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PEMARKAHAN BIK 3033 WRITING SKILLS TAJUK ESEI ILMIAH ESSAY WRITING DISEDIAKAN OLEH NAMA NO. MATRIK KUMPULAN UPSI03 (A122PJJ) NAMA TUTOR E-LEARNING: TARIKH SERAH: 26 APRIL 2013
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BIK 3033 ESSAY WRITING

Dec 17, 2015

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Fatimah Shukur

A TEACHING EXPERIENCE THAT CHANGES MY PERCEPTION AND BEHAVIOUR ABOUT LIFE IN GENERAL AND TEACHING SPECIFICALLY, A COMPARE AND CONTRAST BETWEEN TODAY’S AND PREVIOUS YOUTH, THE CAUSES OF STRESS AMONG TEACHERS
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PEMARKAHAN

BIK 3033 WRITING SKILLSTAJUK ESEI ILMIAHESSAY WRITINGDISEDIAKAN OLEHNAMA

NO. MATRIK

KUMPULAN UPSI03 (A122PJJ)NAMA TUTOR E-LEARNING: TARIKH SERAH: 26 APRIL 20131

ESSAY WRITING 1Write about a teaching experience that changes your perception and your behaviour about life in general and teaching specifically.(a)GENERATING IDEAS

-most noble profession

-parents and school discipline -disliking at the beginning

-parents - care and value the slightest change or improvement -perception towards aggressive parents

-the class was a great challenge

-applied all the teaching strategies

-discipline problems and learning incapability -provide reference books

-changed me into a more patient person

-I was not spared from thinking that teaching is easy

-become more positive, open minded and approachable

(b)FOCUS

My teaching experience had changed my perception and behaviour about life and teaching.

2

(c )SUPPORTING

IntroductionThe teaching profession is one of the oldest and the most noble profession in the world. All other professions start from a teacher.

Topic sentence:I fear that I will not be able to meet the expectation from parents who are result orientated. Supporting details:I used to hear remarks and stories about school children, their parents and school discipline. However, they actually care and value the slightest change or improvement brought by teachers. Perhaps the only crime they made was their approach.

Topic sentence:My perception towards aggressive parents have since changed when I received my first posting Supporting details:I was shocked to receive a few visits from the so called aggressive parents after school hours. They were still aggressive but were very thankful to me. Some even gave small tokens of appreciation. I learned that all it took was just to understand them, their background and accept them as they are.

Topic sentence:The teaching experience gained from S.K. ----- has also changed me into a more patient person.

Supporting details:I learned that for every action taken by teachers there will be either a good or a bad reaction from the students. Scolding children who have discipline problems may not be the best choice. The attention or silence given by them would not last.

Topic sentence:I was not spared from thinking that teaching is easy.

3

Supporting details:It is actually a professional job. It does not only requires academic knowledge , teaching skills but also psychology.

Conclusion:All experiences gained from the years of teaching will not only benefit the teachers themselves as a person but also those whom they teach or share with.

4

(d )DRAFTING

A TEACHING EXPERIENCE THAT CHANGES MY PERCEPTION AND BEHAVIOUR ABOUT LIFE IN GENERAL AND TEACHING SPECIFICALLY

The teaching profession is one of the oldest and the most noble profession in the world.

All other professions start from a teacher. The mentioned of the word teacher takes us back to our childhood days. Many would remember fondly of their kindergarten teachers as their first person who taught them the basics of reading, writing and counting.

Being brought up in a family full of teachers, I used to hear remarks and stories about school children, their parents and school discipline. Fate and destiny brought me to the same profession, much to my disliking at the beginning as I fear that I will not be able to meet the expectation from parents who are result orientated. I did not know that most of these parents are actually very appreciative.

