Teachers' Day 2024: 10 Challenges Teachers Face In Their Classrooms

Teaching is a noble yet challenging profession. Teachers face issues like inadequate infrastructure, classroom management, and mental health concerns, but their dedication shapes future generations.

Teachers' Day is celebrated on the birth anniversary of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan.

Source : Freepik

By Devyani Mungali

Teachers' Day 2024: Teaching has always been considered a noble profession. And rightly so. Teachers dedicate their lives to shaping young minds, imparting knowledge, nurturing youth and inspiring future generations. The role of a teacher and school is very important in the lives of the children, especially when it comes to imparting values and culture at the grass-root level. Teachers need to love their students and love teaching. Then all the other things fall in place. Education should be all-encompassing. Good education has the potential to develop humans into good people who are empathetic and sensitive. Learning is a continuous process and teachers also learn from their students.

However, while teaching children may seem like an ideal profession, the reality is far more complex and challenging. Classroom teachers face a multitude of challenges that can hamper their teaching quality, their well-being and overall job satisfaction. These challenges can vary depending upon the age group that is being taught.

10 Challenges Teachers Face In Their Classrooms

Challenges can be specific to skills, students, infrastructure or technology. Some of the challenges that teachers face are:

• Lack of infrastructure and basic facilities– while most private schools don’t face these issues, there are many schools in rural India or even budget schools in urban settings that don’t have the enabling infrastructure to provide high quality education. In rural settings, it is very difficult to find specialist resources like special educators, counselors and teachers to teach new technologies and pedagogies. Teachers also may have insufficient teaching material where they have to thus rely on their own resources to supplement their teaching.
• Discipline management in the classroom– Maintaining order and discipline in the classroom becomes a huge challenge for any teacher, especially with large or disruptive classes. Classroom management is one of the biggest challenges for any teacher because there is a diverse room full of students with different personalities, abilities and needs. The teachers have to strike the perfect balance between being authoritative and approachable, while ensuring that the students feel safe and respecting their personal boundaries.
• Variety of Learning Needs– Teachers have to deal with students coming from different backgrounds, with different learning styles, personalities and needs, which can pose a huge challenge. Teachers have limited time at hand so they have to adapt with high level of creativity and patience.  
• Mental and Emotional health of children– Teachers have a huge role to play in this since the child spends maximum time in school. Teachers need to encourage the child to openly communicate with teachers and parents, without having to worry about repercussions. Teachers have to create a safe space for children to be able to openly communicate. Schools may take the help of professional counsellors for the same.  
• Mental and Emotional health of teachers - Teachers face tremendous work and family pressures on a daily basis, because they have to navigate complex, emotional landscapes. Teachers have to find the right work–life balance, which often gets neglected. Majority of the teachers are women who need to handle different roles at home, all with competing relationship pressures. The nature of teaching is that it is emotionally and cognitively demanding. Teachers also may face burnout and stress, which may impact their performance while teaching. Acknowledging that teachers are human beings too and thus providing counsellors to safeguard their mental health, is an excellent solution.   
• Teachers also need to handle adolescence and puberty related challengessuch as peer pressure and pressure from parents for the child to perform well. Open workshops and parent discussions could help deal with this challenge.
• Handling disruptive behavior in class such as bullying or other disciplinary challenges– Teachers need to be sensitive to why the child is indulging in this behavior. Is it some kind of issues that the child is facing at home? Immediate punitive action may not be the solution at such times. It is thus advised to counsel the child with the help of experts.
• Keeping up with the latest changes in technology– Teachers need to constantly up-skill themselves. Changes in technology can be a challenge as well as an opportunity. Staying current with curriculum developments, technological advancements, and teaching methodologies is another challenge. Teachers must commit to ongoing professional development, often in their own time, to remain effective.
• Sustained student engagement– Students may find some subjects difficult or uninteresting. Teachers have to consistently encourage students to take interest and participate by using innovative techniques, and make learning relevant and enjoyable.
• Supporting students with special needs- Building trust by establishing positive relationships with students with special needs, helps foster a supportive learning environment.

In conclusion, teaching is a complex and demanding profession that requires passion, dedication, and resilience. There is so much of potential in each and every child that is waiting to be discovered and nurtured. While the challenges faced by teachers are significant, it is essential to acknowledge and address them so as to empower educators with the proper tools to impart good education. The need of the hour is to work together in creating a more inclusive and positive learning environment for all.

(The Author is the Founder and Director of Sanskriti Group of Schools)

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