An Examination of Levels of Stress and Levels of Hope of Middle School Teachers in an Urban Settin

Middle school teachers are challenged on a daily basis with a population in flux. Middle school students are in transition from elementary school to high school. With the onset of puberty, middle school students are experiencing a host of changes. They also continue to struggle with self-regulation skills, organizational skills and executive functioning. In addition to the physical and emotional changes, a middle school child is able to be left alone at home while one or both parent works. Middle school teachers are tasked to teach this volatile population with science, mathematics, English and social studies. Augment poverty, incarceration, an urban setting, gang violence and influences to the middle school population and you have an even larger challenge for middle school teachers in an urban setting. What sets these urban middle school teachers apart from teachers in other settings? Do they possess a level of hope that elevates and permeates the levels of stress regardless of age, commute, experience, their own middle school setting? Do they feel supported by fellow teachers and administration? Are they new to the field of teaching and teaching in an urban setting is their first teaching job? The goal of this study is to analyze how middle school teachers in an urban setting perceive stress and their level of hope while working with students in an urban setting.