My perception towards aggressive parents have since changed when I received my first posting to S.K.-------- about eight years ago. I was told to teach science subject to students in year 4. The assigned class was a great challenge to me as most of the students are slow learners.I was also informed that some of their parents are aggressive and unable to accept feedback about their children. Nevertheless, I proceeded with my teaching and applied all the teaching strategies taught by the college.I managed to capture the students interest including those who have discipline problems and learning incapability. They were very excited with the simple experiments and the outdoor exploration activities. Knowing that most of them were from poor families, I provided reference books to all the students.To my surprise, the class managed to score eighty percent passes in their final exam. I was also shocked to receive a few visits from the so called aggressive parents after school hours. They were still aggressive but were very thankful to me. Some even gave small tokens of appreciation. I learned that all it took was just to understand them, their background and accept them as they are.

5

The teaching experience gained from S.K. ------- has also changed me into a more patient person. I learned that for every action taken by teachers there will be either a good or a bad reaction from the students. Scolding children who have discipline problems may not be the best choice. The attention or silence given by them would not last.It may even worsen the situation when they lose interest in learning and disrespect the teachers.

Like many others, I was not spared from thinking that teaching is easy. It is actually a professional job. It does not only requires academic knowledge , teaching skills but also psychology. There is no single strategy that could be applied to all students. It is always a mixture of various teaching techniques depending on students learning ability.For instance, slow learners respond well to visual teaching methods compared to other students. Through my experience, both respond well to outdoor teaching strategy.

All experiences gained from the years of teaching will not only benefit the teachers

themselves as a person but also those whom they teach or share with.It changes a persons behavior and perception towards life.

6

(e )REVISING

A TEACHING EXPERIENCE THAT CHANGES MY PERCEPTION AND BEHAVIOUR ABOUT LIFE IN GENERAL AND TEACHING SPECIFICALLY

The teaching profession is one of the most noble profession in the world.All other

professions start from a teacher. The mentioned of the word teacher takes us back to our childhood days. Many would remember fondly of their kindergarten teachers as their first person who taught them the basics of reading, writing and counting. Those who skip kindergarten would remember their primary school teachers whom they spend with during their first six years of growing up.

I used to hear remarks and stories about school children, their parents and school discipline. Fate and destiny brought me to the same profession, much to my disliking at the beginning as I fear that I will not be able to meet the expectation from parents who are result orientated.I did not know that most of these parents are actually very appreciative.They actually care and value the slightest change or improvement brought by teachers.

My perception towards aggressive parents have since changed when I received my first posting to S.K. ------- about eight years ago. I was told to teach science subject to students in year 4. I was also informed that some of their parents are aggressive and unable to accept feedback about their children. Nevertheless, I proceeded with my teaching and applied all the teaching strategies taught by the college.I managed to capture the students interest including those who have discipline problems and learning incapability. They were very excited with the simple experiments and the outdoor exploration activities. Knowing that most of them were from poor families, I provided reference books to all the students.To my surprise, the class managed to score eighty percent passes in their final exam. I was also shocked to receive a few visits from the so called aggressive parents after school hours. They were still aggressive but were very thankful to me. Some even gave small tokens of appreciation. I learned that all it took was just to understand them, their background and accept them as they are.

7

The teaching experience gained from S.K. ----------- has also changed me into a more patient person. I learned that for every action taken by teachers there will be either a good or a bad reaction from the students. Scolding children who have discipline problems may not be the best choice. It may even worsen the situation when they lose interest in learning and disrespect the teachers.

Like many others, I was not spared from thinking that teaching is easy. It is actually a professional job. It does not only requires academic knowledge , teaching skills but also psychology. There is no single strategy that could be applied to all students. It is always a mixture of various teaching techniques depending on students learning ability.For instance, slow learners respond well to visual teaching methods compared to other students. Through my experience, both respond well to outdoor teaching strategy.

All experiences gained from the years of teaching will not only benefit the teachers

themselves as a person but also those whom they teach or share with.It changes a persons behavior and perception towards life. They become more positive, open minded and approachable.

