The teaching profession is one career field that faces high emotional stress, compared

with other careers (Cooper, 1995). Based on Cooper statement and the above illustration,
discuss steps that can be carried out by the individual teacher or the school
management in evading and minimizing the risks of emotional disturbances and to what
extent the steps taken is effective in handling emotional disturbances among teachers.

Elaborate also the proactive steps or measures which can be carried out by teachers to
assist students who experience emotional problems. Provide justifications on the
proactive measures based on proven evidence.

1.0 INTRODUCTION

According to Prof. Dr. Eddy Lion (2015), the teaching profession is one of the oldest
professions in the world. Since the beginning of the formal education system which was
introduced by the colonials to the current date after so many year of independence our
education system and philosophy had undergone various changes. In recent days the role of
teacher and school had been reconstructed with the introduction of the Malaysian Education
Blueprint (2013-2025) (Ministry of Education, 2011). Once the main task of the teacher is as a
presenter of knowledge opting to fully teacher centered teaching but today teachers roles are
reversed as teachers’ acts more like a facilitators in the teaching and learning process.

In order to become an efficient teacher, they need to have a sense of confidence to be able
to deal with the situation and the rapid changes that occurs in current education scenario. If
these challenges and changes cannot be properly addressed and handled, the teacher will feel
emotionally depressed and may be mentally ill.

In the field of teaching, emotional stress is inevitable because many elements of the
work situation can be stressful especially when teachers are faced with various challenges in
education. Kyriacou (2000) emphasizes that the teacher refers to the experience against
unwanted emotions such as stress, frustration, anxiety, anger and depression as a result of their
burdening duties as a teacher. The emotional pressure of the teacher should be given serious
attention as it is not only giving affect the teacher, but also a generation of students and the
nation as an whole. There are steps that can be taken by the management and the individual
teachers in order to avoid or reduce the risk of emotional disturbances.

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2.0 MANAGEMENT (School administration and Ministry of Education)

The stress and emotional disturbance falls on the teachers, not only because of their personal
problems. Most of the time it was the increasing expectations and responsibilities placed by the
school administration and the Ministry of Education. Apart from teaching in the classroom,
teachers nowadays have to do paper works, conduct programmes and fulfil many more
responsibilities in the school. Thus the administration can follow the following steps to overcome
emotional disturbance among teachers.

2.1 Review Disciplinary Policies

The management should review the existing disciplinary policies. The level of student
misconduct becomes one of the causes for the teacher to experience emotional stress. A robust
new policy needs to be tapped to be applied in all schools. The power of caning a student for
example is still an endless issue. The power to cane should be given to teachers to form a good
student's character. The management should provide guidelines or limitations on the power line
to avoid abuse of power. Through this, teachers can control emotional stress by controlling
student movements during learning and facilitating.

2.2 Introduce Teaching Assistants

The Ministry of Education is working together to work hard to help solve problems faced
by teachers in Malaysia. One of the recommendations to reduce teacher burden is by limiting
the number of pupils in the classroom so that the teacher delivery system will be more effective
and able to control students. Among the tasks that teachers need to bear in addition to teaching
and facilitating tasks are student data recording, filling out forms, providing 001 cards, collecting
fees, clerical and others as well. This issue can be overcome by creating another position such
as teacher assistant in the school. Assistant may perform other administrative work that is not in
the field of teaching and facilitating tasks. This can help and ease the task of teachers at school
and also reduce their emotional stress.

2.3 Reduce Unnecessary Workload

Most teachers face emotional stress when faced with time and resource constraints. The
aspects that need to be addressed to address emotional stress are time constraints,
uncomfortable classrooms, large number of students in a classroom, syllabus claims, lack of
teaching aids and the atmosphere of a dense and uncomfortable teacher room. The

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management should reduce paper works and other clerical works to bare minimum. According
to a study carried out, in Malaysian Education systems teachers need to fill up 54 systems and
files. By reducing this work stress, teachers will have enough time to focus on teaching and
facilitating. Teachers can use free time to control their emotional pressure.

