Teachers are responsible for shaping the future of the world. No matter which country you stay in, you want your kids to get an education. Sometimes the purpose of education is different but in most cases the primary goal of education is to improvise. Teachers sit in the driver seat when it comes to making children’s future ready. But do you know about the challenges in teaching? We are not talking about challenges faced by teachers during COVID because that was an exceptional situation for everyone. However, these challenges also change based on the surrounding environment. For example, teaching in the USA is different from being a teacher in India. Therefore, as a teacher you face many issues. Still the whole world wants you to perform and deliver good results. If you wish to become a teacher or want to choose teaching as a career, this article is for you.
Challenges of Teaching Profession
First of all, in simple words the whole world is complicated and versatile. Life is tough, so is education. We need to understand that teachers are also like normal human beings and have a life. Therefore, they also face similar situations. But here we are talking about teaching profession challenges. Let us talk about specific points that teachers face across the globe. These are some common issues faced by teachers.
1 – Information Change
There are many subjects where information keeps on changing. If you do not read, how can you teach? Due to this, teachers are always in a study mode. Learning never stops and sometimes it is really difficult to keep pace with the changing environment. For example, if you work in the information technology field, technological advancement is normal. Change in technology also demands teachers to learn new concepts and upskill them to remain competitive in the profession.
2 – Diverse background
Students in a class come from different classes of society. In simple words, every student is different. You are not just teaching students in a class. Many teachers use online education platforms. This problem is more in such situations. For sure there are benefits of online classes but there are challenges too. You are nurturing a nursery with a variety of plants.
3 – Quick vs Slow learning students
In continuation with the diverse background of students this is also one of the biggest challenges of the teaching profession. This also happens due to students from different economic, geographical and social status. For example, a student from a deprived background may take time to understand the concepts. On the other hand, rich kids may have better resources and status. As a teacher you have to ensure that your pace of teaching is neither too fast nor too slow. You are responsible towards the whole class to make them study. Additionally, you also need to ensure equal opportunities to all the students. As a teacher, you have to think out of the box and find interesting ways of teaching. You need to create a teaching strategy that benefits most of the students.
4 – Family issue of the students is also part of Challenge of teaching profession
Yes, you read it right, a student’s family atmosphere also impacts studies. Teachers are also guardians of students after parents. These days, both parents work towards making a living. They are working professionals and have their own set of challenges. Due to this, they are unable to spend enough quality time with kids. Therefore, in many cases, students are emotionally connected with their teachers. They also expect emotional support from teachers. Many times, you have to pay extra attention towards these kids.
5 – Discipline inside the class
When you are in a class of 50 students it is tough to maintain discipline. First of all it is not easy to remember the names of 50 students. If you are managing multiple cases of students then the problems of teaching become more evident. First of all, you need to make sure that students are paying attention to your class. Then only they will understand the topic. If you fail to do this, you will not be able to deliver the results.
5 – Bullying
There are many kids who make fun of others. With time this becomes a habit. As a result, they keep bullying students from the weaker section of the society. As a teacher, it is your responsibility to ensure this does not happen. Neither inside, nor outside your class. Your little emotional support can do wonders in a child’s life. One of the biggest challenges of the teaching profession is that you cannot find them easily. In the worst case scenario, these kids are sons and daughters of rich people or trustees. It is tough to tackle this situation. You not only try to protect your kids, but also your job.
6 – Low Salary is also among Challenges of Teaching Profession
Most private schools and colleges do not get any kind of government aid. Due to this, institutions face lack of funding. Not just private schools but government schools also face the funding challenges. This is more serious than problems teachers face in the classroom because it is linked with survival. Teachers also need to feed their children and buy stuff. Therefore, if they do not get the salary on time, they are under pressure.
This is just one aspect of the story. Running a school is the same as running a business. Schools also face many challenges in business. The first requirement for a school is survival and everything else. When schools encounter budget issues, the first step is to reduce pupil to teacher ratio, which directly impacts the scholars’ learning. Teachers face a growing number of students in every class. Due to this, they cannot focus on providing crucial one-on-one attention. The result is lower student achievement and satisfaction. As a result, improving performance becomes a challenge itself.
7 – Hiding emotions is among common Challenges of Teaching Profession
Life is full of unfavorable situations and everyone has to go through them. Teachers are no different. One of the challenges of teaching profession is to hide emotions. You are teaching a class of 50-60 students and suddenly something happens. You may come to school right after a fight with your partner. But you have to stay calm and behave professionally. People expect teachers to help children and not seek help from them. We expect teachers to be our role models. This creates unnecessary pressure on teachers.
8 – Too much pressure of exams and assignments
It may sound funny but the challenges of becoming a teacher also involve exam pressure. During the end of year, students are bombarded with exams and assignments. This is serious because their future depends on performance in exams. Due to this they keep teachers busy with their queries. Other than student questions, teachers have to prepare question papers, conduct exams and do marking when the exams are over and this is not it. There are so many other activities also that teachers take care of. Additionally, there are functions, sports day and so many other events. Everything keeps teachers too occupied.
9 – Student Reports & Paperwork
This is among the challenges of teaching jobs people ignore. First of all, your responsibility is to teach students, there are parent teacher meetings which is normal. But some schools ask teachers to work extra hours to prepare various kinds of reports. Some of them are for marketing purposes. Most of this paperwork is to show how the school is performing. The information goes in marketing campaigns and other places. But for teachers this extra work. Many schools do not even pay for this extra work.
10 – Competition among schools is also among Challenges of Teaching Profession
Education is a sector with one of the toughest competitions. Every school wants to be on top. Due to this, they expect their teachers to perform best in terms of delivering better results. Sometimes, this pressure to perform in adverse conditions can cause serious health issues. School continuously pushes teachers to think out of the box and find new ways to blow competition. Most of the time the purpose is commercial in nature. Instead of hiring a marketing team they handover responsibilities to teachers.