8

(f )FINAL

A TEACHING EXPERIENCE THAT CHANGES MY PERCEPTION AND BEHAVIOUR ABOUT LIFE IN GENERAL AND TEACHING SPECIFICALLY

The teaching profession is one of the oldest and the most noble profession in the world.

All other professions start from a teacher. The mentioned of the word teacher takes us back to our childhood days. Many would remember fondly of their kindergarten teachers as their first person who taught them the basics of reading, writing and counting. Those who skip kindergarten would remember their primary school teachers whom they spend with during their first six years of growing up.

Being brought up in a family full of teachers, I used to hear remarks and stories about school children, their parents and school discipline. Fate and destiny brought me to the same profession, much to my disliking at the beginning as I fear that I will not be able to meet the expectation from parents who are result orientated. I did not know that most of these parents are actually very appreciative.They actually care and value the slightest change or improvement brought by teachers. Perhaps the only crime they made was their approach.

My perception towards aggressive parents have since changed when I received my first

posting to S.K. --------- about eight years ago. I was told to teach science subject to students in year 4. The assigned class was a great challenge to me as most of the students are slow learners.I was also informed that some of their parents are aggressive and unable to accept feedback about their children. Nevertheless, I proceeded with my teaching and applied all the teaching strategies taught by the college.I managed to capture the students interest including those who have discipline problems and learning incapability. They were very excited with the simple experiments and the outdoor exploration activities. Knowing that most of them were from poor families, I provided reference books to all the students.To my surprise, the class managed to score eighty percent passes in their final exam. I was also shocked to receive a few visits from the so called aggressive parents after school hours. They were still aggressive

9

but were very thankful to me. Some even gave small tokens of appreciation. I learned that all it took was just to understand them, their background and accept them as they are.

The teaching experience gained from S.K. -------- has also changed me into a more

patient person. I learned that for every action taken by teachers there will be either a good or a bad reaction from the students. Scolding children who have discipline problems may not be the best choice. The attention or silence given by them would not last.It may even worsen the situation when they lose interest in learning and disrespect the teachers.

Like many others, I was not spared from thinking that teaching is easy. It is actually a

professional job. It does not only requires academic knowledge , teaching skills but also psychology. There is no single strategy that could be applied to all students. It is always a mixture of various teaching techniques depending on students learning ability.For instance, slow learners respond well to visual teaching methods compared to other students. Through my experience, both respond well to outdoor teaching strategy.

All experiences gained from the years of teaching will not only benefit the teachers themselves as a person but also those whom they teach or share with.It changes a persons behavior and perception towards life.They become more positive, open minded and approachable.

(580 WORDS)

10

ESSAY WRITING 2Write a compare and a contrast essay on todays youngsters and when you were a youngter.(a)GENERATING IDEAS

Youngters today are lazy, spoiled and etc.

No more socializing in traditional ways

TODAYS AND PREVIOU S YOUTH

Both are the same in terms of independenceBoth share the same view of importance of education

(b )FOCUS

The differences and similarities between todays and previous youth.

11

(C )SUPPORTING

IntroductionTodays youth are often looked down upon and criticized by everyone especially by the older generation. Some twenty years back, youth are more acceptable and respected by the elders in many perspectives.

Topic sentence:Todays youth are being labeled as spoiled, lazy and such. Supporting details:Children are exposed to the internet at an early age. The emergence of electronic gadgets plays a big part in the lives of our youth today.

Topic sentence:Socializing with friends, families or even unknown people are no longer done in the traditional ways.

Supporting details:The introduction of social networks over the internet have somehow taken over this role.

Topic sentence:Youth who grew up in the 1990s are just the same as our current youth in terms of independence.

Supporting details:They too were influenced by the internet and tv. They were also taught to think, decide, allowed to question and rectify their own mistakes. Many left home to seek for jobs in the cities and stayed with friends in rented houses or apartments. Some even started their own families at a young age.

