaxation Skills
With busy schedules and electronics in hand until bedtime, many children do not know how to relax. Practicing short relaxation strategies at strategic times of the day can help students transition from one activity to another and focus their attention.
Support Physical Activity
The body requires adequate rest, nutrition, and exercise on a daily basis to function optimally. Inadequate amounts of any of the above will cause stress to the system. Physical activity should be encouraged; avoid taking away recess as a punishment. Allow for movement in the classroom and plenty of hands-on activities.
Reframe Failure
The fear of failure is a stressor for adults and children alike. Help children redefine failure as an acceptable and normal part of the learning experience. Without failure there is no learning. Be cautious about grading every single assignment; children need to be able to make mistakes and learn without penalty. Help students understand that tests are simply a way to find out where a student is at in the learning process so that you can know how to move forward. Recognize and reward persistence. Remember that the child who struggles with a concept yet perseveres and improves his score from 40 percent to 80 percent has learned more than the child who started at 95 percent. Try to encourage the perseverance it takes to learn. Struggling through a trial and succeeding builds self-confidence and resiliency, which buffers children from stress.
Encourage Gratitude and Positive Thinking
The opposite of stress is peace. God’s prescription for peace is found in Philippians 4. God says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, present your requests to God. And the peace of God . . . will guard your hearts and your minds.” Focus on the positive: whatever is true, noble, pure, right, lovely, and admirable. Talk daily about blessings. Help kids connect how they think with how they feel and act. There is good and bad in every day. How we feel about the day will depend on where we choose to put our focus.
Perhaps the best way to help children with stress is through modeling. Take care of your own stress and model healthy habits in the classroom. Model Christ’s example of love, and create a warm, safe atmosphere for learning, where each child is accepted unconditionally and encouraged. Remember that each child is a special, loved creation of the Father. Be flexible, laugh, and enjoy the good in every day.