2.4 Increase Reward

Management needs to increase rewards in the form of promotion, better pay and
professional support in order to reduce the teacher's emotional pressure and to carry out the
task of teaching and facilitating well. According to B. F Skinner (1938), positive reinforcement
given is an extrinsic motivation that will encourage teachers to carry out their responsibilities
with excitement. The emphasis given must also be clear and systematic. Lack of motivation may
be a factor for teachers to experience emotional stress. Most likely teachers will experience
emotional stress if their sacrifices are less appreciated by the administrator.

3.0 TEACHERS ROLE

Teachers are the pillars of state education that build nation nations. Teachers need to take
effective measures to reduce the risk of emotional disturbances. Teachers themselves should
take the initiative to maintain their emotional state.

3.1 Self-Regulation

One of the skills that a teacher needs to have is self-regulation. Teachers with self-
regulatory skills can control themselves and reduce their negative feelings. This can help
teachers to recover from emotional stress. It is not the managements sole effort but also self-
taught teachers need to have intrinsic motivation to bring themselves to success. Individuals
with high self-motivation are always confident when facing problems or in high frustration

3.2 Good Interpersonal Skills

Additionally, teachers need to improve interpersonal relationships in schools. A teacher

who has bad interpersonal relationships will also cause the teacher to experience emotional
stress during work. It will affect and imply imperfections on the quality of the work of the
teachers. Teachers need to enhance the two-way communication skills between teachers and
management to reduce emotional stress between them during the assignment given by the
administration. Good communication can prevent teachers from falling into emotional distress
when they were burdened with assignments from school administration.

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3.3 Find Healthy Way

Then teachers should find a healthy way to release emotional distress. Problems arise
as teacher keeps all the emotional disturbances to themselves. Thus teachers need to find a
healthy way such as exercising or going for vacation to maintain their emotions. By doing so,
teachers are able to deviate their mind off the problems in the school. They will be able to be
free from their problem thus they will be able to think more clearly. This is because if the
teachers keep on thinking about the problem, they are only going to increase stress.

3.4 Break Bad Habits

Teachers should also break bad habits that lead to emotional disturbances. Teacher
should resist perfectionism by avoiding unrealistic goals for them and the pupils. Teachers often
face emotional disturbances as they expectations are not met. Teachers should aim to do the
best because that is what they are capable of doing. Teachers should also flip negative thinking.
If the teachers focus too much on the negative feelings in the end they are going to find
themselves drained of energy and motivation. Teachers should always keep positive attitudes
about their work and the pupils and make sure they complement themselves for every single
achievements. One of the way to break bad habits is finding humour in every situation. When
used appropriately, humour can help teachers to regulate their emotions.

3.5 Get Support And Help

Teachers should also get some support when their emotional disturbances are going out
of hand. Teachers should realise that sometimes they need the help of others to overcome their
problems. They should talk to someone that they can trust such as family and friends. In some
instances, talking about the problem with someone can give insights on how to solve the
problem. Thus emotional disturbances can be resolved. Teachers must also refer to certified
counsellors and psychologist if they cannot handle their emotional disturbances so that they can
get professional help.

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4.0 REGULATING PUPILS EMOTION

As quoted from the Student Council (2012), National Health and Morbidity Survey, survey
findings show that 14.4 percentage of teenagers aged 16 to 19 have mental health problems
compared to adults who recorded 11.2 percentage of cases. The study also showed that as a
whole, 11 percentage of young people aged 16 to 24 has ever thought of committing suicide.
Based on the study, a high percentage of cases indicate that students experience emotional
stress from primary schools that transmitted to mental disorders. Emotional stress needs to be
dealt in schools and teachers and management plays a pivotal role in scrubbing the problem.

4.1 Holistic assessment

As a teacher, the level of readiness of students during learning and facilitating should be
monitored so that the emotions of the pupils are always in good condition and ready to learn.
Education today does not only emphasize achievement in tests and examinations, but every
aspect should be noted. This can be seen in the Malaysian Education Development Plan (2013-
2025) and the National Education Philosophy that calls upon educators to develop the individual
potential of the pupils in a holistic and integrated way to create intellectual, physical, emotional,
spiritual, and social aspect. Thus teachers nowadays should not brand pupils as they must
realise each pupils have different talents and interests.