12

Topic sentence:Youngsters of today and of the past both share the same view and place the same level of importance on education.

Supporting details:The number of tuition and extra classes are just the same. Scholarships or education funding has always been the worry or major concern of parents of those days and today.

Conclusion:There are many similarities and differences between youths in the past and of the present. Both have one thing in common. They are the result of what their parents have molded them into.

13

(d ) DRAFTING

A COMPARE AND CONTRAST BETWEEN TODAYS AND PREVIOUS YOUTH

Youth is a period where young women and men are filled with enthusiasm and curiosity. It is also a time where they thirst for excitement and fun. Todays youth are often looked down upon and criticized by everyone especially by the older generation.Some twenty years back, youth are more acceptable and respected by the elders in many perspectives. Morality had never been a big issue or even the nations concerned. Todays youth are more courage compared to those previous youth.

We can see the truth behind the developing country that youngsters today are being

labeled as spoiled, lazy and such. Some blamed it on the fast development of technology where children are exposed to the borderless world or the internet at an early age.Information be it good or bad is just at the click or touch of the finger. The spread of negative or positive influences over the internet are so fast that no one is being spared. Perhaps the only difference is the degree of the so called laziness or violence. The emergence of electronic gadgets plays a big part in the lives of our youth today. These gadgets are cheap and easily accessible in the market. Back then, youngsters used to work for what they want. If they are not afford to get what they want, they will put some effort to steal what they want. Some parents will buy the mobile phones for their children without thinking of the consequences that their children might face.

Nowadays, the youths are more interested to socialize with people in modern ways. The introduction of social networks over the internet have somehow taken over this role which to some extend contributed to the current social problem faced by our youth. These days most of our youth lack proper guidance from their busy working parents. Twenty years ago social relations among youths were good as they were guided and monitored by parents, culture and tradition.

Youth who grew up with me are just the same as the youth now in terms of

independence. They were also taught to think, decide, allowed to question and rectify their own

14

mistakes. Many left home to seek for jobs in the cities and stayed with friends in rented houses or apartments. We have seen many changes made to our education system over the years but all were the same.

Youngsters of today and of the past both share the same view and place the same level of importance on education.The number of tuition and extra classes are just the same. Scholarships or education funding has always been the worry or major concern of parents of those days and today. The growing number of higher leaning institutions and universities these days offers more opportunities to our current youth. Private colleges are also offering courses which are recognized by the Malaysian government. We did not have the same scenario for the youth back then.

There are many similarities and differences between youths in the past and of the present. They are the result of what their parents have molded them into. The youth of today still enjoy the things which we once enjoyed but it is done in a different fashion.

15

(e )REVISING

A COMPARE AND CONTRAST BETWEEN TODAYS AND PREVIOUS YOUTH

Youth is a period where young women and men are filled with enthusiasm and curiosity. It is also a time where they thirst for excitement and fun. Todays youth are often looked down upon and criticized by everyone especially by the older generation.They are labeled as lazy, rebellious and as a violent generation. Some twenty years back, youth are more acceptable and respected by the elders in many perspectives. Morality had never been a big issue or even the nationsconcerned.However, todays youth have more self confidence and are more independent as compared to those from older generations.

It has been proven than todays youngsters are being labeled as spoiled, lazy and such. Some blamed it on the fast development of technology where children are exposed to the borderless world or the internet at an early age. Information be it good or bad is just at the click or touch of the finger. The spread of negative or positive influences over the internet are so fast that no one is being spared. Thus, youth all over the world have similar problems. Perhaps the only difference is the degree of the so called laziness or violence. The emergence of electronic gadgets plays a big part in the lives of our youth today.These gadgets are cheap and easily accessible in the market. Back then, youngsters used to work for what they want. Having a handset or mobile phone was already a luxury.

