Hensony Clutched November 12, 2011 Share November 12, 2011 I wonder how's the situation in Singapore. If new teachers are not bonded, I believe the attrition rate would be high as well. Singapore may not have monster parents, but we have complaining parents. Japan teachers quit in record numbers Many leaving because of 'monster parents' and stresses of the job By Julian Ryall The Straits Times www.straitstimes.com Published on Nov 12, 2011 TOKYO: The terrifying roar of 'monster parents', combined with Internet-capable students and the day-to-day pressures of the job, are forcing record numbers of Japanese teachers to give up their jobs out of concern for their health. A study by the Japanese Ministry of Education revealed that the number of first-year teachers quitting for such reasons has jumped twentyfold in the last decade. The report examined the well-being of 25,743 teachers at public schools across the country who began working last year. Of the number, 101 left the profession before the end of the academic year ending March 31, citing health reasons, compared with just five in 2000. 'We believe there are problems among many of our new teachers,' admitted Mr Yuki Nakamura, head of the Elementary and Secondary Education Planning Division at the ministry and one of the authors of the report. 'One problem is that young teachers lose their self-confidence soon after they start their first job,' he said. 'They have a very good image of the profession before they join, but soon after they start, they have to deal with many problems and they have many duties, so they lose the belief in themselves.' Another problem that faces teachers here afflicts almost everyone in Japan: long hours. The regular working day is eight hours, Mr Nakamura said, but teachers put in an average of 42 unpaid overtime hours every month, the survey showed. 'New teachers are required to take charge of after-school clubs, so they have to deal with parents, and we have found that to be a serious problem for many of them,' he said. 'It can be very stressful.' The issue of overly demanding mothers and fathers - dubbed 'monster parents' - has also risen in recent years. In January, a female teacher at a primary school sued the parents of one child for five million yen (S$83,300), claiming the situation with the parents was making it impossible for her to sleep, infringing upon her human rights, and seriously threatening her career. She filed suit after the mother protested to the teacher over an incident involving her daughter and another pupil. Apparently unsatisfied with the response, she wrote eight insulting messages in the parent-teacher liaison book, and submitted a letter to the school board that the suit claims defamed the teacher. The mother, who was required to appear in court to defend her actions, claimed she had done nothing wrong and was simply trying to prevent her daughter from being discriminated against. Indeed, the attitude of Japanese parents towards teachers has changed radically in recent years, based on anecdotal evidence. Students and parents alike once respected educators, but this has been replaced by a generation of parents who constantly complain, make unreasonable demands, and bully teachers into submission over the smallest issues. Some teachers have even been forced to resign after crossing groups of parents. Some parents have insisted that the results of sporting events be changed to make their own children's performances look better, while others have insisted that schools wash their children's gym kits and even clip their fingernails. One teacher was told to prepare a pupil's packed lunch; another had to chauffeur a student from her home every morning. One mother even berated a teacher, after her child threw a stone through a school window, for carelessly leaving the stone lying around. Elsewhere, teachers have even been asked to give families a wake-up call in the morning, while another parent demanded that the teacher let her son sleep in class because he had been busy. Teachers are also finding themselves left behind in Japan's rapidly high-tech society, where many children now have smartphones and communicate via e-mail. This has given rise to a surge in cases of online bullying that teachers are finding difficult to control. Educators are being trained to deal with these situations, but are reportedly finding it difficult to keep up with the advances in social networking. Ninety-one of the 101 teachers who resigned during their first year in 2010 said they were suffering emotional issues, including stress and depression, with teachers in Tokyo most at risk. The ministry's Mr Nakamura pointed out that stress is also affecting veteran teachers. According to another report, 8,627 teachers took leave of absence for health reasons in 2009, of which more than 63 per cent said they needed a break due to psychological problems. The ministry said it is coordinating with the local education authorities to provide support to new teachers, including additional training in how to cope with difficult situations, and the introduction of counselling facilities. ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackyv Turbocharged November 12, 2011 Share November 12, 2011 We are not alone ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lala81 Hypersonic November 12, 2011 Share November 12, 2011 Teaching is a tough job! Children are one thing, parents are another thing Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RadX Moderator November 12, 2011 Share November 12, 2011 Teaching is a tough job! Children are one thing, parents are another thing parents are the MAIN thing.....bloody hell the way they protect their kids...knn....even at tertiary level this problem persists. