Teachers are undoubtedly the most important part of any school. They are the people who make school be “school,” and are the ones who guide us  through each academic phase of life. Now that the pandemic has struck, teachers are now trying to cope with the changes it has made to their lives. And one thing that plagues them, now more than ever, is stress.

Most people might think that students must be the cause of all the teachers’ stress, but they are mistaken. Many teachers shared their views on this, and the results have shown that their stress is mostly caused by other things.

Mrs. Patty Walsh, a science teacher, shares why she feels stressed.

“Teachers have had to deal with things other than students, and have not had a normal school year,” said Mrs. Walsh.

When asked if she thinks that students play a large role in this, she thinks it is not “the students, but the changes over the last three years.”

Many teachers are leaving their jobs, as well. Ms. Maitland Mann, an English teacher, shares her opinion on why this might be happening around the country.

“I think teachers are leaving the profession because of the lack of respect from the community,” explained Ms. Mann.

EdWeek, a K-12 news organization, wrote an article that has shown that the stress faced by teachers has risen above the levels that are healthy due to the pandemic, with the National Educational Association with  a similar article regarding teacher burnout.

Within our school, technical courses are offered. But to teach these courses, the school needs teachers, and sometimes, it can be frustrating for them. Mr. Joshua Bickford, the theater teacher at RCMS, shared his viewpoint as a teacher on if the classes that he teaches make him frustrated sometimes.

“Yes, it can be frustrating at times. It can be frustrating when it feels like students are not following directions, or being disrespectful, like talking during performances. I find that annoying.”

Students also have a viewpoint on this topic, as this concerns them as well. The most important thing, work, (which includes assignments, tests, and homework) is what mutually entwines both students and teachers, as it is the thing that teachers assign everyday, and students complete them.

Sahiti Tanuku, a seventh grader student on the  Trailblazers team, when asked whether or not she felt more stress regarding assignments before the pandemic, shares her views.

“No, I actually feel less stressed because the teachers understand that the pandemic puts more stress on us so they give us less work.”

Aidan Roberts, a seventh-grade All Stars student, shares his viewpoint on whether or not teachers play catch-up sometimes with students for late or missing work.

“Yeah, I do,” he said. “I think that generally, if a student has a missing assignment, even if it’s the first time, teachers will talk to students, and will talk to students, and they don’t really like it if students don’t do any assignments.”

And while teachers are trying their best to make these years work for them and their students, it sometimes just isn’t enough.

Sahiti said, “There is equal responsibility for students to follow the rules, not give teachers a difficult time, and do what they are supposed to do.”