Today, socializing activities among youths are done in modern ways. The introduction of

social networks over the internet have somehow taken over this role which to some extend contributed to the current social problem faced by our youth.These days most of our youth lack proper guidance from their busy working parents. Twenty years ago social relations among youths were good as they wereguided and monitoredby parents, culture and tradition. Shocking news like finding newborn babies in dumpsters and bins or drains are unheard of back then.

16

Youth who grew up in the 1990s are the same as our current youth in terms of independence. They too were influenced by the internet and tv. They were also taught to think, decide, allowed to question and rectify their own mistakes. Many left home to seek for jobs in the cities and stayed with friends in rented houses or apartments. Some even started their own families at a young age. We have seen many changes made to our education system over the years but all were the same. The purpose of it is to produce independent youth. Motivational camps may be the latest addition but it is also design to teach our youth to be more independent. Back then we have camping done in the school field which is being practice till today.

Youngsters of today and of the past both share the same view and place the same level of

importance on education.The number of tuition and extra classes are just the same. Scholarships or education funding has always been the worry or major concern of parents of those days and today. The growing number of higher leaning institutions and universities these days offers more opportunities to our current youth. Private colleges are also offering courses which are recognized by the Malaysian government. We did not have the same scenario for the youth back then.

There are many similarities and differences between youths in the past and of the present.

Both have one thing in common. They are the result of what their parents have molded them into. The youth of today still enjoy the things which we once enjoyed but it is done in a different fashion.

(665 words)

17

(f )FINAL

A COMPARE AND CONTRAST BETWEEN TODAYS AND PREVIOUS YOUTH

Youth is a period where young women and men are filled with enthusiasm and curiosity. It is also a time where they thirst for excitement and fun. Todays youth are often looked down upon and criticized by everyone especially by the older generation.They are labeled as lazy, rebellious and as a violent generation. Some twenty years back, youth are more acceptable and respected by the elders in many perspectives. Morality had never been a big issue or even the nationsconcerned.However, todays youth have more self confidence andare more independent as compared to those from older generations.

It is sad that youngsters today are being labeled as spoiled, lazy and such. Some blamed it on the fast development of technology where children are exposed to the borderless world or the internet at an early age.Information be it good or bad is just at the click or touch of the finger. The spread of negative or positive influences over the internet are so fast that no one is being spared. Thus, youth all over the world have similar problems. Perhaps the only difference is the degree of the so called laziness or violence. The emergence of electronic gadgets plays a big part in the lives of our youth today.These gadgets are cheap and easily accessible in the market. Back then, youngsters used to work for what they want. Having a handset or mobile phone was already a luxury. Nowadays, they are given freely by some parents.

Socializing with friends, families or even unknown people are no longer done in the traditional ways such as through visits or family gatherings.The introduction of social networks over the internet have somehow taken over this role which to some extend contributed to the current social problem faced by our youth. These days most of our youth lack proper guidance from their busy working parents. Twenty years ago social relations among youths were good as they were guided and monitored by parents, culture and tradition. Shocking news like finding newborn babies in dumpsters and bins or drains are unheard of back then.

18

Youth who grew up in the 1990s are just the same as our current youth in terms of independence. They too were influenced by the internet and televisions. They were also taught to think, decide, allowed to question and rectify their own mistakes. Many left home to seek for jobs in the cities and stayed with friends in rented houses or apartments. Some even started their own families at a young age. We have seen many changes made to our education system over the years but all were the same.They were all design to produce independent youth. Motivational camps may be the latest addition but it is also design to teach our youth to be more independent. Back then we have camping done in the school field which is being practice till today.

Youngsters of today and of the past both share the same view and place the same level of importance on education.The number of tuition and extra classes are just the same. Scholarships or education funding has always been the worry or major concern of parents of those days and today. The growing number of higher leaning institutions and universities these days offers more opportunities to our current youth. Private colleges are also offering courses which are recognized by the Malaysian government. We did not have the same scenario for the youth back then. They were limited to only a few number of private colleges which offers recognized courses such as ACCA or ICSA . Study loans were also scarce if not none at all.

