2.

1 INDIVIDUAL ESSAY WRITING

Teaching is always looked down upon the masses and considered as an easy

profession. Little that they know that according to facts, teaching had been

considered as one of the most stressful job. For centuries teaching has been

characterised as a profession that is 'emotionally taxing and potentially frustrating'

(Lambert, O'Donnell, Kusherman, and McCarthy, 2006, p. 105)

One of the most talk about and I considered as the main cause for stress

among teachers is the workload. This is no longer a hidden agenda because other

people can read in the news. A snippet from Berita Harian on 21st October 2010

stated that teachers have no time for family. According to the news, teachers are so

burden with workload that they do not even have time for family. Why is this

happening?

Nowadays, things are becoming faster. Everything from cars to the latest chip in

a processor for computer or smartphone. Peoples keep moving forward but time

seem to be never enough. Especially living in a world where money is almost,

everything.

This way of lifestyle comes with a consequences. Parents no longer have the

time to keep track of their children. Despite their lifestyle, they still want their children

to receive the best education. How are they going to achieve this? By putting all the

responsibilities to the teacher.

Some parents did not realise the reality and the teachers teaching scope. They

want the best for their children without realising that what they are asking for maybe

too much to be achieved.

 Teachers need to do a lot of other things beside teaching. Such as updating

pupils record book, , carry out classroom management for the class such as election

for class monitor, duty roster, stationery, and collect special fees. Most importantly,

to fulfill the responsibility to discipline students in class and nurture the value of hard

work, dedication, and civic consciousness. This all can cause stress and eventually

burnout among teachers.

If a doctor, lawyer, or dentist had 40 people in his office at one time, all of whom had

different needs, and some of whom didn't want to be there and were causing trouble,

and the doctor, lawyer, or dentist, without assistance, had to treat them all with

professional excellence for nine months, then he might have some conception of the

classroom teacher's job.

-Donald D. Quinn-

I personally think that this occur because everyone including politician,

government, and the police force thinks that all social problems need to be solve in

school. It is undeniable that school is a place to nurture and educate, but is it logical

for each problem that arise, teachers are asked to make a new association or club?

Teachers job is to educate pupils to differentiate between what is wrong and

what is right and to teach them to think on their own. If pupils can can think on their

own, all problem that is related to social problems can be solve or at least decrease

it. That is why, what is important in teaching is that teacher can teach other than

knowledge is how to think.

 However, what is happening now is that when we are face with crime

problem, teachers are ask to make anti-crime club. When there is drug problem, we

make Anti-drug club, like drugs and crime is two different problems that cannot be

merge into one.Teachers can make 100 clubs and association but who are going to

do the work?

In theory, teachers mind will feel at ease as soon as they leave the school gate.

However, because they leave work late, they have to think about other things

especially to those who are married. This can cause psychological disturbance to

teachers in a form of stress because the increasing workload and the pressure of not

able to do anything that is not work related. Studies has shown that teaching is a

stressful career and this can lead to teacher suffering from burnout (McCarthy,

Lambert, O'Donnell and Melendres, 2009)

Because teachers arrive home late, the outside routine also change. Gone are

the days where teachers are able to go jogging, go for an evening stroll or

gardening. It will become hard to do because teachers are tired when they arrive

home.

Work cannot be done wholeheartedly because a lot of things is not done.

Teachers have to manage their work and cause them to do their work with as long

as it finished attitude.

Those who are married will also be affected by this situation. This can cause

husband and wife relationship to deteriorate and can lead to arguments and fights.

Time that is suppose to be use to manage family are now been used to finished the

job that is brought home thus causing teacher to sleep late and abandon their family

for the sake of the job.

 To solve this problem, teachers need to achieve understanding among the

school management, parents and the society. To create an association or club is not

just to get together and do activity. Teachers have to do a report, register the

association, take pictures and make yearly planning. This is all paperwork. My

suggestion is why not asked the help from police officer or other government officer

in their respected fields to come and manage this club and association in school? It

can bring more input and knowledge if it is manage by professionals.

I also think schools higher management should also be considerate with the

amount of work that they are going to put on the teachers table. It is undoubtedly that

every teacher wants what is best for their school. However, too much work will only

have reverse effect thus might affect the school.

School meetings should also be moderately conduct. Every week teachers

are expected to sit in the meeting room to listen to speech that is both boring and

unimportant. Ironically, this meeting usually takes about three hours and the content

just revolve on unprofessional motivation and unrelated matter.

Title of high prestige school should not be the reason to push teachers to work

overtime for the sake of achieving that goal. This will cause stress among teacher

that in the end will make them busy for 24 hours to make question paper and

module. Even if the school manage to reach its target, what is the benefit to the

teachers that had lost a lot of time with their love one and most importantly,

themselves.
 Moreover, teachers is also human being that have limit in their health. If they

are constantly working, it is afraid that they might lose interest to teach because of

physical and mental fatigue. If they have to work even on Saturday, imagine when

are they able to take care of their own family. It is not impossible that those children

in school is much better taken care of than the teacher's family at home.

This is also the time where parents should fulfill their role by taking over the

work of a teacher by teaching their children themselves. Do not make teachers teach

all the time until their rest time also becomes our victim. Holiday is important as a

time for teachers to release their stress and unwind from the hustle and bustle of

works and problems in school. I personally think there should be law against those

who asked teachers to work during the weekend because it clearly violates the

teachers right to have a life of their own outside the school.

Teaching is a stressful career and undoubtly there are people who will deny it.

However, peoples must start to consider all the cause and why teachers complaint

so much. Try to empathise and think for a second. Teachers are the one who shape

all those engineers, doctors and lawyers. They give so much to society but yet, what

did they receive in return? A broken family and relationship? I hope all people will

open their eyes and starts to see teaching profession as it really is.

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