Why teachers must pay attention to mental health

There is greater need for the 21st century teacher to not only understand issues that compromise professionalism and undermine teamwork in a school set up, but also reflect on the factors that predispose them to mental health challenges. Mental health is a fundamental component of our overall health which impacts our emotional, psychological and social welfare. It is a crucial success factor on which job satisfaction, happiness and a sense of self-worth hinges.

As a result, members of the teaching fraternity need to beware of factors that make them vulnerable to mental health issues, thereby compromising efficiency as teachers. These factors may deceptively pass as small and oftentimes, ignorable temperament issues which define some members of the teaching staff, and in the most unlucky situations translate into major personnel management crises at school level.

Firstly, while it is true that teaching is more than just an eight-to-five o’clock job, without a well-defined monetary compensation scale for any extra minute spent within the purlieu of an institution of learning beyond five o’clock, the majority of the present day members of the teaching fraternity have challenged this observation. Light-heartedly, they have queried who the caller in the popular expression that “teaching is a calling” is, and repeatedly asserted that teaching needs to be treated like any other profession.

Interestingly, majority of the members of this fraternity admit taking teaching as an alternative to what they always wanted to become; thereby justifying their displeasure with the profession. The unhappiness that ensues has created lethargic professionals who do not appreciate any notion that teaching is a career. Once absorbed by the teachers’ employer in this country, some realise that they have become teachers, admit as much and begin to work towards becoming great teachers, while others embark on a mission to use teaching career as a stepping stone to what they wanted to become. When this fails to unfold as expected, the victims become vulnerable to a number of serious threats to their mental health.

Academic endeavours

Secondly, those who set out to advance their studies in the name of leaving the classroom for a lecture hall or for the corporate world begin their journey of grappling with aborted academic dreams. After investing a fortune in the pursuit of second and probably the third degree from both the private and the public institutions, some have realised minimal or no returns. The drudgery coursework and the to-and-fro procedures of writing academic dissertations, discourage a few who give up before graduation.

Those who are aggressive and lucky enough to complete their masters and PhD theses have encountered serious challenges in securing the much anticipated opportunities in institutions of higher learning. This, unfortunately, reduces them to much-cited examples of failed academic ambitions by their colleagues. Subtly, the staffroom gossip that revolves around their academic endeavours makes them touchy, kills their team spirit and nurtures a defiant approach to anything that does not subscribe to their school of thought.

Thirdly, there is a section of the educators who aggressively seek to invest and make it big in the world of business and entrepreneurship. While investing is a noble initiative since it offers those who pursue it an opportunity to not only grow their income but also contribute to creation of employment opportunities in the country, challenges abound in striking a balance between the teacher professionalism and business acumen.

The places where one invests is a serious prospecting endeavour and those who miscalculate their steps have fallen in depression, affecting their attendance to duty, putting them at the loggerheads with administrators and risking their mental health. Indeed, the worst category are them that choose to take colossal amounts in loans just to gamble in betting sites.

Mental health challenges

Fourthly, there exists a section that maximizes their moments in their work places. They have an eye for every opportunity that might promise and indeed deliver to them an extra coin. The school trips, remedial classes and parent-community partnership initiatives are to them potential side-hustle initiatives. Unfortunately, this places them on the collision course not only with the administration, but also with their seniors.

This is particularly so if the institution places these events outside the official working hours. They pressure the institution to “appreciate” their generous contribution in attendance and availability. Inability by the institution to honour these demands opens a Pandora’s Box. This unfortunate scenario presents a teacher with a rollercoaster of problems that predispose them to mental health challenges.

Lastly, there is a section of members of the teaching fraternity who are gifted politicians. They not only have the gift of gab, but they are also bold enough to do political duels with all and sundry. While this group makes the most likeable teacher representatives in the unions, there is greater need for them to separate activism and professionalism, as regards the teaching career.

Their tendency to take war to the doorsteps of the known and the perceived opponents compromise teamwork without which a school cannot thrive. Any threat to teamwork is a serious concern to the administration, and anyone who incapacitates teamwork invites undesirably sanctions which make fertile grounds for breeding mental health challenges. 

Dr Silas Mwirigi is a researcher, author, and Chief Principal, Kagumo High School. [email protected]