CHALLENGES OF TEACHING AS A PROFESSION

We have often heard that teaching is the noblest of all jobs. Being able to carve out beautiful young minds brings its own kind of satisfaction. The impact of a teacher’s lesson extends far beyond the four walls of a classroom. They not only teach us how to face the exams at school but also how to excel at the challenges and tests life throws at us. Needless to say, teaching is the most thankless job of all.

Although teaching offers a great deal of contentment, it surely does not come easy. Being a teacher, a mentor requires a certain level of dedication and commitment that is hard to attain for most people. There was a time when anyone could be a teacher because the practice was standardized. There was a set curriculum to be followed and the teachers would stick to it. But now the time has changed. Educational institutions are looking for teachers who are experts in their fields. Someone who is capable of designing their own curriculum, someone who can challenge the students to flourish in all aspects. A job that was easier to find has now become one of the most challenging jobs out there.

There are a number of reasons for the job being so demanding and rewarding at the same time. With a growth in the field of research, new topics are coming to light every day. For becoming a teacher/professor, it is necessary for the candidate to have expertise in a particular field that can be gained only through carrying out thorough research in the said field. The research programs are long and intense and thus fail to attract people’s attention. Moreover, many institutions do not provide the teachers with the autonomy to carry out things their way. In addition to this, they are supposed to frame standardized tests which do not really challenge the intellectual capabilities of a student. The Indian education system and its emphasis on theoretical knowledge and its poor grading structure do no good either. The level of stress involved in planning a lecture is enormous. A teacher has to take into consideration the aptitude level of each and every student in the class while preparing a lesson. This could build up the pressure and lead to burnout. Some other challenges of being in this profession involve constant arguments with the management, lots of paperwork, lack of sufficient funding, having to handle too many students and tasks at the same time, etc.

It goes without saying that every great profession comes with certain challenges that might make it look unappealing but the sense of achievement one feels at the end of the day cannot be matched. One must choose to do something that challenges them and bring out their intellectual and creative side. So, if teaching is what you desire you have to get ready for the never ending research, having complex schedules, managing students from different backgrounds, keeping up with the recent rends in education and doing all this while staying focused and calm. However, we all can agree that being someone’s mentor, a confidant and a friend will bring a great amount of joy and delight into our own lives.