1.

0 Introduction

Novice teacher is someone who is teaching something new for the first time or who has
entered a new cultural context for the first time (Farrel, 2012). There is also no consensus on how
many years of teaching are necessary to end this novice stage. Some researchers defined a
novice as a teacher with less than five years of teaching experience (Kim & Roth, 2011). Others
referred to it as a teacher with two years of teaching experience or less (Haynes, 2011). Novice
teachers, especially in Malaysia, often do not feel adequately prepared for the challenges they Commented [G1]: Inserted: ,
face in their first five years of teaching in a school. This is because, they experience an intricate Commented [G2]: Inserted: ,
transition from the teacher education institutions to life in real school (Fatiha, 2013). It takes time Commented [G3]: Deleted:s
for them to digest and adapt the situation which is totally different from what they expect and what
they face in reality. We should understand that we live in a global economy that requires the
teachers to be prepared to think both critically and creatively, evaluate massive amounts of
information, solve complex problems, and communicate well. Therefore, the novice teachers had
to be flexible and always be ready to face the consequences in their schools.

The purpose of this essay is to discuss the main two challenges that faced by a novice
teacher that I interviewed recently and to briefly analyze how she managed to overcome the Commented [G4]: Inserted: z
issues as well as the status quo of the challenges. There will be two main issues will be discussed Commented [G5]: Deleted:s

in this essay which are bully cases of the novice teachers and racial issues among the pupils.

2.0 Profile and background of the teacher

This essay was written based on an interview carried out with a teacher who is currently
working in a national primary school. Her name is Jeeva (pseudonym) and she is 27 years old.
Jeeva is an Indian and she is from Taiping, Perak. Miss Jeeva studied in IPG Kampus Tunku
Bainun and now she is working in a school for 3 years. Her major subject is Teaching English as
Second Language (TESL) while her minor subject is “Pendidikan Kesihatan”.

3.0 Profile of the school

Miss Jeeva is currently working in a national primary school which is located in Bagan
Serai, Perak. The school is a semi-rural school as it is located somewhere near the oil palm tree Commented [G6]: Inserted: -
plantation area. This school consists of 72 students (Year 1 to Year 6) and 12 teachers. According Commented [G8]: Deleted: –

to what Miss Jeeva reported, the majority of the pupils here are Malay and only 3 Indians and 2
Chinese students are studying in this school. Commented [G7]: Inserted: the

4.0 Description of the interview

 Due to time constraint and distance, I had to carry out my interview through social media
because I had no time to meet Miss Jeeva as she is way too far from my place. Two different
modes had been used in this interview which is Email and Whatsapp. I sent her questionnaire Commented [G9]: Inserted: is
through Email and further clarifications regarding the issues were obtained through Whatsapp. Commented [G11]: Deleted:are
Commented [G10]: Inserted: ere
5.0 Discussion of findings
Commented [G12]: Deleted:as

5.1 1st challenge – senior teachers bullying the novice teachers

According to Department of Education (2018), senior teachers are experienced teachers

committed to high quality of teaching and ongoing professional learning. They play an important
role in developing pedagogy, contributing to curriculum development, providing mentoring,
supervision, professional support, counseling, and guidance for the teachers but in this school, Commented [G15]: Deleted:l
none of the senior teachers were supportive to the novice teachers who just entered the school. Commented [G13]: Inserted: ,
Commented [G14]: Inserted: e
Miss Jeeva stated that she also had been treated so badly by the senior teachers in this
school. This is because, when she first entered the school, the senior teachers started to bully
her by giving a lot of works such as preparing paperwork for every programme and school
projects, take charge of the school sports day, preparing tasks and activities for the pupils and
also entering relief classes for other teachers. When she confronted one of the senior teachers in
the school, he said that the senior teachers in the school already gone through this stage and
now they want the new teachers to learn how to manage things without the help of the senior
teachers. Hence, without proper guidance and support from them, Miss Jeeva suffered a lot
because she was also pressured by the school headmaster.

