Recently, a few teachers took their own lives and this has alarmed the city as a whole. Write an article for your school newsletter sharing your feeling on this issue. You may like to discuss why they made such an unwise decision and what should be done to help the situation.
Take Action Now!
Recently, a few precious lives were gone. Some walked into the middle of the sea with a leaden heart full of sorrow and some jumped out of the window of high-rise buildings with loads of trouble in their heads. Not only their family but also the whole city was shocked─ All of us felt the pain. Do you know what took those lovely teachers away from us?
Teachers in Hong Kong are getting more and more stressed, while their leisure time is becoming less and less. The changes of the education system and our values are to be blamed. The working hours of secondary school teachers have increased greatly due to extra work brought by the new NSS system. They need to do a lot more, including doing the School-Based Assessment work and having supplementary classes with students.
Worsening the situation, our society is being harsher and harsher to our teachers. How come it suddenly becomes our teachers’ work to organize various and countless activities to motivate the pupils to learn? Students tend to be passive and rely too much on teachers on nearly every aspect of life, like when seeking an effective way of learning and healthy way of living. At the same time, students respect teachers less nowadays, making it more difficult for them to continue teaching. These changes of values towards the role of teachers in our city have weighed them down undoubtedly.
Don’t forget, teachers are not saints. They are just ordinary citizens, like you and me. It is unreasonable to request them to be 100% ready to face the challenges they meet, such as difficulties when handling emotional problems of students. Besides, teachers also have to face all daily problems, for instance health and family problems. All of the above add burden on their shoulders. When they are too busy to take a rest and talk with their friends, they would be stressed out easily. They may feel helpless and hopeless and even, eventually, resort to taking their lives.
The teachers who killed themselves, of course, did make an unwise decision to escape from the reality instead of being a good role model of the teenagers. However, they are precious lives that every one of us should treasure and respect! Every soul is unique and deserves our love. The public should focus on how to prevent these tragedies from happening again.
First and foremost, teachers should be more aware of their psychological health. Whenever suicidal thoughts flash in their minds, they should treat them seriously and seek help as soon as possible. It will be useful if they actively join activities with their colleagues and gain support from their friends. Opening up themselves to others and enjoying the fun of their hobbies could effectively relief their pressure.
Moreover, the students and family members of teachers should put themselves into their shoes. Less blames, complaints and more respect and patience could give a totally different life to the teachers. It’s high time we cared more about our teachers! Take action now ─ maybe, starting from paying attention in class and handing in homework on time! A little step can still make a difference.