Over half of Danish public school teachers suffer from frequent stress

More than half of public school teachers in Denmark experience daily or weekly stress. This situation could affect public school quality and support for your children. The survey comes from Danmarks Lærerforening, the Danish Union of Teachers. It included 1,901 public school teachers and kindergarten class leaders.

Sixteen percent of teachers feel stressed at work every single day. Another 36 percent experience work stress on a weekly basis. About 23 percent feel stressed at least once a month. Nine out of ten stressed teachers blame workplace conditions. Union chair Gordon Ørskov Madsen warned of serious working environment problems. He noted that many teachers are choosing to leave the profession.

More than one in three surveyed teachers took sick leave due to stress. Teachers cited several major reasons for their heavy mental load. Classroom disruption and heavy workloads create huge daily pressure. Teachers also lack enough preparation time for their lessons. Getting help for pupils with special needs remains very difficult. Some parents even expect teachers to resolve conflicts outside of school.

Nana Vaaben is an associate professor at University College Copenhagen. She explained that teachers suffer moral stress when they cannot help pupils. The union wants fewer teaching hours and more lesson preparation time. They also demand better support for pupils with special needs. The union will raise these proposals in upcoming negotiations with the government. (Source: CPH Post)