5.1.1 Response

As a result, Miss Jeeva has to undergo medication because she was too depressed until
she started to fall sick regularly. Due to her health condition, she has to take leave from school
frequently so that she can rest at home. Besides, Miss Jeeva also told that she attended a few
counseling sessions. According to Richard (2011), clients need counseling so that they could set Commented [G16]: Deleted:,
their goals and also encourage them to achieve what they want. Since Miss Jeeva was under Commented [G17]: Deleted:l

depression, she has to meet up with her counselor regularly because she needed motivation and Commented [G18]: Deleted:l
a solution for her problems so that she can cope with the school environment. Besides, she also
felt thankful because at that time, her family was her only support and that was the main reason
how she had overcome this issue.

5.1.2 Status Quo

 After a few months, she was advised not to take too much of medicines for her depression
as it can cause side effects. So, she slowly stopped taking medicines and learn how to overcome
depression on her own with the support of her family members. She also managed to complete
her tasks on time and she learned to adapt the school environment. Additionally, some of her
senior teachers from other schools also taught and guided her on how to prepare paper works for Commented [G19]: Deleted:,
the school programmes. Somehow, with her hard work and the strong spirit, she managed to
overcome this issue and still surviving in the school.

5.1.3 Lessons learned Commented [G20]: Inserted: ed

Commented [G21]: Deleted:t
The lessons that I have learned from this issue is that it is important for a novice teacher
Commented [G22]: Inserted: ed
to maintain a good rapport with the school teachers and also the administrators. The novice
Commented [G23]: Deleted:t
teachers must have a good relationship with all the teachers so that they can always seek help
Commented [G24]: Deleted:,
whenever they need. This will eventually help the novice teachers to learn from the working
colleagues on how to cope with the work based on their experience and knowledge (Northern Commented [G25]: Deleted: for
Michigan University, 2018). For example, a novice teacher can learn how to prepare paperwork
and the procedures that they should follow to get carry out a programme in school from the senior
teachers as they have already gone through all these stages where they have to lead certain
programmes in order to accomplish their task successfully.

Moreover, being a novice teacher is not easy as they have to be mentally and physically
strong where they must be prepared to face all kind of situation and be able to solve the problems
in a positive way. Novice teachers must also adapt the school environment and make themselves
comfortable so that they can work together with the other teachers. This can lead the senior
teachers to have a good impression on the teacher as they will slowly start to accept the novice
teacher as their colleague and offer themselves to the novice teachers whenever they need help
(Patrick, 2011). When they work together to complete a task, they can certainly create a good
understanding where they can know about each other better. For example, when a senior teacher
and a new teacher are assigned to complete a task, they must have a good communication skill
so that they can discuss their task to complete it successfully. Therefore, it is important for a
novice teacher to handle a situation in a positive way in order to avoid problems.

5.2 2nd challenge – Racial issues among the pupils

As what she has reported in her interview when she first entered the school, she could
Commented [G26]: Deleted:,
see biases and discriminations in the school. Since the majority of the pupils are Malay, the pupils
Commented [G27]: Deleted:n
normally mingle around only with their own ethnic groups as they find it comfortable to talk to each
Commented [G28]: Deleted:s
other. This is something that should not happen in schools because the pupils must be taught to
be good to everyone and be friends with everyone regardless the race and gender so that they
can practice some moral values in their lives and learn each other's culture is important as it Commented [G29]: Deleted:ing
influences their views, their values, their humor, their hopes, their loyalties, and their worries and
fears (Marya, 2017). So when we are working with people and building relationships with them, it
helps to have some perspective and understanding of their cultures.

Since the Malays are more comfortable mingling around with their own race, the Chinese and
Indian pupils were left out in the school and what made her worry was that not only the pupils but
the teachers also discriminate other races. One example that she stated is that, during her school Commented [G32]: Deleted: to
potluck day, all the pupils brought food to schools such as snacks, cakes, biscuits, cookies, Commented [G33]: Deleted:,

sweets and they shared the food with each other. While she was enjoying the event, she noticed Commented [G34]: Deleted:,

that the non – muslims pupils were given food by the teachers and they were not allowed to take Commented [G30]: Inserted: s

or touch the food which has been brought by other pupils. The teachers were unfair to the pupils
where the teacher's excess food to everyone but not to the non – muslim pupils. Commented [G31]: Inserted: '

