Emotion regulation Strategies in Teaching Profession: Case Study of an International Primary School Teacher in Jakarta, Indonesia

Emotion is a driving force behind almost everything teachers do, even more than ratio at times. Teachers are not robot. The emotions they feel are real and influential toward their effectiveness. They deal daily with other individuals, all with their own demands and different opinions, personalities and abilities, hence, conflicts cannot be avoided and stress is formed. Stress causes teachers to experience negative emotions; which, if allowed to linger, may cause harm to the teachers themselves as well as the individuals in which the teachers interact with. Emotion regulation methods, guided by emotional health, are vital for dealing with the stress that has emerged from various situations and problems in the workplace. By conducting a research interview with a biology teacher of a known international school in Jakarta as a study case, this paper will probe the cognitive process of choosing and employing emotion regulation methods. It will discuss the emotion regulation methods used in dealing with negative emotions and briefly discuss the importance of emotional health for teachers when dealing with work-related stress and demands. Keywords: teacher’s emotion; emotion regulation strategies; emotion in teaching DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-9-21 Publication date:March 31st 201