There is this popular quote, “He who can, does; he who cannot, teaches. by George Bernard Shaw. This quote asserts that the teaching domain is the simplest of all.
You all must have possibly heard people discussing the incentives of being teachers: outstanding recreation time, great career security when you are in a teaching field, and acceptable working hours.
Now Just Imagine
Students from several backgrounds, various knowledge levels, and distinct needs are loaded in a sole classroom. One teacher always strives to do their best to bring out the best of their students, all day extended. Checking examinations, formulating lesson agendas for the day, compiling resources, pursuing the nicest exercises, a report giving to superiors, communicating with folks of different backgrounds as well, and supervising the across-the-board growth of their students are all a fraction of a teacher’s everyday life. This is barely what a part of a teacher’s job notices like. Yes, only a fraction!
I have personally seen the teachers in my under-graduation program finalising strategies beforehand and scheduling the entire lecture for every grade they teach and performing varied activities, analyzing them and whatnot.
Later in this Covid-19 pandemic, where everybody felt like staying at home and appreciating work from home, a teacher’s job, on the other hand, has widened manifold with the online education system. Now they do not have to just formulate the entire lesson, but they have to speak a monologue for an entire class continuously irrespective of knowing what the other person is doing behind the screen. For those who were not that tremendous at using technology, they are comprehending to regulate it so that the education of their disciples is not at halt.
Instead of appreciating this effort have a look at what they are facing:
- In Delhi, teachers were abused and harassed by some attendees during the online lessons.
- In Lucknow, teachers faced improper comments, lurking during online classes.
- In the UK, students are posting severe pornography in online lectures.
- In Kerala, there’s a Blue teacher Army group: WhatsApp and Instagram pages were built with titles such as ‘BlueTeacherArmy’ which circulated the screenshots that indicated 12th Class students using sexual innuendos and harassing the teacher.
There are many more such examples.
We are always taught that it is a teacher’s role to take consideration of the social-emotional wellbeing of their students and are instructed to keep a review on indications of depression, anxiety, bullying, or aggression, etc. But what about the stress they are hiding: their own mental fitness. One in five teachers feels tighten about their career all or most of the time, distinguished with one in eight employees in equal professions, research by the National Foundation for Educational Research disclosed.
There are multiple subjects which lead to turmoil in their mental peace. Some of them are:
- Limited pay, lofty responsibilities
- Dilemmas with fellow colleagues.
- If a teacher is too stringent, students complain about their behaviour.
- If a teacher is too lenient, students take unfair advantage of them.
- Emerging with fresh content for pupils and replying to their every concern because it is their duty to know everything under this universe.
- Disregard by students.
- Elevated demand for their job.
- Proficiency assessed by student outcomes.
- Personal life pressure.
- Altering to modern technologies and meeting expectations.
In the end, I would like to conclude by saying that without teachers, there would be no artists, no doctors, no musicians, no dancers, no engineers, or any other profession you can think of.
Start talking about the stress level of educators and the concept of counselling of teachers should be introduced soon. Student-Teacher Mental Health is a two-way street. Do your part by being grateful to them and even your single compliment like “Wow! Ma’am/Sir today’s session was so insightful” can actually make their day.
So, the next time you see your teacher, thank them for whatever they have done for you.
Even I would like to thank every single person who has contributed in making me, ME.