One of the inspiring professions that helps every child to become successful is teaching. Teachers who teach for about 7 to 8 hours daily have a high risk of developing mental and physical health hazards. Even with such difficulties, they never fail to inspire their students to move toward success. This blog will explain all the health hazards every teacher may face and how to prevent them.
Health hazards faced by teachers
Teachers of today’s age are expected to handle numerous things in their profession. From paper correction to student behavior management, teachers need to take care of every single thing in their classroom. Let us look at the top five types of health hazards that every teacher may face, along with their remedies.
1 Stress
Nowadays, most people from various professions struggle with pressure. Teachers who handle students of different age groups are easily prone to stress because of their students’ varied behavior. They also need to take care of all the tedious activities inside a classroom. Because of handling this for a prolonged time, they become exhausted and tired often. It may also lead to physical complications such as headaches, neck pain, etc.
In order to help teachers come out of stress, school management should arrange trips or gatherings for teachers at regular intervals. Schools should also encourage teachers to perform stress management activities like yoga, meditation, etc., to feel energized.
2 Blood pressure
Teachers who are stressed for an extended time have a higher risk of developing blood pressure. Experienced teachers who are above forty years of age should constantly check their blood pressure levels.
Schools should provide teachers with one or two days off to check on their health and manage their personal life. Besides that, it is recommended for teachers to have a group among themselves where they can help and support each other.
3 Throat infections
We all know how noisy a classroom would be, especially primary classes. Teachers speak loudly to make them audible to their students while teaching. They also need to teach non-stop for about 6 to 7 hours daily when they handle different classes. This constant shouting for hours makes their vocal chord more prone to infections. Teachers often struggle with throat diseases and feel discomfort in speaking because of restless speaking.
Schools should implement proper audio systems and speakers to help teachers teach without shouting. If a classroom has more students, providing mics for the teacher will help them speak without having to be louder.
4 Posture problems is a common health hazard
Teachers often struggle with bad postures and back pains because of standing and teaching every day for about 6 to 7 hours. They also go from one classroom to another, climb stairs by carrying a bundle of notebooks, sit for longer hours while correcting exam papers, etc., which leads to bad posture. Standing for long hours may also lead to vein issues and back problems.
Schools should provide teachers with helping assistants to assist them and also enough time to refresh themselves. Providing comfortable chairs and desks is also necessary to keep themselves relaxed during breaks and free times. School management should arrange some physical activity sessions for teachers to improve posture and prevent themselves from muscle and nerve problems because of prolonged standing.
5 Infections
Since teachers come in contact with numerous students every day, they are more prone to infections such as fever, cold, cough, etc. They have to use chalk and blackboards more often, which is one of the possible allergens to many people.
Replacing black boards with white boards helps teachers to teach without struggling with dust. Also, teachers should take enough precautions like using masks, sanitizers, etc., to be free from infections.
Advantages of online classes
After the pandemic, online classes prevent teachers from struggling with these problems. They don’t need to stand for long hours and can comfortably sit and teach their students.
No matter how many students attend the session, teachers don’t need to shout and can speak in a normal audible voice because of microphones. Every student can clearly hear their teacher’s voice because of the speakers.
Teachers will be less stressed since they can handle all the classroom activities in one place. Since teaching has become virtual, students and teachers do not need to worry about infections.
To Wrap up
Teachers deserve huge respect and honor since teaching is not one of the easiest professions in this world. Apart from all health hazards, they would always be determined to educate their students and make them more successful than themselves. Let us take a moment to appreciate all the teachers out there and pay respect to them for their efforts!
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