Full-Time Mother, Full-Time Teacher

Abstract

In addition to the professional labor associated with educating students in a specific area, teachers are often also expected to provide emotional labor in the form of caring for and nurturing students more broadly. These emotional labor expectations can be especially problematic for women, who are often expected to be nurturing by nature. If nurturing is natural to women, the assumption follows that nurturing students must cause little to no additional stress. We know from research that this is not the case; it is well-documented that women experience higher levels of stress and burnout than their male counterparts. This chapter offers insights into the personal experiences of one teacher that illustrate the perils of the high emotional labor demands placed on women in education. It also offers tools and coping strategies learned along the way.