Coping with Tensions: A Catalyst for Transformative Change for Teachers and Administrators

Education is a profession filled with tension. Pressures to help students achieve their potential come from all directions: political, parents, students, teachers, administrators, interpersonal, and intra-personal. The tensions experienced can result in two distinct paths. The first path may take teachers and administrators toward feelings of bewilderment, exhaustion, frustration, and ultimately burnout. The second path can result in rejuvenation. When on this path, tension can serve as a catalyst for change, improved communication, and improved student engagement and achievement. Coping with Tensions: A Catalyst for Transformative Change for Teachers and Administrators explores why some teachers, school leaders, and school organizations walk the path of bewilderment and disillusionment, while others choose the path of engagement.

Chelsea Faase teaches in the leadership, literacy, and social foundations department at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. She has been in education for the last 14 years, having taught previously at both the elementary and middle school levels.

Sheila Kohl is currently a STEM teacher for grades 5 and 6. Previously she taught middle school science and was an adjunct professor.

Jason Lau has been a school administrator for 20 years. He has served as a Director of Special Education/Students Services, elementary principal, and a principal of a project-based charter school.