 3. Ways To Overcome Stressful Situations In order to understand how stressful conditions can be overcome in the classroom environment, it is better to first know what these stressful conditions are. Although the presence of these conditions is inevitable, in normal conditions, prevention is better than cure. Origin of Stressful Situations In my opinion, stressful situations in the classroom are created in two ways. First, the stresses and worries the teacher bring to class. These stresses are usually caused by normal and abnormal fears of an individual. For example, the first day of a class for a novice teacher is a bit stressful. Or, if the teacher has no lesson plan, for any reason, he may also enter the classroom with stress. Second, stresses are due to unforeseen events that occur in a classroom. For example, annoying a student by other classmates may sometimes lead to hurt one of them. The level of these stresses varies depends on the age group a teacher work with, type of school or institution, the city or country he or she teaches. Ways to Work on Stressful Situations In general, how to deal with and overcome stressful situations depends on three issues. First, it depends on the psychological conditions and the personality traits of the teacher. If a teacher, in addition to train for a variety of teaching methods and use resources, works on self-awareness, he is more likely to face stressful situations effectively and may even reduce their likelihood of occurrence. For example, if he knows what his fears are, these fears are real or just a subjective tales of unknown circumstances, what the worst possible situation is, what the plan to deal with the worst case is, or answers some questions like that, he will be able to control and manage his mind and he will be more ready to face worse situations. The second is about understanding the rules and regulations of the school or institution in which he or she is employed. If he or she knows who can help, when problems occur in the classroom, he or she feels supported. It is a bit scary if a teacher feels lonely and thinks all the class issues are related to him, her alone, and he or she is responsible only for everything inside the class. A teacher enters the class with a set of previous experiences, thoughts, and feelings. Students also come to the class with all their emotions and thoughts. Sometimes the sources of students' reactions that lead to stressful situations are in their families or events outside the classroom. These are cases in which the teacher can get the help of counselors, school administrators or other authorities. The third is the ability of a teacher for classroom management. How does he or she show students the rules of the class from the beginning of the course? How does he or she create a safe atmosphere with mutual respect? And how do they respond assertively in the necessary conditions? All of these are due to the ability of a teacher to manage the classroom which naturally leads to creating less stressful situations, or if they happen faces them more effective. Do you want to learn new teaching skills? Take a TEFL course. Speak with an ITTT advisor today to put together your personal plan for teaching English abroad. Send us an email or call us toll free at 1-800-490-0531 to speak with an ITTT advisor today.