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Follow this link for a PDF copy of the Summer 2017 issue of the Lutheran Education Journal.

Lutheran Education Journal, Summer 2017

The famous meditative garden at the Ryoan-ji Temple in Kyoto, Japan, is a dry landscape that illustrates the importance of considering perspective.

Teaching is a stressful occupation (Johnson et al. 2005; Chaplain 2008; McCarthy et al. 2010) and is certainly recognized as an emotional undertaking (Sutton, Mudrey-Camino and Knight 2009). Research shows that love, joy and satisfaction are positive emotions most teachers experience; it also shows, however, that frustration, anger and anxiety are also commonly experienced (Hatch 1993; Hargreaves 1998; Winograd 2003). Christian teachers would be well-served to consider the virtue of meekness as a probable and Biblical solution to frustration in the classroom. The following principles might assuage the effects of stress on teaching experiences.

The problem of this study was to determine the relationship between perceived stress and a specific set of predictor variables among selected teachers in Lutheran schools in the United States. These variables were cognitive emotion regulation strategies (positive reappraisal and rumination) and optimism. The sample consisted of 582 early childhood teachers, 147 participated. They answered three surveys: the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) and the Life Orientation Test Revised (LOT-R). The hypotheses were tested and confirmed. A standard multiple regression revealed that all three independent variables (rumination, positive reappraisal and optimism) are statistically significant predictors of perceived stress for this population of Lutheran teachers. This study shows that as levels of positive reappraisal and optimism increase, perceived stress decreases. This means that reappraising stressful situations in a positive light and having an optimistic outlook on life ameliorates stress. This study also shows that as rumination increases, perceived stress increases as well. This means that dwelling on the negative aspects of stressful situations exacerbates the experience of stress.

Our first car was a nine year old Toyota Camry that we affectionately named Stella. We bought it with over 100,000 miles on it, and added another 115,000 to the vehicle over the next four years. That engine purred like a kitten and loved to get out on the open highway. Unfortunately the body of the car was falling apart. Thirteen years of salt, infrequent car washes, and lots of rust had their way with her. I’ll never forget the look on the faces of my vicarage congregation when we pulled into the parking lot to the rhythmic squeaking of worn out shocks and the roar of a rusted out exhaust system. Pieces of the car were beginning to fall off. Eventually the engine was going to fall out because the body was not capable of holding it any longer. Changing the spark plugs, cleaning the filters, and replacing the belts would not help if the wheels could fall off at the next speed bump.

Abstract This article will explore the following triad, recent findings in neuroplasticity (the ability the brain has to rewire itself) (Siegel, 2010), the role of habits as explained by psychologist William James (1842-1910) and spiritual growth. The article also includes an illustration of how the triad relates to anger and concludes with implications for Christian […]