Regarding the survey of many teachers in China's desire to change positions or be transferred to a more suitable department, Sohu has an article discussing this issue:

In recent days, this survey has caused quite a stir on Chinese social media. While public opinion is still skeptical about whether many teachers are being forced to leave the podium, those in the profession themselves expressed the following: "I would rather work the night shift at a funeral home than be a homeroom teacher again."

This status of the teacher raises many questions. Many people think that this could be a collective outbreak of professional burnout syndrome, or a distress signal from theeducation ecosystem?

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A teacher teaches English to sixth-graders in Guangdong Province, southern China, September 1, 2020. Photo: Xinhua

Teacher Skills: More Than Just Teaching

A self-deprecating resume of a teacher is spreading rapidly on Chinese social media: "Often grading papers at 3am, proficient in PowerPoint, good at resolving student conflicts, has professional qualities: despite having a heart attack, still managed to finish teaching and observing the lesson". This sharing seems exaggerated but truly reflects the way teachers "survive" today:

- The production line of "multi-talented people": In addition to teaching, homeroom teachers today also provide psychological counseling to students, plan and write event content, and compile data. Therefore, they have long been likened to multi-talented "decathlon" athletes.

- "Expert" in surviving under high pressure: Standing for 4 hours straight to teach in class is just a basic skill, having to deal with parents' complaints late at night is the biggest obstacle.

- "Master" of emotional management: In class, the homeroom teacher can always keep a smile on his face with 40 students, but when faced with the pressure of evaluation and recognition, he immediately switches to "rational analysis" mode.

When each skill is clearly separated, many people realize that teachers are probably the most undervalued "special class" in today's office world.

Job Transfer: Escape or Escape?

A survey of job transfer preferences conducted by the Department of Education of a locality in China found that 38% of teachers chose to "do any position." This collective choice, while seemingly illogical, actually reflects the pressure teachers are facing:

- Severe time shortage syndrome: On average, each homeroom teacher will work more than 12 hours/day, of which 30% of the time is spent on handling work unrelated to teaching.

- Crisis of loss of professional value: When education turns into a race according to KPIs, the teacher-student relationship gradually becomes numbers for statistical reporting.

- Emotionally draining black hole: Being a teacher, an administrative staff, and occasionally having to play the role of MC for extracurricular activities.

Although it is a joke of the homeroom teacher "wanting to be a school security guard", it reflects a simple desire for a pure job - doing one thing well, no multitasking, no invisible pressure. In today's educational environment, this has become a luxury for them.

Wanting to be Relocated: Cure or Poison?

In a third-tier city in China, after a three-year pilot of job-switching for homeroom teachers, there have been many thought-provoking issues: Teachers who switched to librarianship have found joy in introducing books again; teachers who were transferred to community work have become experts in conflict resolution. But the other side of the issue is:

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A student presents a card and flowers to his teacher to show his gratitude on Teachers' Day in Xiangyang, Hubei province, September 10, 2018. Photo: VCG

- Waste of expertise: A good teacher with 20 years of experience, after switching to administrative work, his professional skills become seriously "devalued".

- Systemic brain drain: Good teachers gradually leave the podium, making the imbalance in the allocation of educational resources more and more serious.

- Identity crisis: The psychological gap from teacher to "ordinary employee" - a transition that is not easy to overcome psychologically.

On this issue, Chinese education researchers point out that: Instead of saying that teachers are eager to change jobs, they rather want to call for the return of the essence of education. Because when lesson preparation becomes a performance to cope with tests, when human education is turned into a race for scores and achievements, no matter how noble the professional ideal is, it will be eroded.

Real way out?

To address this issue, a key high school in China has experimented with the “Teacher Development Laboratory” model. By outsourcing administrative tasks, establishing “teaching work protection fences,” and implementing flexible evaluation mechanisms, the experiment yielded surprising results: Teacher turnover dropped by 40%, and negative feedback from students and parents dropped by 65%:

- Reduce work: Eliminate 60% of unnecessary bookkeeping and reporting.

- Build a protective fence for teachers, so they can focus on teaching, not doing chores.

- Create a space for teachers to rest: Allow education to escape the vicious cycle of test pressure and short-term achievements.

When we discuss whether teachers should change jobs, we are actually questioning the social value system for education. What teachers need is not a door to leave the podium, but a way back to the true meaning of teaching. Because what makes students shine with passion is the light in the eyes of the teacher. Instead of dreaming about the "ideal life" after leaving the profession, let's return to education a pure land to nurture ideals and passion - that is the best "job transfer plan" for teachers.

A female teacher who taught History at a private secondary school in Hubei, China, decided to quit her job at the age of 34, took the university entrance exam for the second time and was accepted into a medical school, majoring in Dentistry.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nguyen-nhan-phuc-tap-ve-con-sot-giao-vien-muon-bo-nghe-2393177.html