Well being of teachers

 

·         Lesson plans

·         Designing teaching aids

·         Class attendance

·         Attending workshops

·         Attending meetings

·         Checking notebooks

·         Designing question papers

·         Preparing answer keys

·         Conducting exams

·         Evaluating answer sheets

·         Cross verification of answer sheets

·         Attending to students queries

·         Attending parents during PTM

·         Fee calling and follow up

·         Informing parents whenever a child is irregular/unwell…

The list of duties that a teacher must perform never ends.

Add to these, there will also be additional duties to perform.

Welcome to the new normal in educational institutions where a teacher is expected to be a multi-tasking human resource in this competitive and dynamic environment where teaching only is not considered as a duty. Thanks to the fast changing world and thanks to parents who consider admitting a child into a school is the only duty, teachers have been having a tough time managing students who have become their children unofficially.

 In these circumstances, a teacher is expected to evolve, acclimatize and emerge as a dynamic professional and meet the challenges with smartness, knowledge and skills which are essential attributes of a 21^st century educator.

It is however, found out that while carrying out the duties and fulfilling the desired objectives, teachers especially the female staff members, are prone to issues as traumatic as stress and tensions which take a toll on their wellbeing.                                         

A random observation of the total staff in schools I have worked and been working can be summed up in the ratio of 70:30 where the population of female staff members is higher than the male staff.

Staff	Age	Marital status	Percentage in total staff
Male	24-26	Unmarried	16%
Male	27 and above	Married	14%
Female	23-25	Unmarried	30%
Female	26  and above	Married	40%

Source: observations on the basis of appointments at different levels

 

The objective of bringing up this bifurcation is very important to the theme of this month – Teacher’s Well Being” because as compared to men, women are loaded with responsibilities which stretch from home-school-home. It however, does not mean that men are free from responsibilities and feel no stress. As such, along with the primary sources of data, dependence on secondary sources is also necessary to understand which age groups feel more stressed  and why.

A survey conducted by Statista shows the following results in our country:

“As per the results of a large scale survey conducted across India in 2019, young adults between the age of 20 and 29 years of both genders were the most stressed in the country. The major causes for the high stress levels among young people are peer pressure, pressure to succeed in academics or work and irregular routine.”(Source:https://www.statista.com/statistics/1137295/india-gender-distribution-of-stress-index-by-age-group)

A GENERAL VIEW:

It is a general notion that a man is made to be strong and bear all the challenges with a smile. In short, a man is a tougher creation of the Almighty. As such, his ability to take stress and manage it is higher as compared to a woman. A woman on the other hand, has opened the gates of her home and made redundant the thought that a woman must remain within the four walls of a home. She has excelled as a teacher, as a manager and also as a CEO handling people and by accepting challenges. She has, therefore, spread her arms wider and embraced challenges from every sphere possible; with a smile to prove that she is in no way, lesser than her male counterpart.

In India a woman, irrespective of the job she does or the position she holds, has an implied responsibility – take care of family members and in laws equally. As such, the stress levels of a woman who works and handles family, are on a higher side as compared to a woman who is a spinster but working. While in many a cases, the salary earned by a female teacher remains out of question, in a few cases, the liberty to manage her own finances and spend gets trapped in the so called orthodox social system thereby, creating new issues for her to address.

A man on the other hand, has his own reasons to feel stressed. Starting from planning to arrange for earnings to plan the earnings he has to take into consideration every aspect of his life style and that of his dependents, targets to be achieved at office, peer pressures and family issues at home.

A child and a retired person might have a few similar stress factors and a few differing.

Irrespective of the gender, the stress levels as have been pointed out in a study, “Aldwin (1990) argued that most life event inventories sample problems which are more relevant to younger age groups, such as marriage, divorce, starting new jobs, or having children” (Aldwin, Sutton, Chiara and Spiro III, 1996). This observation by Aldwin is true and relevant even today as has been mentioned in the lines prior to the statement referred. However, to say that there is a clear demarcation of who feels how much stressed would be a false claim as different studies have concluded that there is no conclusive evidence with regards to it.

 

 

The school stress:

Teachers are under immense pressure at any given point of time.

While a subject teacher who has an excellent command over his/her subject feels less stressed while planning his/her lessons, delivering it in the class and addressing student related issues, a teacher who is a fresher/has lesser experience feels more stressed with these basics.

Added to these basic tasks, a teacher is also required to keep a track of every student holistically – performance in academics, sports, fitness and the like. Such a tracking or profiling requires a very close interaction with the students and a sharp eye to observe and record their behavioral changes. This once again, becomes a bit easy for a teacher who is seasoned and understands child psychology well but for a teacher who does not, it is a stressful learning period which might make or break him/her professionally.

It has also been noted that other than the tasks mentioned above, a teacher is assigned tasks of examination department, cultural activities and the like which for a few, adds stress.

