"It's Only a Movie!" Teachers Reducing Stress and Promoting Mental Health Through Humor and Play

• In Event: Poster Session 6
  In Poster Session: Division K Section 3 Poster Session 1

Abstract

Using the seminal works of James Spradley as a guide, this year-long ethnography focused on capturing the perspectives and experiences of Second Chance Charter’s (SCC) educators. SCC is a non-graded, non-traditional (alternative), college preparatory high school serving students, ages 16-21 years old, who have been previously unsuccessful in other educational settings. SCC has had strong teacher retention even though the teachers described their work environment as emotionally stressful due to the population of students they serve. Analysis of observations, interviews, and artifacts reveal that SCC teachers engage in a variety of stress coping mechanisms, two of which are humor and play.

Author

• Shanna Rose Thompson, University of Massachusetts - Lowell