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinosaka 1st Gear November 12, 2011 Share November 12, 2011 Every morning I will see hooligans sending their little brats to school... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watwheels Supersonic November 12, 2011 Share November 12, 2011 These parents are under stress at work and they take it out on the teachers. Sgp also the same, just a matter of time... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sosaria Turbocharged November 12, 2011 Share November 12, 2011 (edited) Yes, there are unreasonable people around nowadays in the profession or any other profession that deals directly with people - not just parents, but other departments' individual workers, or bosses. They raise voice, make unreasonable or illogical demands, etc. What's needed is more specific training to handle such situations. My personal experience in dealing with agitated, loud people or unreasonable demands is that we should not match 'loudness' but just continue being calm. Refuse to deal with the other party unless he or she starts being reasonable enough for discussion. After a while, usually the other party starts to realize that he or she looks silly shouting by himself, or gets shamed into calming down... usually works! Another way is to use logic to make it impossible for the other party to deny that his or her demand is unreasonable... but this way sometimes can trigger long argument as the other party realize that you are making him or her look stupid... But reading the article, I think the most effective, immediate measure is that school admininstration, within reason, must back up their teachers in face-offs with parents. Edited November 12, 2011 by Sosaria Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hondacub777 6th Gear November 12, 2011 Share November 12, 2011 parents are the MAIN thing.....bloody hell the way they protect their kids...knn....even at tertiary level this problem persists. Call me a traditional man or thinking. I still believe to leave it to the sch and parents dun get involve unless the kids are breaking the rules. :angry: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zyrofillica 1st Gear November 12, 2011 Share November 12, 2011 "The report examined the well-being of 25,743 teachers at public schools across the country who began working last year. Of the number, 101 left the profession before the end of the academic year ending March 31, citing health reasons, compared with just five in 2000." WHAT JAPAN TEACHERS LEAVING IN RECORD NUMBERS? 101 out of 25743? whats up with the propoganda machine now. Dun post actual numbers if you really would like to drive your point to us peasants. like love our teachers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Clutched November 12, 2011 Share November 12, 2011 Teaching is a tough job! Children are one thing, parents are another thing Teachers have the backing of the P, afterall teaching is the core business of the school and the teacher are the one who deliver the core business. The worst people in the school are the EAS. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pioneer 4th Gear November 12, 2011 Share November 12, 2011 Teachers have the backing of the P, afterall teaching is the core business of the school and the teacher are the one who deliver the core business. The worst people in the school are the EAS. Do not assume. Not always true if at all. So many times, P also bended over for Parents. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph22 Turbocharged November 12, 2011 Share November 12, 2011 "The report examined the well-being of 25,743 teachers at public schools across the country who began working last year. Of the number, 101 left the profession before the end of the academic year ending March 31, citing health reasons, compared with just five in 2000." WHAT JAPAN TEACHERS LEAVING IN RECORD NUMBERS? 101 out of 25743? whats up with the propoganda machine now. Dun post actual numbers if you really would like to drive your point to us peasants. like love our teachers. their records number mah. so if last time only 20 ppl left then 101 is a new record. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermitage 1st Gear November 12, 2011 Share November 12, 2011 Hmmm...after reading all this, it seems my workplace quite good afterall lah! We don't have to deal directly with parents, or the personal problems of students. There's another department for that so we can focus on teaching Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zyrofillica 1st Gear November 12, 2011 Share November 12, 2011 their records number mah. so if last time only 20 ppl left then 101 is a new record. i think singapore is around 100 times more teachers leaving within the first year. we need not worry. We are within first world standards. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph22 Turbocharged November 12, 2011 Share November 12, 2011 i think singapore is around 100 times more teachers leaving within the first year. we need not worry. We are within first world standards. its on the 5th year after their bond lah. ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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