Stress, bullies are on the rise

BULLYING by staff, heavy workloads and the stress of the Black Saturday
bushfires have caused at least 250 teachers to seek counselling in six months.
Younger teachers are reporting arguments in staffrooms and a lack of help from
older colleagues, while others say they are struggling to cope because society
expects them to be de facto parents to their students.

Documents released under Freedom of Information show 250 teachers sought
counselling from the Education Department's registered service from October 1
last year to March 31 this year.

One graduate teacher, who asked not to be named, said bullying of young
teachers was common in Victorian schools.
"The older teachers just run you down," the teacher said.

There was a 30 per cent rise in teacher WorkCover stress claims last year,
compared with 2006. Many claims were from secondary school teachers.
Keeping teachers on stress leave has left a $13 million hole in state coffers
in the past three years.

Australian Education Union state president Mary Bluett said the rate of
teachers seeking counselling was higher than in the general population.
"There are violent, threatening and bullying students," she said.
"It can be a cumulative build-up of workload and teachers just feeling they
may not be able to cope." Teachers looking after Black Saturday bushfire
victims had sought counselling, she said.

Education Minister Bronwyn Pike said the State Government had invested in
more integration aides and school nurses to ease teachers' workloads.

Ref: Herald Sun