17.4 Instructors At Risk – Mental Health

In normal times, there can be adequate stress and challenges for an instructor to deal with. There are student issues, infrastructure (e.g., things in the room not working), colleagues, the admin, etc. that can cause grief. These can be minor and there can be a constant barrage that is like a thousand paper cuts. Nothing big, but lots of small stuff that just wears away at one’s patience, stability, and soul.

The COVID pandemic has multiplied the issues and risk factors! While many of the observations will resonate because of the pandemic, we believe that almost all of the points are relevant in non-pandemic times as well.

Observations…

• Proper counselling might be necessary to deal with the constant, never ending conflict that can arise in teaching situations. Seek help as soon as you realize that you are getting into trouble.
• Mental health issues can be triggered by many factors. A tragedy with students or colleague can be devastating. A conflict with a student can cause angst and anxiety. Hurtful comments on student evaluations can cause sleepless nights and stress.
• Issues cannot be wished away or ignored. They will remain and many will fester. If there has been a significant incident, the impact can be long lasting; months and years.
• There can be immediate mental health issues, and others will be delayed.
• Incidents or factors from one part of one’s life can create issues in another. It is difficult to separate feelings and almost impossible to compartmentalize things. Recognize these situations and seek advice or help to sort things out.
• Mental health situations can be physiological, behavioural, or situational; some combine all facets. And, some can co-exist. Some can be treated through pharmaceuticals, some through therapy, and sadly, perhaps some have no currently known approach to mitigate, control, or cure.
• Not everyone understands the triggers, the manifestation, the recovery process, and what lingering issues might exist. Lots of education is needed for those directly and indirectly involved.
• With the pandemic, you might find yourself struggling with learning how to teach online, do ‘good enuf’ and this can create stress and anxiety.
• You might find yourself struggling with how to juggle family issues while working from home. Many stress factors there.
• We have explicitly communicated with students about the instructor situation. And, we have communicated with the instructors about the student situation. Both sides need to understand that everyone is struggling and that empathy and sympathy is needed by all.
• Senior leadership in the department, faculty and institution must also be educated and instructed about stress in the workplace (normal and unusual times) and how to manage this within their scope. Actions must be meaningful, not hollow. Exceptions are likely, precedent setting actions probable. Provide relief and support for those needing it.
• Having a long-term teaching mentor from outside of your department can help. The arm’s length relationship is important. It is usually not wise to have your confidant in the same unit. Have weekly meetings to discuss pedagogy, interpretation, and to reflect on what is happening with courses, assessments, and student dynamics.

• Everyone should have a buddy and senior instructors need one as much as the junior instructors. They might not admit it, but everyone is indeed human.
• With the pandemic situation, have several social moments during the week with 6-8 colleagues to discuss life, non-academic matters. Yes, the job will be talked about at times, but the focus should not be on problem solving and fixing the job issues; use other meetings for that.
• Do not feel afraid to rant and just let loose with your mentor; assuming that it is a good, healthy mentoring situation. Everyone needs to vent and be heard (remember that your students also need this mechanism). The dialog that comes with a good rant/vent session can be very helpful and help put things in perspective.
• Make sure that you make time for yourself. Pick up a new hobby, return to an old one. Some time each day on a hobby is good for mental health and balance. Time for yourself is extremely important. Find a hobby that you can immerse yourself in, able to block out job thoughts.
• Just as we tell students, it is important to sleep and eat well. It is important to look after physical health. Get outside, keep fit, etc.
• Try to discuss the overall situation with your department’s senior team and see if you can get some reduced teaching etc., if you have been developing multiple new courses, teaching consecutively over many terms. If the department expects you to up your game to deal with a situation, the department should also be prepared to up its game and provide the appropriate rewards and incentives.
• The department should not be ‘entitled’ and expect everyone to give, give, give without giving some as well. Being what is called a ‘taker’ does not help the overall mental health situation; the department must also be a ‘giver’. Individuals will want to feel really appreciated in a tangible way, not just words or meaningless gestures. Course reductions, service reduction, extra teaching assistants, additional staff help, etc. will help. Shifting workload is not the same as reducing workload.

Further reading

• Makarenko, E., and J.J.W. Andrews (2017). An Empirical Review of the Mental Health and Well-being of Online Instructors. Journal of educational thought, 50, 2/3, pp. 182-199.
• Ipek, H., Akcay, A., Atay, S.B., Berber, G., Karaklik, T., and T.S. Yilmaz (2018). The Relationship Between Occupational Stress And Teacher Self-Efficacy: A Study With EFL Instructors. AJESI - Anadolu Journal of Educational Sciences International, 2018; 8(1): 126-150
• Lixin, J., T.M. Tripp, and P.Y. Hong (2017). College instruction is not so stress free after all: A qualitative and quantitative study of academic entitlement, uncivil behaviors, and instructor strain and burnout. Stress and health, 33, 5, pp .578-589.