Teachers need tools and support to be effective in their work and maintain emotional well-being. Although the rewards can be profound, educators face job stresses that challenge the maintenance of emotional balance. Teachers are tasked with creating a structured learning environment that promotes academic achievement, intellectual curiosity and social-emotional development. Accountability to standardized learning outcomes intensifies the demands of teaching. Successfully meeting these objectives places a significant burden on teachers, especially with increasing class sizes and shrinking budgetary support. Unsurprisingly, more than 50% of teachers rate their work as very stressful. Nearly half of teachers leave the profession within the first five years and high rates of early retirement exist. These facts testify to the rigors of the profession. Read more...