Teaching involves intense personal interaction with many students simultaneously and requires the complex intellectual tasks of diagnosis, interpretation, and decision making. Teachers need and deserve psychological and social support to keep their energies focused upon what is essential. (JN)

Examines variables involved in the survival and failure of free schools. Areas discussed include the philosophy of the school and the application of it, the school organization, school financing, children's and parents' misunderstanding of the school's purpose, the role of the parents, and demands on the teachers. (DS)

When teachers strike, most people assume their grievance is money. But a recent survey of 18 Montana schools reveals that much teacher discontent stems from their lack of involvement in site-level decision making. A Faculty Senate Policy Committee is proposed to facilitate teacher participation in policy formulation. (SJL)

The first step toward effective teaching is putting forth an extra effort, says the author, and this step can help vocational teachers as well as their students. An extra-effort teacher has time to talk with students, cares about them, is an adult model for them, and always strives for improvement. (MF)

Examines the tensions among government professionalization agendas for teaching and teacher education and the creation of conditions in schools and faculties of education where professionalism is diminished or underminded. Considers the tensions teacher educators experience as they manage competing definitions of professionalism within the…

Camp directors can motivate staff by showing they are valued. Acknowledging positive actions, throwing a staff party, providing relief time, and being a good role model are all good motivators. Weekly staff meetings keep staff informed and provide time to air problems and get feedback. Keeping in touch with staff during the off-season is also…

Addresses the United Kingdom government's control both of curriculum and instruction, elementary teachers' loss of their ability to control instructional time, and the effects of school inspections and national testing on teachers' morale. Argues that content standards, instruction, and assessment must be developed by teachers and government…

Examined the experience of job insecurity, as described by 20 women professionals working in insecure, part-time jobs in a large metropolitan area on the west coast of Canada. Analysis of interview data depicted a work environment in which low morale, a sense of personal isolation, and a pessimistic view of the future predominated. (Author/TE)

Examines the dialogue journals of a student teacher and her cooperating teacher. Notes that dialogue journals provide a means of (1) discovering and reinforcing knowledge; (2) initiating students into the professional community; and (3) allowing both teacher and student teacher to assess and affect their experience. (MM)

Reports a survey of three small school systems in Ontario, Canada, which asked whether term appointments to secondary school department headships would improve staff morale, opportunities for professional growth, and school curriculum. (SR)

Examines teacher perceptions of teaching conditions and school environment in four geographically diverse, rural high schools identified as "effective schools." Suggests that these schools recognize teachers' achievements, give teachers a sense of empowerment, and foster community involvement. Contains 18 references. (SV)

This study investigated the impact of organizational and personality factors on three factors of teacher burnout: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. Results with 3,044 elementary, intermediate, and secondary teachers demonstrate that teacher burnout is not a unidimensional construct. (SLD)

Describes a study of job satisfaction among 373 elementary teachers in Bedouin schools in southern Israel. Finds that the two most significant job satisfaction factors were teachers' satisfaction with work itself and teachers' satisfaction with social needs. Also finds that female teachers and teachers with higher educational levels were more…

Discusses an examination of teacher stress, job satisfaction, absenteeism, career intention, career commitment, and self-image among secondary school teachers in Malta. Concludes that teachers who reported greater stress were less satisfied with teaching, more frequently absent, more likely to leave teaching, and less likely to reenter the field.…

This article presents results of a study of the first-year teaching experience of 103 teachers of students with visual impairments in Illinois. The study identified needs of beginning teachers and offered recommendations for universities and school districts to curb these teachers' high rate of attrition. (Author/DB)