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We often overlook the struggles teachers face behind closed doors.
On the surface level, the life of a teacher in Singapore seems ideal— it is perceived as an iron rice bowl, or teachers can leave their workplace before the sun sets and enjoy school holidays.
Despite what people assume, the life of a teacher is not all rainbows and sunshine. Not even remotely close.
Their working hours don't stop even after the sun sets.
These days, some teachers have to attend to calls and WhatsApp messages from parents at odd hours, on top of completing their marking for the next day.
During holidays, they spend their time preparing for the new semester. And when school starts, they can't take leave whenever they want to, unlike many working adults in Singapore.
The responsibility of being a teacher is much heavier than one might think, which is also why it can be harder for them to strike a work life balance.
Teachers don't just teach academics. They are responsible for shaping their students' lives and views.
And we're talking about at least 20 kids each day, not just one or two.
Mothership spoke to a few primary and secondary school teachers in Singapore in attempt to shed light on how truly demanding the job can be, and most importantly, why they still continue teaching despite the challenges.
K, 50, primary school teacher
How long have you been teaching?
I've been teaching for 22 years. I started in 2000.
What are the biggest challenges you've faced in your teaching career?
I teach the lower primary students so for me, the biggest challenge would be the parents, the expectation of parents.
The expectation of parents versus the child's potential or ability may not always match, especially when they are at a very young age.
I've had instances where I try to explain this to the parents, but to them, they feel that me as a teacher, I'm not stretching or putting in more effort on their child. This can be disheartening to me.
Every parent wants their child to be the best, and I understand that. But as a teacher, I see my students five days a week and I spend hours with them. I will always do my best to make sure each child reaches their full potential.
To have parents put unnecessary pressure on the child will also affect me as a teacher because some expectations or demands are too high to meet.
This is a challenge that I've faced every year. It's a tough thing to handle.
Another challenge is the society's constant change in pace. For example, kids are all tech-savvy these days so the medium teachers use to teach will have to change too.
This can be slightly more difficult for older teachers like me, we have to adapt and remain up to date so that we can engage these students.
We still teach the same things— for example, 10 plus 10 is 20. But the way we teach this differs every year as the society changes and students change.
These challenges make me want to improve myself as a teacher. I'm also still learning, regardless how old I am.
Although I must admit that sometimes, it can be stressful. After all, teachers are just humans too. It can get overwhelming at times.
Why do you still continue teaching despite the challenges you face?
Teaching is my passion. To see my students grow or to see them change for the better, that satisfaction is indescribable.
There are students who still come back to visit me every year during Teachers' Day, or those who see me outside of school and talk to me. It makes me feel that I have had an impact in their life.
The reward of being a teacher is not tangible, you just can't measure it or explain it.
If you can say anything to your students, what will you tell them?
I hope my students know that to be a good person, you don't just excel academically, you must also incorporate important life values in everything you do, such as respect and perseverance.
H, late 20s, secondary school teacher
How long have you been teaching?
I've been teaching for five years.
What are the biggest challenges you've faced in your teaching career?
One of the biggest challenges for me is to display empathy and to not judge the kids for their behaviour too quickly.
Everyone is born different, hence different personalities and family background make every student unique.
But I find it vexing at times— trying to reach out and remind the kids to change their old habits or negative behaviours.
Why do you still continue teaching despite the challenges you face?
Being reminded of why I am a teacher is always important.
I have to remind myself that it is always a privilege to be in this job, where I get a chance to impact the young ones' minds.
Simple things like the things I say or the affirmation I give can make a lot of difference and impact to them.
I would like to think that this— being a teacher— is still a rewarding career.
Where else would you get a chance to receive notes from students and to witness their process of growing up?
If you can say anything to your students, what will you tell them?
To my students: If you have received something good in your educational journey, the best part of repaying is to pay it forward and help another person in need. The world will then be a kinder place.
F, 47, primary school teacher
How long have you been teaching?