4.2 Plan Activities

Teachers play an important role in controlling and stabilizing student emotions at school.
The management and teachers should develop a curriculum activity to inculcate positive
emotion among students. Various activities can be undertaken to enhance their level of
leadership and ability at all times and all the efforts taken by teachers are to realize the dream of
their pupils. The activities carried out should help pupils to help maintain their emotions at an
optimum level.

4.3 Personal Assistance

A teacher should be closer to the students with emotional disorders. Teachers who need to bear
responsibility for the students are always concerned about the behavior of students. Teachers
are also always willing to provide help and assistance when needed by students who
experience emotional disturbances. According to B. F Skinner, quoted from Student and
Learning Nature (Noriati A. Rashid, Boon Pong Ying, Sharifah Fakriah Ahmad & Zuraidah A.

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Majid, 2010) positive reinforcement given by teachers can encourage students to produce high
quality work. The emphasis given must also be clear and systematic. Only specific behaviors
need to be reinforced. Teachers must also be sincere. Through this, students are always eager
and show high confidence when dealing with emotional disorders. So with this, students will be
free of emotional disturbances.

4.3 Create Teamwork in Class

One who can help students who are faced with emotional stress is the teachers of each
class. Teachers need to cultivate the attitude that pupils are part of the classroom to help and
control their emotions. Teachers need to ensure that all students are involved in the activities
being implemented in the school so that no students feel left out. Through this, teachers can
ensure that all students are actively involved and help students who have emotional disorders.
By doing so, pupils can help each other if they have any emotional disturbance.

4.4 Teach Values

Furthermore, the proactive steps that teachers can implement are applying the noble
values of the students. Pupils need to be applied with pure values in order to apply in everyday
life. Teachers can take the opportunity to apply and emphasize the moral values of the students
during learning and facilitating in the classroom. Through this, pupils can maintain good
personal and social relationships. Teachers need to be unbiased when serving students in their
class. Fair and safe service to all students without individual differences will create a good and
safe environment for students. It can maintain a good student's emotion throughout the learning
and facilitating time.

4.5 Democratic Leadership

Democratic leadership in the classroom will be a two-way communication that brings a

healthy atmosphere among the students. Teachers need to practice democratic leadership as
one of the steps to help students who experience emotional disturbances. Democratic
leadership can reduce the tense atmosphere and encourage students to be with the teacher.
Students will also be willing to give their opinions and will not feel ashamed of the teacher for a
conversation. This will also encourage students to engage actively in group activities
automatically. Task-centered activities will stimulate student's active thinking. The management
of many group activities will provide students with the opportunity to show their hidden talent.

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4.6 Observe from Young

Emotional disorders among pupils can be contained if observed from childhood. As a

teacher, they must take responsibility for the behaviour of the pupils in order to prevent
emotional disturbances in the right way. Finally, teachers and students should work together to
ensure learning and facilitating is free from emotional stress. This will create a desired and
positive emotion among the students and teachers involved.

5.0 CONCLUSION

It cannot be denied that teachers and students often experience emotional disturbances
even though the level of stress experienced is different. Emotional stress should be taken
seriously by all parties such as the school, the State Education Department and the Ministry of
Education to avoid damaging the development of education in world-class Malaysia. The initial
steps need to be taken to curb students' emotional disorders and emotional stress before they
spread and become synonymous with the teaching profession. The saying goes is better than
preventing it. Therefore, the proposed measures will benefit all parties in dealing with emotional
disorders. Indeed, the quality of good teaching is the coming of a healthy teacher and free from
emotional stress.

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REFERENCES

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Kemanusiaan, 104-118.

Lion, P. D. (2015). Kemampuan Profesional Guru dalam Pembelajaran Efektif. Jurnal

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