There are many similarities and differences between youths in the past and of the present.

Both have one thing in common. They are the result of what their parents have molded them into. The youth of today still enjoy the things which we once enjoyed but it is done in a different fashion.

(665 words)

19

ESSAY WRITING 3Write an essay on the causes of stress among teachers.(a)GENERATING IDEAS

Children behaviour

Overloaded with administration work

The causes of stress among teachers

Change in education system

Inconsiderate parents

(b)FOCUS

Teaching profession is one of the most stressful profession today.

20

(c ) SUPPORTING

IntroductionResearchers from all over the world has identified that the teaching profession is one of the stressful professions today. According to a survey teaching is the fourth most stressful job in Malaysia.

Topic sentence :One of the causes of stress among teachers is being overloaded with administration work. Surporting details:It is now a norm for teachers to go home after five in the evening. Their time in school is packed with co-curricular activities and meetings. Their weekends are also taken up by school programs or activities.

Topic sentence :The education system has undergone a considerable change from KBSR to KSSR. Surporting details:The stress is due to lack of information on how the changes are to be implemented. The whole vision of the new system is normally understood by only a few.

Topic sentence:Another cause of stress is the behavior of children these days. Surporting details:Most children are somewhat lazy and uninterested in learning. Children these days are more vocal and with their exposure from their kindergartens and surroundings, they have less fear for teachers.

21

Topic sentence:Handling demanding and inconsiderate parents are also very stressful. Surporting details:Teachers are questioned on their actions and scrutinized for every word they would have said to their students. These parents questioned and blamed teachers for their non-performing children whom they hardly cared for at home.

ConclusionStressed teachers are more likely ineffective as they cannot give their full attention on teaching. The school management should support teachers in managing stress.

22

(d )DRAFTING

THE CAUSES OF STRESS AMONG TEACHERS

Throughout the years, researchers from all over the world has identified that the teaching profession is one of the stressful professions today. Stress is defined as a particular interaction between the person and the environment, appraised by the person as being taxing or exceeding his or her personal resources, and, as a consequence, disrupting daily routines (Lazarus & Folk man, 1984).According to Berita Harian Newspaper, a survey was carried out to assess the level of stress in various jobs and they found that teaching is the most stressful job in Malaysia. This might be the reason why school teachers are seeking counselors help them.

One of the causes of stress among teachers is being overloaded with school work. It is now normal for teachers to go home late in the evening. Their time in school is packed with so many kind of activities. Nowadays there were no such thing as teachers finish their actual work like checking or marking students work and preparing for the next days lessons in school. All these have become teachers daily homework. Teachers need to face a lot of problems such as family demands but it is very disappointed that their weekends are also taken up by school programs or activities. After awhile stress starts to build in and eventually causes a breakdown.

The education system which has undergone a considerable change from KBSR to KSSR is also causing stress among teachers especially to the seniors. This stress is due to lack of information on how the changes are to be implemented. As a result of this inefficiency, most teachers take longer time to finish their work as only those who are assigned to teach the KSSR classes would really understand how certain task should be done or carried out. Moreover, the whole vision of the new system is normally understood by only a few who are in key positions. Fullan (1996) believes that collaborative networks would give teachers more influence over change and increase their feelings of engagement with the change.

Nowadays most children are lazy and uninterested in learning. In achieving the schools

academic targets the teachers have to work extra hard at all levels to ensure that the children has

23

strong foundation. For instance, to achieve good UPSR result it has to start from year one. It is not easy to get these children to adapt to school life let alone understand the importance of learning. Children these days are more vocal and with their exposure from their kindergartens and surroundings, they have less fear for teachers. It is no longer an easy task to address discipline issues.

