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In mid-August, teachers’ summer vacation was over, with a long list of meeting schedule waiting ahead. Like animals “waking up after hibernation”, students are going to change from a relaxing mode of daily routine to the "back to school" mode.
After the school has started, teachers have to deal with the goal setting of students as well as their discipline and emotions, which is really a challenge. In recent years, the promotion of STEM education along with the continuous updating of curriculum have increased the pressure on teachers and students. Moreover, the infusion of political issues into the school campus made teachers exhausted.
At the end of July, the Samaritan Befrienders Hong Kong issued a report stating that the number of suicide deaths among young people aged below 20 increased by 50% last year, which is the highest in recent 13 years. Most of the children and adolescents in this group are under pressure from family relationships and parents' high expectations. Their teachers, spending most time with them, take the responsibility to care for their emotions. Besides maintaining high quality teaching, preparing senior secondary students for the public examination and dealing with students with special educational needs(SEN) and different learning abilities, teachers have to take care of students’ psychological wellbeing and provide counselling and parent education. Who said that only students feel the pressure? The pressure and frustration of teachers is difficult to be completely resolved.
Since I joined the Centre last year, I have been dedicated to developing programs to serve frontline teachers. Through workshops and staff development talks, mission of teachers is recalled and team morale is rebuilt. As in last year, I was invited by schools in this month to lead teacher retreat activities to help teachers adjust their minds, so that they are ready and empowered by God’s Words to face the challenges of the coming academic year.
In the retreat program I prepared for schools, teachers will re-examine their passion and expectations through meditation of Scriptures and encouragement from the Word of God. I believe that if the teachers’ soul get connected to God, like branches on the trunk, or a stream connected to the living spring, our Lord Jesus Christ has promised, “Rivers of living water will flow from within them” (John 7:37-38). Also the poet of the Old Testament stated, “The tree yields its fruit in season and the leaf does not wither” (Psalm 1:3). I hope I can be teachers’ guide, pointing out the source of strength and the direction ahead.
Firefighters who walk into the fire must have excellent equipment before they can save anyone. Otherwise, they will put themselves in a dangerous situation and even sacrifice their lives. Nowadays, in the highly competitive society of Hong Kong, children experience pressure from crazy parents. Teachers who stay in so called "hot kitchen" of education need to be well equipped in order to save students one at a time. As teachers, we must maintain our spiritual and psychological qualities before we can nourish our students. I hope that the education authority and the school-sponsoring bodies can work together to remove obstacles in the fire field. Not only will they fight fires, but they must also pay more effort to prevent fire, so that teachers, students and parents will have a better future.
Servant pastor
Rev. Benedict Shum
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