Teachers’ pandemic-related stress
TEACHER’S suicide in Leyte Friday last week prompted calls for the Department of Education (DepEd) to address work-related causes of stress among teachers that are well within the control of the education agency. Media reported that the DepEd local office conducted psychological intervention to teachers in Dulag Central School after a co-teacher, whose two children tested positive for COVID-19, allegedly hanged herself.
This case demonstrates the magnitude of stress that our teachers endure at present. They, too, experience all the health and economic worries that the pandemic brings, while they bear all the problems that come with the sophomoric distance learning program of DepEd.
Many mental stressors to teachers at the moment are problems that are of the government’s doing and, in turn, well within the government’s capacity to resolve, if only it would give due consideration to the objective situation of our teachers and learners. The lack of health protection at work, too heavy workload, and mounting teaching expenses bring anxiety among teachers.
Our teachers’ physical and mental thresholds are stretched to the hilt, grappling with the new modes of teaching while printing and distributing modules under vulnerable conditions, working until the wee hours making reports and addressing students’ and parents’ concerns, all while stretching the family budget to accommodate teaching expenses, doing household chores, and guiding their own children in distance learning.
Psycho-social interventions will not suffice if the causes of mental stress are not really addressed. There must be a more accountable, realistic, humane, and compassionate framework’ in education continuity. If only the government would fulfill the duty of sufficiently funding the modules, devices and internet needs of teachers and poor learners, if only DepEd would take the responsibility of delivering these needs, ensuring the health protection of teachers, and devising a less strenuous work and study load program, our teachers and learners would be spared of a lot of mental burdens and could have a relevant learning experience during the pandemic.