Being a teacher in Pakistan can be an intense ride

When we think of respect-worthy career paths, many agree on scientists, doctors, engineers, and dentists.  Others want an “office job”. Parents proudly show off at social gatherings. How many times have you heard mera beta to sarkari office mai kaam karta hai aur meri baeti doctor hai. We are made to believe that these are the only worthy professions out there.

While there is no doubt that these are difficult career paths, being an exceptional teacher can be just as challenging.

Here are some reasons why being a teacher is difficult, yet an extremely rewarding and praise-worthy job:

Teachers play a crucial role in raising an educated and well-informed workforce

Montessori teacher, A-levels tutor or college professor – all teachers have direct implications on their students’ future. Teaching has very long-term impacts where better grades can help students secure university admissions and eventually jobs. A good teacher can make the difficult concepts easy to comprehend, understand and remember. I think we can all agree that there are some lessons that we’ll never forget – thanks to our teachers!

Answering questions and being prepared all day every day is extremely taxing…

A good teacher has answers to every potential question. This usually means that teachers have to be ready to answer any question asked by any one of their 50-100+ students. Think of it as a presentation you have to make every day, all day where you’re supposed to know all the answers at all times. It is not a weekly PowerPoint presentation where you can predict questions – business meetings seem much simpler now eh?

…and doing that while standing for 4-5 hours is definitely not an easy task!

We often forget that teaching entails standing continuously for hours. If you teach 5 high school- or 2 college- level classes a day, that’s 5-6 hours of standing! Teachers also have to make sure to cover all the necessary topics in the time given. Teachers don’t have the luxury of sitting in an office and working with extended deadlines.

Let’s not forget the badmash students who can disrupt the entire class…

You may be the best, most prepared teacher in the world but that won’t matter if you have one or two rowdy students in your class who prevent you from doing your job. In other career paths, you are mostly dealing with adults where this is not a real problem. You may not like your office colleagues but you’re not going to start throwing fits and talking during a colleague’s presentation – unfortunately, students have that disruptive power!

…and the crazy school schedule that can disrupt their life!

Most teachers are exploited – they do a lot more for less pay. In addition to checking endless papers, quizzes, and exams after school hours, teachers also suffer from a very strict schedule. In the case of younger students or toddlers, some teachers can’t even take bathroom breaks. There are also no work-from-home days! Teachers can’t just take days off – they first need to schedule substitute teachers.

A dedicated teacher stops at nothing!

When you ask former students about their teachers, most will remember only one or two teachers who had a true impact on their lives. The most astounding teachers put their everything into teaching. It’s not a 9-5 job where they leave when office hours are over. Students often have questions after class hours and teachers spend that extra time to teach them as they would teach their own children.

Teachers’ success is often dependent on students’ exam performance…

Students often don’t take interest in certain subjects or are simply nalayak. If a student fails to get that golden A, many blame the teacher. Unlike other jobs where your success depends on your own job performance, teachers’ success depends on students’ performance.

…with no additional bonuses should students get excellent grades.

There is little concept of additional incentives in school systems. It is not like the corporate sector – you don’t get bonuses for helping more students pass a class. It is at times a self-less profession where your goal is simply to see your students excel!

And despite their hard work, they’ll still have to hear teaching to asaan hai

Teaching is definitely not as easy as it looks. Tag and appreciate a current or aspiring teacher.

If you’re a teacher or know one, then check out this video

13 Life Struggles Only Teachers Ke Bachay Will Relate To

cover image source: Mangobaaz.com