Authors: Jessica-Leigh Arnold
Abstract: Teachers in the United Arab Emirates are currently operating in a high-pressure educational environment. Teachers’ responsibilities have expanded considerably, from simply giving high- quality instruction to also adapting for different learners, addressing Additional Learning Needs, participating in Professional Learning Communities, meeting numerous professional development requirements, and engaging in extremely regular interaction with parents. While many of these initiatives seem well-intentioned and align with the UAE’s goals of inclusion and future-proofing education, they collectively contribute to an overburdened outlook that can be detrimental to teaching outcomes and teacher health. Research on teacher pressure in this area has included secondary sources and other materials, such as local studies on teacher stress and attrition, as well as global research on work intensity. The elements of teacher pressure and the gap between official expectations and institutional functioning in the UAE are extensive. According to the study, some of the pressures identified include differentiated teaching for ALN students, the accumulation of responsibilities, and frequent, sometimes time-consuming PLC and PD structures. This paper would thus conclude by proposing a school-level remedy, with the top priority of ensuring that teacher exhaustion or energy use is directed only toward the most essential aspects of learning.
