The Spiritual Dimensions of Coping for Preservice Teachers

Abstract

This chapter describes an empirical study of preservice teachers' coping and spiritual practices. Compared with workers in other fields, teachers report higher levels of workplace stress, but they also rate their work as highly meaningful. To explore preservice teachers' coping and spiritual practices, a survey was conducted with preservice teachers from a university in the United States. While preservice teacher coping strategies spanned a wide range of practices including hobbies, professional therapy, and medication, their spiritual practices were categorized as follows: 1) meditation, 2) faith and prayer, 3) maintenance of social ties, 4) care for the body, 5) communion with nature, and 6) reflection on one's sense of purpose. The chapter closes with implications for teacher educators and school leaders as well as directions for future research. One implication for teacher educators is to strategically help future teachers stay anchored to their sense of purpose while equipping them with spiritual practices to cope with the stress and strain of working in schools.