Stress as the new cultural currency

Sue Porter (a school counsellor at the Windsor School in Massachusetts) has noted that stress has a sort of cultural currency within education.

"Stress is one of the few, and, in some school communities, the only emotional experience that gets discussed in any detail. It's okay to be stressed; in fact, it's a point a pride. To talk about that stolen moment of peace is akin to admitting weakness or dereliction of duty.

In this way, I believe stress has become an important part of the cultural currency of independent schools, and, perhaps, of the culture at large. For some, a stressful community equals a productive one. To be not stressed in our culture suggests we aren't fulfilling our potential...."

This is definitely alive and well in every student community I've ever been a part of. It's common fare to publicly declare your woes when facing many deadlines, and to be as quiet as a mouse when you have things under control.


Quoted from:
Porter, Sue. (2007) I Stress in Schools Seeking Solutions. Independent School, 67(1), 50-59.