Problems of teachers

In modern schools, there are undesirable phenomena that contradict widely accepted standards, values, and expectations. These issues manifest in various aspects of school life.

Problems in schools can be observed by students, teachers, and individuals outside the school community. Issues may include students experiencing anxiety, awareness of drug or alcohol use, which must be recognized as undesirable. Teachers perceive these problems as their own, as student aggression, for example, disrupts their work, equating it to a failure in education.

Most school-related problems, affecting teachers, can be summarized in three main points:

1. Financial and Organizational Issues: Lack of funds for education, insufficient resources for teaching aids, inadequate teacher salaries, and overcrowded classrooms contribute to these challenges.

2. Teaching Challenges: Experimenting with teaching programs, difficulty maintaining discipline in class, and disruptions during lessons hinder effective teaching.

3. Unacceptable Student Behaviors: Aggression, violence, theft, drug use, alcohol consumption, and students asserting authority hinder the integration of the group, leading some teachers to impose restrictions on students.

According to a 2000 study by the Supreme Audit Office, schools were perceived as unsafe places where young people gather. Schools attempt to counteract this by employing security personnel and installing cameras, but such measures result from a sense of helplessness. Teacher intervention now often involves calling security or the police, and discussions with parents focus on strengthening control rather than addressing educational challenges.

Most students refrain from seeking help from teachers. A modern school must be a place of collaboration between students and teachers. The teaching profession poses various difficulties for those who pursue it, stemming from its inherent characteristics.

The teaching profession encompasses diverse roles such as educator, caretaker, and counselor, each requiring distinct competencies, including specialized, pedagogical, and psychological skills. Teaching demands up-to-date knowledge, the ability to maintain order in class, and skillful motivation of students. Setting unattainable goals is a source of difficulty for teachers, making achievement challenging or impossible.

Another source of teacher problems is the need for quick responses, for example, to inappropriate student behavior, leaving little time for consultations with qualified or experienced individuals. Feelings of isolation in their profession can also contribute to teacher problems, especially for those who expect support and are uncertain about their role.

Various social conditions, parental attitudes, student behavior, and work-related factors can lead to teacher problems. A study published in 1998 identified key problems as:

• Discipline issues in the classroom.
• Difficulty eradicating unwanted behaviors while gaining students' trust.
• Feelings of incompetence in content and methodology.
• Lack of educational assistance.
• Parents' inappropriate attitude toward school and teachers.
• Administrative issues in education.
• Poor atmosphere among teaching staff.
• Feelings of loneliness.
• Social inferiority complex.

Among the challenges teachers face are poor working conditions, including overcrowded classrooms, frequent inspections, noise, unclear goals and requirements, and a lack of educational aids. Teacher complaints also extend to students' problematic behavior, indifference to social norms, lack of manners, aggression, and neglect of school duties. Effective resolution of school problems requires joint efforts from teachers, students, parents, and school management.

Both teachers and students experience difficulties related to student aggression and violence. Teacher response to aggression is often task-oriented, with little attempt to eliminate undesirable behavior. Teachers may refrain from addressing aggression and violence, limiting their involvement to protecting peers from aggression.

Causes of aggressive student behavior are often attributed to family upbringing, peer environments, and mass media such as TV, the internet, and films.