In a forum letter in The Straits Times on 15 May 2010, a teacher’s wife, Ms Aishah Quek chronicles her husband’s typical work day. She bemoans her husband’s punishing workload and questions the seeming non-existence of a work-life balance.
A teacher in a local primary school, Ms Quek’s husband wakes up at 5am every weekday, and leaves home by 6am, to reach school in time for morning ‘guard duty’ at 7am. After remedial lessons, co-curricular activities and administrative duties, her husband reaches home at 8pm for dinner, before, surprise, surprise, he starts to work from home.
If these normal working hours are representative of a typical day in the life of a teacher, do teachers; the people who play an integral role in shaping young, impressionable minds, have sufficient time to relax and recharge, before the next day comes around?
A student in the morning session has about 6 hours of lessons per day (from 7.30am to 1pm). But that’s just about the time a teacher’s after-teaching hours begin.
“On a typical day, we mark assignments, conduct remedial lessons and complete many administrative tasks, which often extend long beyond our official working hours,” said John*, 35, a married primary school teacher with a one-year-old son.
Another educator, Seline*, 27, who called it quits after three years, said, “When my husband and I were both teaching, we hardly had any quality time in the evenings because we’d both be busy marking assignments, preparing for the next day’s lessons or just be too tired.”
Added another teacher, Lionel*, “I already feel drained by the time I start marking my students’ work after 5pm. This increases the likelihood of making errors.”
KJ*, 23, a fresh graduate from the National Institute of Education, knows that the teaching road ahead may not be an easy one.
“I believe we just need to find a balance, set our priorities and hope our senior colleagues will share tips with us on how best to handle different situations,” she said.
My informal survey revealed that most teachers joined the profession to pursue their passion to equip the young with knowledge, and invaluable life skills. However, teachers today are feeling the strain.
Are our teachers overworked? How do you think the Ministry of Education can help teachers have a better work-life balance?
Editor’s note: *Names have been changed to protect the teachers’ identity.
(http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2010/05/16/are-singapore-teachers-overworked/)
-Your Opinion-
What do you think, if you were/are a teacher, regarding the aforementioned issue, work-life balance?
Any better resolutions to work-life balance?
