It has already been known to many that one of the most difficult jobs is being a teacher. And just recently, a study has proven that among all the other professionals, teachers tend to receive more unhealthy amount of job-related stress.
The National Foundation for Educational Research in United Kingdom bares that one out of five teachers feels more tensed all or most of the time, compared to one out of eight workers in similar professions.
While the study was conducted in UK, the same implications can be said for the Filipino teachers who also suffer from work-related stress to a considerable extent, if not, to a higher extent than British teachers.
Most teachers get paid by working up to 40 hours a week or 8 hours a day. However, the workloads that are being given to them requires more time. This pushes them to work even after classes, which basically means that they have to either sacrifice or juggle their responsibilities at home for their responsibilities as a teacher.
Here in the Philippines, the number of teachers is not evenly proportional to the number of students. With this reason, they have to face significant challenges on giving their students what they are supposed to learn.
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Numerous factors also contribute to the difficulties of being a teacher. The lack of facilities and equipment, personal life and struggles of their students, and the environment of the school where they are working are also the burdens being carried everyday by teachers.
The unending workloads, low salary, and great accountability taken by them leave the question— why is teaching still one of the most underappreciated jobs? Maybe, it’s time to also consider the situation of teachers, rather than focusing mostly on students.
Based on the same study, nurturing, supporting, and valuing teachers are vital on making teaching a rewarding career choice. “In order to do this, there is a clear need to improve the working conditions of teachers, with a focus on making the teaching career more manageable and sustainable,” Jack Worth, co-author of the study, added.
If the hardships of teachers would be included in the image everyone is looking at, and those who have the power will do something about it, then a quality education would be easier to be accessed.
Source: National Foundation for Educational Research
I am happy that you have compassion to the welfare of teachers of what is the reality of teaching. Thanks a lot..
Thank you so much for your kind words Ma’am Maria Rhodora.
indeed teaching for me now is not a happy profession because of todays generations and over workloads and demands or abrupt report
Teaching is a noble profession.Teaching is a passion. Teachers who possesses virtues are successful. Congratulations Teachers.
there is no problem of teaching, the real problem why the teachers are stressed because of the outside force such as dealing with the school administrators, parents, every now and then workshop and seminars, a never ending bulky paper works
It’s even more difficult to cope with the unusual expectations of the organisation. Which leads the teachers in extra tension. No time for family and personal work. Not even able to look after our own child properly.
Unfortunately, all you said are true. And it’s getting worse as the amount of stress and paper works are always piling up.
Hannah, thank you so much for publishing the truth. I am a teacher, started my career as a teacher twenty five years back. I loved my profession when I started and I worked in Bhutan, in India, in Maldives and in Dubai. Still I love teaching and I love my students. Over-interference of parents and the superiors make teaching difficult. Now teachers have to do more documentation than teaching. Everyone must realize the fact that the teachers are accountable to their work and their students. Let the teachers work in a stress free environment. Then only teachers can form fruitful human beings.
Hi Ma’am Pushpa! Thank your kind words. Let’s hope that educational system changes for the better where teachers can be more effective in what they do. That, of course, will be possible if the stress factors will be lessen.
A teacher can endure all for the welfare of the students. We can do the extra mile for them. But how can we promote quality and culture-based education with the No One is Left Behind Policy which has become literally interpreted through “No Dropped Out, No Failure and Mass Promotion “, meaning ,though the students no longer come to school or just come during exams with nothing in mind, they still are entitled to be promoted, is that the culture being inculcated in them, they can pass without exerting any effort? Hoping that the administrators can clearly see and understand the true meaning of No One is Left Behind.
True enough Ma’am Remerlita. We share the same sentiments.
This article really gave a hope for me. I was a teacher for 8years and I really enjoyed my professional at the core…. But due to extreme bullying if mg HoD I have left the job n have sued him in the court of law n waiting for justice…..
Wow.. good you had a research like these. I am also a test and yes I agree with.
I’ve been in this profession nearly 22years. But in recent years teaching has become a great stress not in teaching my subject but this profession turned as a corporate level of expectations. It is really painful to see the competition of increasing the strength of the school without quality. As well as there is no value for the knowledge based recognition. It is measured purely based on 100 marks and securing ranking in the city and state. That is why it created a great stress.
Teaching is the noblest profession. I had been a teacher for 24 years and it is really stressful as we have to do the other functions of the univ i.e. research and extension aside from the other accreditations we need to undergo each year which require a lot of preparations. Hoping our legislators could craft laws that would increase the remunerations of teachers and at lowering their workload since teachers even bring home paperworks to beat deadlines
Im a preschool teacher ,and yes this job is too stressfull,but i love my job ,i love kids…when im too stress i just look at tht kids smiling and makes me feels better…im proud to be a preschool teacher even though sometimes having a hard time…thank you
I am proud, I am a teacher. Yes, there came a point wherein I compared teachers to other professionals. And I realized that the teachers’ exposure to dilemmas e.g. stress and pressure is quite alarming. The good thing about it is that we know how to handle them. We are suffering and we are surviving. It is part of our profession and I do hope, stress management will be given more emphasis. If so, teachers will be more productive and inspired to go the extra mile. “Health is wealth,” as the old adage says. And considering this one, teachers must be given training/seminar on health issues. In addition, supplementary can be of great help. Supplying vitamins, conducting free dental and medical check-ups, and the like are suggested to be part of the system. Teachers need it. The world will definitely benefit from healthy teachers.
Hannah, what insightful posts. Check us out: we are pinoy reading buddies on fb. We promirw engagement in learning!