Handling the educated parents are also very stressful. Teachers are questioned on their actions and scrutinized for every word they would have said to their students.These parents questioned and blamed teachers for their non-performing children whom they hardly cared for at home. Some may even go further than discussing with the school or the education department. Complaints are highlighted in the local newspapers naming the school and teachers involved. Such actions by parents not only damaged the credibility of teachers but also loses the respect from the public in general. Knowing that their children are customers of the school has added more stress to teachers. Some children are so badly influenced by their parents that they tend to disrespect their teachers. Everything said or done with good intentions may be misunderstood and taken negatively by both parents and students. Teachers are hardly given credit for their guidance and dedication. In most cases, students success and achievement are not associated at all with teachers.

Stress leads the teacher to be ineffective as they cannot give their full attention on

teaching. The school management should support teachers in managing stress. In-house training on managing stress by professionals in the said field would be of great help to teachers.The head of schools could contribute by creating a more friendly working environment by practicing the open communication concept for a win-win situation.

24

(e )REVISING

THE CAUSES OF STRESS AMONG TEACHERS

Researchers from all over the world has identified that the teaching profession is one of the stressful professions today. Stress is defined as a particular interaction between the person and the environment, appraised by the person as being taxing or exceeding his or her personal resources, and, as a consequence, disrupting daily routines (Lazarus & Folk man, 1984). According to Berita Harian Newspaper published in 2009, a survey was carried out to assess the level of stress in various jobs and they found that teaching is the fourth most stressful job in Malaysia. This is ofcourse the reason why some of the school teachers are seeking professional help to fight back the stress.

One of the causes of stress among teachers is being overloaded with administration work

whether paperless or not.It is now a norm for teachers to go home after five in the evening. Their time in school is packed with co-curricular activities and meetings. Gone were the days where teachers finish their actual work like checking or marking students work and preparing for the next days lessons in school.All these have become teachers daily homework.Not only do teachers have to juggle their work with family demands but their weekends are also taken up by school programs or activities. After awhile stress starts to build in and eventually causes a breakdown.

The education system which has undergone a considerable change from KBSR to KSSR is also causing stress among teachers especially to the seniors. This stress is due to lack of information on how the changes are to be implemented. As a result of this inefficiency, most teachers take longer time to finish their work as only those who are assigned to teach the KSSR classes would really understand how certain task should be done or carried out. Moreover, the whole vision of the new system is normally understood by only a few who are in key positions. Fullan (1996) believes that collaborative networks would give teachers more influence over change and increase their feelings of engagement with the change.

25

Another cause of stress is the behavior of children these days. Given the current home environment, most children are somewhat lazy and uninterested in learning. In achieving the schools academic targets the teachers have to work extra hard at all levels to ensure that the children has strong foundation. For instance, to achieve good UPSR result it has to start from year one. It is not easy to get these children to adapt to school life let alone understand the importance of learning. Children these days are more vocal and with their exposure from their kindergartens and surroundings, they have less fear for teachers. It is no longer an easy task to address discipline issues.

Handling demanding and inconsiderate parents are also very stressful. Teachers are

questioned on their actions and scrutinized for every word they would have said to their students. These parents questioned and blamed teachers for their non-performing children whom they hardly cared for at home.Some may even go further than discussing with the school or the education department. Complaints are highlighted in the local newspapers naming the school and teachers involved. Such actions by parents not only damaged the credibility of teachers but also loses the respect from the public in general. Knowing that their children are customers of the school has added more stress to teachers. Some children are so badly influenced by their parents that they tend to disrespect their teachers. Everything said or done with good intentions may be misunderstood and taken negatively by both parents and students. Teachers are hardly given credit for their guidance and dedication. In most cases, students success and achievement are not associated at all with teachers.

Stressed teachers are more likely ineffective as they cannot give their full attention on teaching. The school management should support teachers in managing stress. In-house training on managing stress by professionals in the said field would be of great help to teachers.The head of schools could contribute by creating a more friendly working environment by practicing the open communication concept for a win-win situation.

