There are many factors affecting the work and personal life of a teacher. Some are common to many persons; others are peculiar to the teaching profession. The major causes of anxiety among teachers are:
- 1.Financial difficulties
- 2.Attitudes of the community
- 3.Continued close association with immature minds
- 4.Unsatisfactory progress of pupils
- 5.Disciplinary problems
1. Financial difficulties:
The salaries paid to teachers are still not enough to sustain the needs of the family. As a result, they resort to borrowing and that means of course, interest deducted. In most cases, it is the lender who gets the atm of these poor victims. Teachers are expected to maintain a standard of living that is frequently above their income.
2. The attitude of the community:
Teachers in a small community are under considerable pressure to be paragons of virtues. Behavior in which parents themselves indulge is likely to be denied to teachers. Even manners of dress are observed with a critical eye. Teachers should certainly serve as examples to their pupils but should not be forced into becoming caricatures of human beings.
3. Continued close association with immature minds:
Continued association in the classroom an in co-curricular activities with children or adolescents can be either stimulating or stultifying, sometimes both. There is stimulation in assisting in the development of youthful personalities, but there is also a certain amount of boredom and narrowing of intellectual horizons in teaching the same subject matter at the same educational level year after year. Since teachers must spend a great deal of time in contact with immature minds, it is especially important that when they are away from their school, they have normal, social and intellectual relationships with other adults.
4. Unsatisfactory progress of pupils:
Teachers genuinely interested in their pupils’ progress are frequently frustrated by their lack of achievement. This frustration should be decreased if the teacher had a better understanding of the developmental psychology, particularly knowledge of the facts of individual differences. This would help to avoid the pitfalls of expecting more from pupils than they are capable of doing.
5. Disciplinary problems:
For many teachers, the problem of maintain discipline in the classroom is a considerable one. For some, it is an ever-present and a constant threat that eventually has a disintegrating effect on one’s personality and work. When teachers understand their pupils and can partly because of this understanding make their instruction interesting and meaningful, the possibility of serious misbehavior in the classroom is considerably lessened.
By: Ma. Janette G. Manlapaz | Special Education Teacher I | Liyang Elementary School | Pilar, Bataan