5.2.1 Response

According to Miss Jeeva, this is one of the reasons why the pupils do not like to make
friends with the non – muslims as they are not aware of the cultural diversity and she felt very bad
to see the teachers are the reason behind this issue. A teacher should be a good role model to
their students because the students always follow what the teachers say and do. When she
confronted some of the teachers to discuss this issue, they did not show much interest to this Commented [G35]: Deleted:y
topic where they give more importance to their own race and they do not care about other races
because they are the minority groups in the school.

5.2.2 Status Quo

In this issue, I believe that we should not blame the pupils because the teachers are also
not being as a good example to the pupils as they fail to be fair to the pupils and treat everyone
equally. According to Bennet (2017), he mentioned that teachers’ should provide each student
with an equal opportunity to learn and the teachers’ knowledge as well as their understanding of
culture could help all students reach their potential. It is clear that teachers play an important role
in bringing a difference to a students' mindset. Thus, Miss Jeeva decided to change the school’s Commented [G36]: Inserted: a
situation where she started to conduct cultural programmes such as “Talent Show”, “Cultural
Month”, “National Day Celebration” and celebrate every festival in school by asking all the pupils
to take part in the event. The pupils have to gather information about different races and their
cultures and present their findings during assembly. They also have to wear the traditional attire
of other races to reflect the lives of plural and also the unity of our country. This can eventually
help the pupils to get together with everyone in school as well as have a better understanding
about other races. Commented [G37]: Inserted: a

5.2.3 Lessons learned Commented [G38]: Inserted: ed

Commented [G39]: Deleted:t
The lessons that I have learned through this issue is that a teacher's work is not only to teach the
Commented [G40]: Inserted: ed
pupils so that they can score well in their examinations, but a teacher should also play an
Commented [G43]: Deleted:t
important role in shaping up a student's character. Being a teacher in a national school is not easy
because the teacher has to treat everyone equally regardless of the pupil’s ethnic group, status, Commented [G41]: Inserted: s
religion, family background and so on because teaching profession is a noble profession and they Commented [G44]: Deleted:,

must be a good role model for their pupils. Excellent teachers are those who can inspire the Commented [G45]: Deleted:ve

intellectual, social, and personal development of all their students to their highest potential
(Bennet, 2015). Therefore, important for a teacher to practice good values so that they can
become their student’s inspiration. One of the novice teacher's biggest challenges in a national
school is, even though they are new to the school, they should not ignore or overlook the problems
happen to them. Meanwhile, it is important for the novice teacher to be bold in stopping racial Commented [G42]: Inserted: t
issues among pupils so that it would not affect the pupils’ future and the school’s name. Excellent Commented [G46]: Deleted:ar

teachers are those who can inspire the intellectual, social, and personal development of all their Commented [G47]: Deleted:und

students to their highest potential. Thus, it is important for a novice teacher to treat everyone
equally without being bias especially when they work in a national school.

Apart from that, instilling good moral values and unity among pupils is also one of the
lessons that I learned from this challenge. According to Pinar (2013), he stated that a novice Commented [G48]: Inserted: ed
teacher especially those who work in a national school must create awareness among the pupils Commented [G50]: Deleted:t

since they are young so that they can stay united with other ethnic groups and live peacefully in
this country when they grow old. This is because, when the pupils mix around with others, they Commented [G51]: Deleted:s
tend to learn more about others culture and traditions and they will be aware of what they should
and should not do according to their beliefs. I also learned that a novice teacher, especially when
they are new to a school should not let the pupils be racist so that this issue would not happen Commented [G49]: Inserted: ed
when they go to secondary school. Commented [G52]: Deleted:t
Commented [G53]: Deleted:to
6.0 Conclusion