26

(f)FINAL

THE CAUSES OF STRESS AMONG TEACHERS

Throughout the years, researchers from all over the world has identified that the teaching

profession is one of the stressful professions today. Stress is defined as a particular interaction between the person and the environment, appraised by the person as being taxing or exceeding his or her personal resources, and, as a consequence, disrupting daily routines (Lazarus & Folk man, 1984).According to Berita Harian Newspaper published in 2009, a survey was carried out to assess the level of stress in various jobs and they found that teaching is the fourth most stressful job in Malaysia. This might be the reason why school teachers are seeking professional help to cope with the causes and effects of stress.

One of the causes of stress among teachers is being overloaded with administration work whether paperless or not.It is now a norm for teachers to go home after five in the evening. Their time in school is packed with co-curricular activities and meetings. Gone were the days where teachers finish their actual work like checking or marking students work and preparing for the next days lessons in school. All these have become teachers daily homework. Not only do teachers have to juggle their work with family demands but their weekends are also taken up by school programs or activities. After awhile stress starts to build in and eventually causes a breakdown.

The education system which has undergone a considerable change from KBSR to KSSR

is also causing stress among teachers especially to the seniors. This stress is due to lack of information on how the changes are to be implemented. As a result of this inefficiency, most teachers take longer time to finish their work as only those who are assigned to teach the KSSR classes would really understand how certain task should be done or carried out. Moreover, the whole vision of the new system is normally understood by only a few who are in key positions. Fullan (1996) believes that collaborative networks would give teachers more influence over change and increase their feelings of engagement with the change.

27

Another cause of stress is the behavior of children these days. Given the current home environment, most children are somewhat lazy and uninterested in learning. In achieving the schools academic targets the teachers have to work extra hard at all levels to ensure that the children has strong foundation. For instance, to achieve good UPSR result it has to start from year one. It is not easy to get these children to adapt to school life let alone understand the importance of learning. Children these days are more vocal and with their exposure from their kindergartens and surroundings, they have less fear for teachers. It is no longer an easy task to address discipline issues.

Handling demanding and inconsiderate parents are also very stressful. Teachers are

questioned on their actions and scrutinized for every word they would have said to their students. These parents questioned and blamed teachers for their non-performing children whom they hardly cared for at home.Some may even go further than discussing with the school or the education department. Complaints are highlighted in the local newspapers naming the school and teachers involved. Such actions by parents not only damaged the credibility of teachers but also loses the respect from the public in general. Knowing that their children are customers of the school has added more stress to teachers. Some children are so badly influenced by their parents that they tend to disrespect their teachers. Everything said or done with good intentions may be misunderstood and taken negatively by both parents and students. Teachers are hardly given credit for their guidance and dedication. In most cases, students success and achievement are not associated at all with teachers.

Stressed teachers are more likely ineffective as they cannot give their full attention on teaching. The school management should support teachers in managing stress. In-house training on managing stress by professionals in the said field would be of great help to teachers.The head of schools could contribute by creating a more friendly working environment by practicing the open communication concept for a win-win situation.

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References1.What Causes Stress Among Teachers? (Website), retrieved on April 2013, from https://osha.europa.eu/en/faq/education-2/what-causes-work-related-stress-in-teachers2.Owais Siddiqui, Teachers Stress (website), retrieved on March 2013, from

http://owaissiddiqui.hubpages.com/hub/Teachers-Stress3.Survey Reveals Rising Level Of Stress Among Teachers (website), retrieved on April 2013 from http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2007/feb/19/schools.uk4.Sophie Herdman, Are Youth Today Too Lazy To Work (website), retrieved on April 2013

from http://www.psychologies.co.uk/work/are-the-youth-of-today-too-lazy-to-work.html5.Don Mills, The Problem With Young People Today (website), retrieved on April 2013 from http://crabbyoldfart.wordpress.com/

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