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Home Academics Professional Development & Continuing Education The Vermont State University Center for Schools Continuing Education & Graduate Courses Stressed Out, Mears, Spring 2026

Stressed Out, Mears, Spring 2026

Course Number: EDX 5710 S20
Instructor: Erin Mears, M.S.
Location: Online
Dates and Times: Feb 08 - Mar 22, 2026. The class will meet via video from 3:30pm-5:30pm on Wednesday, February 11, 2026. The group will plan two other virtual meetings, on later dates that work for the majority. The remainder of the course takes place asychronously using Canvas.
Credits: 3 Graduate Credits
Tuition: $1,195

Course Description

Students will learn how adverse childhood experiences and toxic stress effect students, teaching, learning, and the  profession. Students will understand the stress continuum and how this affects many aspects of teaching and learning.  Students will gain knowledge on how to think about student behavior and the language we use to define the behavior.  Lastly, students will learn about secondary traumatic stress, how stress effects our health and wellbeing, the impact our stress has on our students and instruction, and simple everyday strategies to help reduce stress.  Students will leave this course understanding how trauma informed practices can combat toxic stress and change the trajectory of a child’s life.

Audience: All educators with a Bachelor's Degree

Course Goals:

Course Goals:

Students will leave this class with a deeper understanding of how adverse childhood experiences and toxic stress can effect a person over a lifetime, they will understand what toxic stress can look like in the classroom and in their personal lives, and finally, they will learn stress reduction strategies and self-reflection in order to mitigate stress and heal.

Course Objectives:

  • Define the term ACE and its connection to stress.
  • Understand core components of the stress continuum.
  • Compare and contrast a stress continuum of a typically developing person vs a person exposed to chronic stress.
  • Understand the difference between misbehavior and stress behavior.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of various stress reduction techniques.
  • Develop a personal stress profile with aligned strategies for stress management.
  • Explore the application of trauma sensitive and stress reduction strategies in the workplace.
  • Identify chronic stress in the classroom and workplace.
  • Define secondary traumatic stress.
  • Understand how teacher stress impacts students.

Instructor

Erin Mears, M.S.

This year is Erin's 15th year in education, mostly working in programs for kids with social/emotional needs, both as a special education teacher and a counselor. Erin completed her Trauma and Resilience Certificate through Wilmington University. She began teaching adults in her district through workshops and wants to share her passion about trauma informed practices that will support all children, especially students who struggle with emotional regulation due to trauma and/or chronic stress. At the same time, she sees the constant stress staff in this profession are going through on a daily basis and believes it's so important to learn how to take care of yourself so you can provide the most support to your students.

Assignments

Week 1: ACE and Stress Continuum

Week 1 Readings - See Canvas for weekly readings

Discussion (1 initial post & respond to at least 2 classmates)

Journal Reflection

Weekly Assignment # 1

Weekly Assignment # 2

Virtual Meeting 1

Week 2: Behavior in the classroom - stress behavior vs misbehavior

Week 2 Readings - See Canvas for weekly readings

Discussion (1 initial post & respond to at least 2 classmates)

Journal Reflection

Weekly Assignments #1

Weekly Assignment #2

Week 3: Stress in the profession - chronic stress & secondary traumatic stress

Week 3 Readings - See Canvas for weekly readings

Discussion (1 initial post & respond to at least 2 classmates)

Journal Reflection

Weekly Assignment #1

Weekly Assignment #2

Virtual Meeting 2

Week 4: Trauma sensitive and stress reduction strategies

Week 4 Readings - See Canvas for weekly readings 

Discussion (1 initial post & respond to at least 2 classmates)

Journal Reflection

Weekly Assignment #1

Weekly Assignment #2

Week 5 & 6: Final Project

 Projects/Exams:

Final Project:

 Part 1: Purpose & Background Reflection:

Take time to think about “stress” and/or pressure in your day to day life.  Please include examples from your professional and personal life.  Please give examples of students and/or adults that you see at school possibly exhibiting signs of chronic stress or that could be exhibiting signs of developmental trauma.  Reflect on if you exhibit secondary traumatic stress or compassion fatigue?  In what ways is stress effecting your health and well being?

Part 2:  Action Plan

This final assignment asks you to create a plan of action for the stress you see in your classroom/school environment while also including steps to improve your health and

manage stress, based on all you have learned in this course about what stress is and its effects on all dimensions of health.

  • You will include trauma informed strategies or routines to help a student/students in your classroom with chronic stress.
  • You will include details to ensure this plan is specific, measurable, and attainable for your classroom/school environment and as well as for yourself at this point in your life.
  • You will also be asked to consider potential obstacles to your plan, and strategies or approaches to overcoming them that you might use.
  • Please include why teacher stress is a universal problem and how it effects students and their learning.
  • You will choose either a stress management strategy or a relaxation technique that you will consider incorporating into your daily life. How can you measure the effectiveness of your strategy?  What differences in your day to day life would you be looking for?
  • Using credible health information from reliable sources, you will analyze the evidence for how this practice contributes to less perceived stress and a healthier physiological response to stress.
  • Include examples and connections to class material and/or outside resources in your answer. Please cite all of your sources.

Required Readings/Resources

Costs for required resources, if any, are not included in the course cost.

Baicker , K. (2020). The Impact of Secondary Trauma on Educators [Review of The Impact of Secondary Trauma on Educators]. 15(13).

Engle , J. (2020, March 11). Stress, Worry and Anxiety Are All Different. How Do You Cope With Each? [Review of Stress, Worry and Anxiety Are All Different. How Do You Cope With Each?]. New York Times . https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/learning/stress-worry-and-anxiety-are-all-different-how-do-you-cope-with-each.html

Hopkins, S., & Shepherd, E. (2023). Masking Stress with Misbehaviour:A Shanker Self-Reg® Lens. Reframed - a Journal of Self-Reg, 1(1), 40–57. https://doi.org/10.26690/sri20170704

Perry, B., & Winfrey, O. (2021). WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU? : conversations on trauma, resilience and healing. Bluebird.

(2019). Best Practices for Trauma-Informed Instruction [Review of Best Practices for Trauma-Informed Instruction]. Hanover Research. https://wasa-oly.org/WASA/images/WASA/6.0%20Resources/Hanover/BEST%20PRACTICES%20FOR%20TRAUMA-INFORMED%20INSTRUCTION%20.pdf

For additional course information

Erin Mears

(802) 236-4869

For additional registration information

Center for Schools Team

(802) 468-1325

Register Now!

 

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