The Teacher's Mental Health Responsibilities

An educator needs internal security if he is to teach effectively and with a minimum of anxiety. This is vital not only for his own mental health but also for the emotional well-being of his pupils. Young people learn as much from the attitudes, methods and processes they see and are a part of, as from their formal classroom activities.

The Concept of Maturity

Maturity is an ideal toward which the individual and the social institutions which aid him in his development strive. In progress toward the ideal, there is always a continuous going forward and a slipping back so far as each is concerned. A mature person can acknowledge his lack of information, is able to be reasonable and to think in terms of wise compromise, and can derive pleasure from simple things.

Basic Individual Needs

Teachers, in common with other persons, are sensitive to a lack of recognition. When one works above and beyond the call of duty and has done the best job of which he is capable, it is discouraging if neither his superiors, nor the community give any indication of appreciation. It is even more discouraging to teach in a community where teaching as a profession is not accorded its deserved status.

For the teacher, the lack of creative expression is apt to be the cause of emotional stress rather than any of the other basic needs, since good teaching is continously a creative experience. But an occasional teacher may allow his work to become so unimaginatively stereotyped that it becomes completely repetitive and boring. No one can enjoy fundamental happainess who is not occupied constructively both in his work and in his leisure hours. It is important that the teacher continue to bring new material, fresh methods, new ideas, and a widening horizon to his work as the years go by. It is also important that he plan new experiences to enliven leisure hours.