Professor Cary Cooper from Lancaster University is joined by occupational psychologist Emma Donaldson-Feilder to explore the physiology of stress, using scientific data gathered at the Kings Langley Secondary School.
Why do some staff find that teaching takes such a physical toll? What causes the stress hormone cortisol to peak? By pinpointing the moment of optimum stress, teachers can start to control the cause of their stress and subsequently reduce it.
We also examine the career of a teacher who appears remarkably relaxed after 20 years experience in the classroom. Concern mounts as it transpires that the surface calm is masking some worrying physiological readings. Is it the presence of cameras that is causing this stress?
