PUPIL SUPPORT
Taking control of
EXAM SEASON
As a teacher, exam season is one that will always rear its head, and being prepared is crucial. However, alongside pressure on your students, there’s additional strain on you, too – but there are ways you can stay in control to ensure you don’t hold onto additional stress
E
xam season is one of the most stressful times of the year for pupils, but for teachers, your own mental health can be forgotten about as you prepare your students for assessment time. As we approach the exam season, you may be feeling the pressure from learners, parents and management to ensure your classes achieve the highest results they possibly can. Students may be experiencing a higher level of stress or anxiety in the classroom, which can rub off on you, too, whilst preparing students for their final exam. But, there’s support available to help you manage your own mental health at this time.
PRESSURE It’s perfectly natural to be worried
about exams: feeling nervous for your pupils highlights that you hope the process is as simple as possible for them – after all, you want them to succeed. But, if the pressures of the exam period are starting to build up, it’s important to seek help. “Learners can be anxious about their exams and teachers can find themselves supporting the different needs of young people, and sometimes their families, too,” explains Pauline Stephen, director of education, registration and professional learning at the General Teaching Council Scotland (GTCS). “Holding onto other people’s worries can be quite demanding, especially if you have anxieties about a young person’s ability to demonstrate their best self in their exams. It comes from
a place of teachers caring deeply about their learners and wanting them to do well.”
STRESS “Everyone experiences stress in some way, shape or form. We know that a degree of stress can support problem solving and creativity,” Pauline continues. “Teachers need to develop personal understandings of the signs that for you, the stress you’re experiencing is becoming too much.” If you find that feelings of stress or anxiety linger before and during the exam season, there are plenty of places you can turn to for guidance. Education Support (www. educationsupport.org.uk) is a charity that helps teachers with their mental health and wellbeing. They run a teachersresource.co.uk 19
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