It is worth noting here that a teacher is assigned tasks which are supposedly his/her. The reason as to why it so happens that a teacher is assigned such tasks lies in the fact that the teacher is:

1.       Connected with students closely and understands them,

2.       Has a clear idea about their wellbeing/ their problem areas

3.       Can design strategies with ease to tackle issues and address challenges

4.       Students too, are comfortable sharing their ideas, problems and issues which they can share with none

Teaching might be a static job but the roles are not static any more. The duties are not limited to teaching and completing a syllabus – not any more. A teacher, like any other professional, has to have an ability to be considered as dynamic and smart, ready to accept challenges and be mentally ready to accept tasks assigned which might extend beyond teaching.

Stress areas:

When it comes to handling students academically, even experience fails to address and sooth the stress levels at times. There are a few areas where a teacher/ teachers might feel stressed:

1.       When the mission and vision of a school isn’t clear and the instructions are not clear

2.       While working to uplift a student from below average/ average levels to higher levels

3.       While working to enhance the overall percentage levels of  the class in annual exams esp. board classes

4.       While handling kindergarten and primary sections

5.       While accepting new responsibilities with apprehension even after being capable to handle

6.       Excessively overloaded with classes in school  and outside

7.       While trying to prove that he/she is trying to follow the path laid down by the management and work as per expectations

8.       While weighing the work load with financial benefits

9.       While procrastinating the work or failing to plan for the day/week/month

10.   When teachers ignore the instructions given in writing and through orientation programs conducted from time to time

11.   When in an informal circle which misguides

12.   When teaching as a profession is an option/ accidental.

What must be done to overcome stress and be mentally healthy?

There are no tailor-made remedies to overcome stress levels as it varies from teacher to teacher in terms of their capacity to take stress and assumption as to what might be considered as a reason for stress. While stress is necessary to excel in work and at work place, anything in excess of what must be taken, damages the arrangement incorrigibly.

Universally, it has been seen that teachers who are subject to excessive regulatory norms from different quarters, leave the job or take a break to rejuvenate them. In India, however, unlike other countries, regulatory norms are not as stressful as the internal environment of an educational institution is. This being said, it must be understood that, the internal environmental stress also is subject to historical facts.

For example, if a Principal of a school/ Dean of a college sets rules and ensures their compliance, stress will be temporary for new comers till the time they get used to the norms. With classical conditioning, teachers will definitely fall into line with the practices and feel less stressed. However, if the work environment under one leadership is not effective and teachers have been allowed to call the shots and then later, under the leadership of the next in line becomes absolutely opposite, where rules are defined, limits set and reward punishment guidelines get set, stress levels are bound to rise for both – teachers and the Principal for reasons well known.

All said and done, tackling stress isn’t easier and there are no tailor made remedies as was mentioned earlier. However, there are a few suggestions which can ease the tensions and reduce your burden of work and stress:

1.       Understand what the vision statement states

2.       Don’t miss meetings and orientation programs which clearly define the tasks, responsibilities and expectations from you as a teacher. If you don’t understand what is written, discuss with Principal and get a clear picture.

3.       Plan and design your activities according to the expectations

4.       Discuss with Principal if there are any bottlenecks

5.       In some situations, you may be feeling you are overburdened with additional tasks. Instead of avoiding the tasks, do it/them in coordination with other team members. If it does not work, discuss the problem and the suggestion with the Principal. The more it lingers, the greater will be the chance that it will lead to tension, stress and will be less productive.

6.       Design your lesson plans and teaching aids without waiting for instructions. These tasks are implied and need no orders from Principal. Waiting for instructions will add to burden and add to stress as well.

7.       Take leaves but in a planned manner so as to avoid penalty and burden for the Principal and teacher in substitution. Leaves are necessary to refresh yourself. If taken in a timed manner, you will return to your classrooms rejuvenated and not with a burdened thought of extra and pending tasks.

8.       Yoga, meditation to keep yourself mentally fit and happy. Remember this – the first few hours of the day (preferably 4 a.m. – 6 a.m.) are your own hours.  Use these golden hours for your self-development and improving mental health.

9.       Positive attitude and calmness – experience and exposure ages you to become a calm person with a positive attitude to life and challenges it puts forth. Learn to learn how to be maintain your demeanor in such situations and be a winner.

10.   Avoid assumptions, presumptions and reluctance – these are breeding grounds for misunderstanding which leads to increase in stress. The more you indulge in activities which are based on assumptions and not on directions from office, greater are the chances that you will have to prepare your scripts to explain why and why not’s of a work dishonored or done half-heartedly. 

11.   Accept changes with an open mind – learning a new trick/ attending a webinar or seminar etc are necessary parts of progressing as a teacher. They must never be avoided or considered as a burden.

12.   Work as one unit and avoid informal huddles/ groups – teams which work as one win. Teams which work as many, lose.

13.   If you feel you deserve a better pay and some other organization is ready to do justice, follow the resignation process and leave on a cordial note and avoid creating a hostile environment to bargain for a hike. Follow the same path if there exists an organization which treats you better and allows you to follow your methods without bothering you. This will ease tensions and apprehensions of what the next move might be.

 

While these points may not exactly be a direct suggestion to reduce stress, they, in some manner will help the stakeholders to reduce stress and tensions thereby enhancing the working age by a few more years.

 

Remember: tension and stress is felt when there is a gap in what you expect and what the school expects from you or when your acts fail to match with the actions expected.

 

 

Desiraju Durga Surya Sai Kumar

Principal