As a conclusion, a professional teacher should always be open-minded and instill moral

values in their daily lives so that their students would be able to transform into a better person Commented [G54]: Inserted: -
with positive characters as well as able to meet the teachers’ expectations. Even though
beginning teachers enter classrooms today with high expectations for themselves and for their
students, they must be always ready to accept the situation as what and how it is. We know that
the first year of teaching is a sobering experience for most new teachers yet, most of the teachers
manage to survive in their profession and achieve their life goals even they enter the profession Commented [G55]: Inserted: f
with differing levels of preparation, experience, and expertise. Like the students they will serve, Commented [G56]: Deleted:v

they come with a variety of expectations, hopes, dreams, and understandings. Most of these new
teachers expect that they will be successful. Many are highly motivated and feel they will be able
to positively influence student learning. Others are less certain about teaching as a career choice.
However, all of these new teachers should help to shape the students’ character and overcome
the challenges positively of our future nation.
References

Fatiha Senom, Abd. Razak. (2013). Novice teachers’ challenges and survival. American Journal
of Educational Research. 1(4), 119 – 125.

Department of Education. (2018). Working in public education. Retrieved on 9 March 2018 from
http://det.wa.edu.au/careers/detcms/navigation/teachers-and-school-leaders/career
opportunities/senior-teacher/

Richard M.Ryan. (2011). Motivation and autonomy in counseling, psychotherapy, and behavior Commented [G57]: Inserted: ,
change: A look at theory and practice. The Counseling Psychologist. 39(2), 193 – 260.

Northern Michigan University. (2018). Tips for the beginning teacher. Retrieved on 9 March 2018
from https://www.nmu.edu/education/tips-beginning-teacher

Patrick Picard. (2011). Beginning teachers and their challenges - CIDREE Yearbook 2011. Lyon,
France.

Farrell, T. S. C. (2012). Novice-Service language teacher development: Bridging the gap between
preservice and in-service education and development. TESOL Quarterly, 46(3), 435
- 449.

Kim, K., & Roth, G. (2011). Novice teachers and their acquisition of work-related information.
Current Issues in Education, 14 (1). Retrieved on March 11, 2018, from Commented [G58]: Inserted: ,
http://cie.asu.edu/

Haynes, L. (2011). Novice teachers' perceptions of their mentoring experiences. ProQuest

Dissertations & Theses (PQDT). Retrieved on March 11, 2018, from http://search. Commented [G59]: Inserted: ,
proquest.com/docview/922678446?accountid=13014 Commented [G60]: Deleted::

Pinar Karatas. (2013). The role of teachers and schools in shaping students’ engagement, drive
and self-beliefs. American Journal of Educational Research. Volume 5(3), 118 – 128

Marya Axner. (2017). Understanding culture and diversity in building communities. Community
Tool Box. Retrieved on 11 March 2018 from https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of Commented [G61]: Deleted:,
contents/culture/cultural-competence/culture-and-diversity/main

Bennet, B.G. (2015). Multicultural education of children and adolescents (4th ed). United States
of America: Pearson Education.Inc.
Appendix

Name : Jeeva (pseudonym)

Age : 27 years old

Hometown : Taiping, Perak

Gender : Female

Race : Indian

Marital status : Single

School : SK *** Bagan Serai, Perak

Former IPG : IPG Kampus Tungku Bainun, Pulau Pinang

Course : TESL and ‘Pendidikan Kesihatan’

Teaching experience : 3 years

1. What are the challenges that you faced when you first entered the school as a new
teacher?
To be honest, I really enjoyed working as a teacher because teaching is my passion and
since young, I wanted to be a teacher. So, when I entered the school as a new teacher,
like the other teachers, I also had a lot of expectations in the school. I never thought that
I will be posted to a semi – rural school but still I am happy that I got posted in my
hometown. One of the challenges that I faced during my first year of teaching in this school
was senior teachers bullying the novice teachers.

I had been treated so badly by the senior teachers because when I first entered
the school, the senior teachers started to bully me by giving a lot of works to complete in
a short period of time. So I had to rush and prepare the necessary things for my class and
at the same time, I also do the works assigned by the senior teachers. I never thought that
the senior teachers will be so cruel like them. I had to prepare paper work for every
 programme and school projects, take charge of the school sports day, prepare tasks and
activities for the pupils and also entering relief classes for other teachers. Even the senior
teachers were too lazy to enter the relief classes.

