I had been in the teaching industry for more than 5 years. Being someone who loves children, teaching was easy for me as its something I'm passionate about. I thought long and hard before deciding to leave. Here are the reasons why:
1. Not everyone who is a teacher is kind-hearted or passionate.
This was something I struggled with no matter which company I was in. There is really a struggle between my moral values and certain workplace cultures or a colleague's behavior. For me, I really try my best to be patient and use more soft approaches towards handling children. I care a lot about mental well-being as I understand how it can affect a child's self esteem and how they grow into an adult. This is not the same case for everyone. Some prefer the fast and and effective method of striking fear into children. Methods like shouting, punishment, mockery or worse that I've seen- hitting.
I usually try to sound out to higher-ups by asking what they think about such particular behavior- some even encourage me to follow suit so things are easier. The worse incident I have witnessed and face was seeing a teacher hit a 3 year old on her legs just because she couldnt wear her diaper properly. When consulting other teachers, they kinda ignored the issue. When I was pursuing my Early Childhood degree, I brought up to my principal about how I feel that the teaching culture of the school is opposite of what I was taught, I was told “not to think so much”. The recent cases of preschool abuse really hit me hard to see how hard it really is to step up when school leaders ignore or encourage detrimental behaviors. Especially for schools with younger children who might not be able to express themselves well.
2. Low budget
The income of teachers have only been increased recently. I have faced teachers fighting over printers cos there's only one in school. Solution? They are encouraged to buy their own. Class materials might not be reinbursed if you over hit the budget for the month. Sometimes there really isnt a choice when the school has lesson requirements and plans to meet. I had to either fork out the material fees out of my own pocket or ask parents for material donations. (school fees are over a thousand per child btw)
Based on my personal experience, schools try to scrimp and save as much as they can. This might even intefere with the quality of things the children receive. Especially so for food. During sign-ups, parents are often shown a healthy menu that consists a weekly variation of carbs, protein and fiber. But in the school, that might not be the stuff that they get to eat. I have worked in schools that give fishballs and fishcake as the only protein almost on a daily basis, sugary treats for snacks. The fishball thing was really a trigger for me as I believe you are what you eat. I have seen kids with eczema having their condition worsen or gaining unhealthy weight after spending significant time in the school eating all these processed food. Mcdonalds or candy as reward for children to behave well and cooperate in class. Of course the kids won't complain. Some places dont in fact change with menu so often as what the parents were promised.
3. Workload
This is partially linked to the 2nd point of low budget. To bring in more revenue, a school may accept more children than a teacher can handle or maintain a healthy environment. Sometimes more children = more chattering = more shouting from teachers asking them to be quiet. Most teachers have to bring work home, be it marking or lesson planning and preparation. Definitely overshooting the 45 hr work week regulation.
4. Politics/Bullying
Politics is definitely normal everywhere, just how severe. There will definitely be those who suck-up to higher ups and be able to get away with parent complains or even a reduced workload. The last straw for me was being bullied by a full-time teacher when I was still an assistant while studying for my diploma. (I got shouted at in front of children when we bumped into each other along the walkway lol. Other things like making up stories to the Principal so I get into trouble.)This again tangles with the issues of morals. Aren't teachers meant to be the role models to children?
5. Parents
To me this was least of the issue as difficult parents are only a handful. There might be some result-driven or overly protective parents who make ridiculous requests. But in general, most parents want the best for their children. So as long as there is communication and the mutual understanding that all we want is for the best of the child, there usually isnt much of a problem. It definitely takes more time for some parents to trust teachers. My longest so far was 6 months😂
These are based on MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE in private schools and I definitely hope that none of you have to go through the same. I have met really great teachers out there who love children genuinely and want the best for them regardless of mental health well-being or academics. But for now, I'm taking a break.
