What Are The Challenges of Teaching?

Like all professions, teaching has undesirable or difficult aspects.

Classroom Management and Increasing Violence.
· Lack of discipline would be the most important problem facing the schools in Public Schools. Fighting, violence and gangs are the most important aspect as well as increased crime and violence. In addition many schools have high teacher student ratios which can make classroom management more difficult.

Social Problems That Impact Students.
· Many social problems affect the lives and learning of many children and youth such as substance abuse, teen pregnancy, homelessness, poverty, family distress, child abuse and neglect, violence and crime, suicide and health problems such as HIV/AIDS and fetal alcohol syndrome.

Figure 1.2- There are several challenges that teachers will face once they have entered the profession. The two most common challenges are classroom management and violence that may arise from different social problems. These obstacles can be overcome with thorough strategic planning. Three important ways to overcome these challenges are through classroom management, rules & routines, and time management.

Why Do Teacher's Enter This Profession?

Reasons For Teaching
For some the desire to teach emerges early and is nurtured by positive experiences with teachers during the formative years of childhood. For others teaching is seen as a way of making a significant contribution to the world and experiencing the joy and helping others grow and develop. For others life as a teacher is attractive because it is exciting varied and stimulating.

Figure 1.1 – Based on the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF) Workplace Survey (2001), indicates that the most important factor influencing teachers’ choice of profession is related to the love of helping and working with children.

Love Helping and Working with Children
· The day to day interactions between teachers and students build strong bonds. Daily contact also enables teachers to become familiar with the personal as well as the academic needs of their students and this concern for student’s welfare and growth outweighs the difficulties and frustrations of teaching.

Love of Children
· Teachers want to make a difference in students’ live and have significant rewards when they meet the needs of the children. They appreciate their unique qualities and enjoy their liveliness, curiosity, freshness, openness and idealism.

Desire to help develop and motivate children
· Many choose to teach because they want to serve others; they want the results of their labour to extend beyond themselves and their families.

Love of Teaching
· The most important factor influencing their decision is that they love helping and working with children. Not only do teacher love teaching but they also find it satisfying. They have a love of the subject, a love of the teaching life and a love of the teaching learning process