2. What was the response for this issue?

I confronted one of the senior teachers in the school, he said that the senior teachers in
the school already gone through this stage and now they want the new teachers to learn
how to manage things without the help of the senior teachers. I knew this is too lame but
I had to agree to whatever he said just because he is my senior teacher. So, I realized
that I cannot rely on them anymore whenever I need help. Without proper guidance and
support from them, I suffered a lot because I was also pressured by my school headmaster
to finish my works on time.

Since I cannot take the situation anymore, I had to undergo medication because I was too
depressed until I started to fall sick regularly. Due to her health condition, I had to take
leave from school frequently so that she can rest at home because I was too weak and
worried about my health condition. It is not that I do not want to work, but I could not help
myself. The worst part is, I attended a few counselling sessions to motivate myself
because I was too scared that I might take a bad decision to end this suffer and that God
my parents were with me all the time to take care of me and support me. I could say that,
it is the main reason how I managed to overcome this problem and that is how I slowly
started to recover.

3. What is the result? What did you do after that?

After a few months, I was advised not to take too much of medicines for my depression
as it can cause side effects. So, I slowly stopped taking medicines and learn how to
overcome depression on my own with the support of my family members. To be honest, it
is not easy to do that. You have got to be really strong and keep yourself controlled all the
time. After some times, I managed to complete my tasks on time and I learned to adapt
the school environment. Additionally, some of my senior teachers from other schools, also
taught and guided me on how to prepare paper works for the school programmes.
Somehow, with my hard work, I managed to overcome this issue and still surviving in the
school. I should thank my parents and my colleagues from other school for their support
and love towards me.
4. Can you share another challenge that you faced in your school?
Sure, when I first entered the school as a novice teacher, I was able to see biasness in
the school. Since the majority of the pupils are Malay in my school, the pupils normally
mingle around only with their own ethnic groups as they find it comfortable to talk to each
other. This is something that should not happen in schools especially in national schools
because the pupils must be taught to be good and make friends with everyone regardless
of the race and gender so that they can practice some moral values in their lives as well
as able to learn about others beliefs and cultures.

Since the Malays are more comfortable mingling around with their own race, the
Chinese and Indian pupils were left out in the school and what made me to worry was that,
not only the pupils, but the teachers also discriminate other races. I have never seen such
bad teachers in my life. Last time, during my school potluck day, all the pupils brought
food to school such as snacks, cakes, biscuits, cookies, sweets and they shared the food
with each other. While I was enjoying the event, suddenly I noticed that the non – muslim
pupils were given food by the teachers and they were not allowed to take or touch the food
which has been brought by other pupils. Such cruel people! The teachers were unfair to
the pupils where the teachers excess food to everyone but not to the non – muslim pupils.
I really felt pity for them but at the same time, I felt bad that I could not help them.

5. How can this bring impact on the students?

The pupils do not like to make friends with the non – muslim as they are not aware
of the cultural diversity and I felt very bad to see the teachers are the reason behind this
issue. This is why the students completely avoid the non – muslim students wherever they
go. Basically, a teacher should be a good role model to their students because the
students always follow what they teachers say and do because at their very young age,
they only follow their parents and teachers as they often see them in their daily lives.

6. Did you talk about this to your school teachers?

When I confronted some of the teachers to discuss this issue, they did not show
much interest to this topic where they give more importance to their own race and they do
not care about other races because of they are minority in the school.
7. What is your opinion about this issue?
In this issue, I believe that we should not blame the pupils because the teachers
are also not being as a good example to the pupils as they fail to be fair to the pupils and
treat everyone equally.

8. What did you do to overcome this issue?

I decided to change this situation where I conducted cultural programmes such as
“Talent Show”, “Cultural Month”, “National Day Celebration” and every festival
celebrations in the school by asking all the pupils to take part in the event. The pupils have
to gather information about different races and their cultures and present their findings
during assembly. They also have to wear the traditional attire of other races to reflect the
lives of plural and also the unity of our country. This can eventually help the pupils to get
together with everyone in school as well as have better understanding about other races.