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Monday
with the editor: The Teacher's Dilemma
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(cont'd)
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Back
to FrontPage
of article
It has
come to the stage where a teacher is faced with two dificult
choices: leave the profession or stay put. |
Why is
this such a difficult decision? Well, many join the teaching
profession because their own teachers have left a profound
effect on them, so much so they also want to become
teachers. Many others become teachers because they love to
be around children; they want to impart their skills to
children; they also want to take a part in moulding the
student's character. |
But, when
faced with stress from having to manage difficult classes,
such as those in the Normal streams, many become
disillusioned. Some just can't take the pressure any more.
Working in an office has become a viable alternative to
these teachers - they want to be anywhere else, just so that
they don't have to be around such students. |
So, on
the one hand, these teachers desire to keep from throwing in
the towel because of their love for teaching, and on the
other, they are stressed out from having to deal with
problem kids day after day. What makes the decision harder
for them to make is the fact that the government is dangling
more incentives, such as gratuities, to keep them from
leaving the teaching profession. |
Just two
days ago, Parliament passed a Bill to put in place yet
another incentive for teachers who stay in the profession.
Under this plan, the Ministry of Education will put aside
S$2,000 to S$4,800 every year for each teacher. The teacher
may then draw out part of the money at defined points -
every three to five years - during his career. Larger
payouts will be made during the 15th year and nearer
retirement. But those who resign will forfeit the rest of
the accumulated sum. |
Those who
choose to ignore the attractive incentives and leave
teaching may find instant relief, but only temporarily. Why
so? Because when these former teachers take up work in the
private sector, they will find themselves embroiled in the
world of office politics - not the mild type of office
politics they had been accustomed to at school - and
subsequently discover that they had 'jumped out of the
frying pan into the fire'. Ha Ha Ha. I don't mean to be
mean, but, that's a plausible scenario. |
Dealing
with kids is very much easier than dealing with adults -
take my word. So leaving the teaching profession is not the
answer, and staying put adds to the teacher's stress and
just makes matters worse. How should the teacher in such a
predicament handle the situation? |
I suggest
taking a proactive part in managing problem kids. You see,
the boy who threw that chair at the teacher may very well be
crying for attention. He just might not have the attention
that he needs at home. A disproportionate number of students
in the Normal stream (NA & NT) come from broken homes.
Teachers who teach such classes must come to terms with that
fact. Once the teacher understands the family background, it
will be easy for him/her to look at the student from a whole
new angle, and take steps to help the student manage his own
deficiencies. In the course of this, the teacher's stress
will be alleviated. |
But,
that's only one problem student in a class of about 40
students. There are likely to be a few more of these
students, together with a sprinkling of those who think they
can boss around their teachers. I guess the teacher needs to
spend more time in this area after classroom hours. But, I
am sure the end result will be worth the many hours spent
establishing rapport with these problem kids. Let us not
forget, a teacher's job is to mould his/her students'
character. So, if you are a teacher, soldier on - your
students need you as a pillar to lean against. Win over
their hearts and minds! |
The End
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