I've been teaching since 2004.
What are the biggest challenges you've faced in your teaching career?
In my personal experience, I've had to handle some students with special needs and this is a big challenge for me.
A lot of my energy and attention will be focused on these students.
It is especially difficult when there is no parental support. In my case, most of the time, parents are in denial that their child requires special needs.
And being in a mainstream school, I must also ensure other students in my class continue with their learning with as little disruption as possible.
There were moments when I've had to handle a student with special needs who had a meltdown in class. It's definitely very tough.
Why do you still continue teaching despite the challenges you face?
Teachers are all very passionate in their job. My passion for teaching outweighs every difficulty I face.
If you can say anything to your students, what will you tell them?
I just want what's best for my students. All of them.
W, 29, secondary school teacher
How long have you been teaching?
I've been a teacher for five years now.
What are the biggest challenges you've faced in your teaching career?
One challenge for me as a teacher is to cater to diverse learners' needs and having so many of them in one class.
I often wonder if there could have been things I should have done differently or do more of, but I was unable to do so due to time constraints and my own limits.
Why do you still continue teaching despite the challenges you face?
The fulfilment I get to contribute to my students' lives is what drives me to continue teaching.
If you can say anything to your students, what will you tell them?
I want my students to know that they are enough, and that they are a work in progress. Be patient with yourself, and don’t stop trying.
H, 38, primary school teacher
How long have you been teaching?
I started my teaching career in 2012.
What are the biggest challenges you've faced in your teaching career?
The demands and expectations from the school to perform within my substantive grade can affect my motivation level to contribute more for the pupils.
Like in every other job, the higher your rank it, the more demanding it gets. For teachers, it is especially difficult because the demands from the higher-ups may not always translate well with the students' needs. It's a tough act to balance and can take a toll on you mentally and emotionally.
Why do you still continue teaching despite the challenges you face?
It is my passion.
If you can say anything to your students, what will you tell them?
Teachers always want the best for you. They want to be remembered as the people who have helped to shape your lives.
A, 44, primary school teacher
How long have you been teaching?
I've been teaching since 2010.
What are the biggest challenges you've faced in your teaching career?
Meeting unreasonable demands from parents. It's something every teacher faces and it can get very stressful sometimes.
As teachers, we work around the clock. We get phone calls from parents after work hours, sometimes late at night.
Parents call us for many different reasons, it can be about something as trivial as what their child needs to bring the next day, to asking how their child was coping in school.
This is on top of all the preparation and lesson planning or marking we have to finish by the next day.
So our workload and responsibilities are not as easy as what people might think.
Why do you still continue teaching despite the challenges you face?
Teaching is my passion. I love to teach.
If you can say anything to your students, what will you tell them?
The best teacher is the teacher in you. Continue to be at your best so that the best will come to you.
What is MOE doing to help teachers?
In 2021, teachers in Singapore shared about their struggles with their mental health as their workload was exacerbated by the Covid-19 situation.
Education minister Chan Chun Sing revealed that more teachers have sought support through counselling services in the past two years, as compared to the previous years.
Chan acknowledged the concerns teachers raised and highlighted that measures have been put in place by the ministry to support them. For instance, MOE is looking at granting teachers systematic breaks or sabbaticals for them to recharge.
In a recent interview with The Straits Times, Chan also said that schools can tap on alumni's support, community resources to ease the workload of teachers.
During parliament last year, Chan also pointed out that many teachers go the extra mile to care for their students. He said:
"Our teachers care a lot. Many of our teachers even give their handphone number to their students. Just in case their students get into trouble outside the school hours.
And I have heard many stories of our students sometimes calling the teachers in the middle of the night because they got kicked out of home, because of family issues and our teachers respond.
This is the extent to which our teachers go to take care of our students beyond the curriculum time."
Back then, he also urged parents to not place excessive demand on our teachers.
Top image via MOE YouTube video screenshot (for illustration purpose only).