Pens click and papers shuffle. A teacher paces up and down the rows of tables, like a general surveying his troops. The air is thick with the intense concentration of students as they rack their brains solving for x or y, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. This familiar scene will soon be rather foreign to students, happening only once a year instead of being a biannual or even quarterly event.
With the recent announcement of more changes to Singapore’s famous (or infamous, however you want to see it) education system, students’ mental health was once again thrust into the limelight. The stress and pressure inflicted on students by our education system is the most common criticism hurled at the government. However this criticism has actually been acted upon, as evidenced by the recent announcement of the removal of mid-year exams (MYEs) and streaming in secondary schools. It's now safe to say that steps are actually being taken in the right direction to fix our education system, which has often been likened to a pressure cooker.
In spite of that, one key part of the equation is being left out. Everyone sympathises with the ones sitting at the tables. The ones scratching their heads in furious attempts to attain a higher score than the one circled in red on the first page of their papers. But what about the teacher pacing up and down? What about the fact that they have to take care of their own mental health while checking in on their students’ well-being?
Despite the spate of grand measures being implemented to combat stress amongst youths in school, ironically, shockingly few has been done to remedy the same issue amongst teachers. Mental health of teachers has also been brought into the limelight recently due to COVID-19, albeit garnering less attention from the government. The line between work and rest for teachers is becoming increasingly blurred, as both students and teachers become more adept at using telecommunications platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Google Classroom. Students are able to reach out to teachers anytime now, even at ungodly hours. Teachers have also had to play an additional role, multitasking as contact tracers and administrators of COVID-related matters. They even bore the brunt of the confusion caused by the messy protocols for COVID cases and those exposed to said cases.
Teachers also act as a lifeline for many students, being one of the first adults students approach to unload their burdens. Oftentimes, instead of being offloaded and thrown into an abyss where it will hopefully remain, students’ burdens are transferred to teachers. The incident in 2021 which took place in River Valley High School (RVHS) aggravated this issue, with teachers feeling increased pressure to keep a watchful eye out for their students in order to prevent such an incident from taking place again. Unfortunately, they may even put the blame on themselves when someone falls through the cracks.
With so many common stressors affecting teachers all over Singapore, one cannot help but wonder, is this true for all schools? Specifically, is this true for our own HC teachers as well?
In order to answer this question, I reached out to 3 teachers, Mr Lin, Mr Huang and Ms Rosa (names changed for privacy reasons). Mr Lin agreed that removing MYEs will be beneficial “as the time freed up by MYE will reduce marking load, and allow teachers more time to cover the syllabus”. However, both Mr Huang and Ms Rosa recognised that removing exams may not alleviate teachers’ increased workload. Focus will be shifted to other exams which now carry even more weight, and teachers will have to work even harder to prepare students for these exams. Hence the removal of MYEs can be a double-edged sword
On one hand, the time freed up reduces the pressure on teachers to cover the syllabus, allowing for more formative learning opportunities. On the other hand, these formative assessments may not adequately prepare students for exams, which our education system currently places a large emphasis on. By removing a crucial checkpoint for students to gain feedback and find ways to improve, more stress may be placed on both parties to succeed in the high pressure environment that is Singapore’s education landscape. All the teachers also agreed that juggling the multiple roles teachers play, like being parents, is a common stressor they encounter.
Well then, what can be done to combat this issue?
At the school level, the Human Resources department is responsible for staff well-being and they have implemented a multitude of strategies to help the staff cope. I reached out to Mrs Lee-Lim See Nee (Director/Human Resources) who kindly outlined these strategies.
As the pandemic has resulted in increased stress levels for teachers, the school has allowed for “flexi-reporting” for teachers, where they do not have to report to school early in the morning if they do not have any lessons. This seems to be well-received by the teachers, as all 3 teachers interviewed have conveyed that this is a beneficial move and they wish for this to stay.
In addition, the school has recently engaged Workplace Options, a company which provides different services to enhance staff well-being. This is a part of HCares, an initiative that the school has launched this year. Services range from clinical services (like counselling) to life-coaching as well as some online resources that are accessible to teachers. Teachers can access these services anonymously, encouraging them to seek help.
A staff welfare committee has also been established by the school, which looks at organising activities for the staff to facilitate relaxation and bonding. On top of this, the committee is looking at forming interest groups for the staff for further bonding. At the governmental level, MOE has launched a new initiative where Wellness Ambassadors are nominated amongst the staff to undergo training. They will then be equipped with the necessary skills to provide peer support for their colleagues. This too is being implemented in HC.
Despite there being multiple measures currently in place in our school, we must not rest on our laurels. More can always be done for our teachers, who form an integral part of our education system. Suggestions from teachers can be taken into consideration, like allowing some meetings to be conducted online or just simply having both the school administration and students be more understanding towards them.
It has also been suggested that more modules and classes related to dealing with mental health can be implemented during teachers’ training. Not only can they be taught to help their students, but they can also be taught ways to help themselves. After all, wouldn’t a teacher who is able to manage their own emotions, be better at helping their students do the same?
As students, we can all learn to better appreciate our teachers, spreading awareness about teachers’ well-being. We can shed light on their struggles, hopefully pushing the government to give them the respect and breaks they deserve. Ultimately, we do not have to wait until Teachers’ Day to show our teachers and staff appreciation as we will all benefit from having happy and healthy teachers.
To our beloved teachers as well as students, it's okay to not be okay and it is perfectly alright to reach out and ask for help. Take time to cherish what you love doing the most, be it exercise, spending time with friends and family or taking time every day to count our blessings. By doing this, we can all work towards becoming the happiest and healthiest versions of ourselves.
Written by: Charlize Ling Xuan Ting (22S77)
Edited by: Tan Yu Yan Rowena (21A12), Tran Vu Phuong Uyen (21A15)
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