In the minds of most people, teachers have always been the "engineers of the human soul", and their dedication and selfless dedication have paved the way for the growth of countless students.
However, behind the glory lies a deep sadness and endless exhaustion.
Recently, I saw a set of statistics from a town's education office on the Internet:
Of the 323 teachers in the town, 19 have died in the past four years, and 12 are unable to continue working due to illness, accounting for nearly one-tenth of the total.
This data is embarrassing, but what is even more shocking is that the average life expectancy of deceased teachers is only 64 years old, and the average life expectancy of Chinese in 2023 has reached 78.6 years.
Why is the average life expectancy of teachers so low?
This phenomenon is not an isolated case, but a widespread problem.
On the morning of October 14, 2021, Yang Xiaoyu, vice principal of Taikang No. 1 High School (Jiayin High School) in Zhoukou City, Henan Province, died of a sudden illness on the way to work at the age of 48.
Such tragedies are not uncommon among teachers:
36-year-old Li Junsheng died suddenly of illness in class,
41-year-old Jian Fengfeng died of a sudden illness on the way from work.
Peng Dongping, 44, collapsed on the podium after continuous classes......
These vivid lives were burned out one by one in the education post, and finally turned into silent lamentations.
The profession of teacher, in addition to the aura on the surface, has an indescribable pressure behind it.
The superposition of a large number of non-teaching tasks, the increasing requirements of parents, the increasing difficulty of student management, and the complicated affairs such as various supervision and evaluation, standard acceptance, etc., have gradually eroded their physical and mental health.
Statistics show that more than 80% of the teachers are in a sub-health state, 10% suffer from serious diseases, and less than 10% are truly healthy.
As a teacher, you may find that no matter how hard you try, there always seems to be work that you can't finish and homework that you can't finish.
The daily life of an elementary school teacher may tell the whole story:
I woke up at five o'clock in the morning and was still preparing for the next day's classes at ten o'clock in the evening.
The situation is even worse for secondary school teachers, who wake up early and return late, and sleep deprivation is almost the norm.
Long working hours, heavy tasks, and poor health seem to herald a heart-wrenching fate: short lives have become a common fate for many teachers.
And all this, in addition to overwork, is also closely related to the accumulation of bad emotions.
Modern medical research has shown that cancer, hypertension, coronary heart disease and other diseases are closely related to long-term stress and bad mood.
Even more frustrating is the fact that there is a serious inequality in the distribution of resources within the education system.
The number of people in leadership positions is "overstaffed", and there are fewer and fewer front-line teachers who really undertake teaching tasks.
A teacher often has to take on the task of teaching multiple classes, and is exhausted without the understanding and support they deserve.
The mischievous behaviour of students, the high expectations of parents, and even the harsh criticism of society all make teachers feel stressed.
What's more, in the face of vexatious parents, even if teachers are wronged, they can only endure in silence, because they shoulder the future of their students and bear heavy moral responsibilities.
Sudden death is not accidental, but the revenge of the body after a long period of lack of rest and adjustment.
Isn't it worth pondering the occurrence of such a tragedy?
Are we really concerned about the physical and mental health of our teachers?
The health of teachers is not only related to their personal quality of life, but also related to the sustainable development of the entire educational cause.
If the society doesn't care about you, the leaders don't care about you, the school doesn't care about you, and the parents don't care about you, then please learn to care about yourself.
The body is the capital of the revolution, no matter how much you love your work, please do not trade your health for so-called "achievements".
Remember: no matter how talented and ideal a teacher is, all efforts will be in vain if he does not have a healthy body as a foundation.
It is hoped that the whole society can face up to this problem and effectively improve the working environment and conditions of teachers, so that they can enter their retirement life safely and healthily, and no longer become a tragic role of "burning themselves out and illuminating others".