"We often joke every day's a battle of wits and courage," she said.

Others claim that children from one-parent families also tend to be more introverted and sensitive compared to their peers, especially the children of migrant workers.

Children of migrant workers from Sichuan province listen to a lecture given by a teacher at a middle school in Jinjiang, Fujian province. Teachers complain they suffer great stress in the classroom.

"Teachers today don't want more responsibility," said principal Gan. "There are some who say to me that if I insist on giving them more responsibility they will have no choice but to resign."

Evaluation systems in operation at most universities even allow students to grade their tutors, who face being fired if they receive too much negative feedback.

The irony, say critics, is that teachers who go easy on their class often get higher marks than their stricter colleagues.

Calm on campus

Although the Ministry of Education has called on schools nationwide to lighten the load on the shoulders of China's youth, it appears the teachers too need help to ease their burdens.

"It's time we had a professional psychology network that focuses on teachers, especially those in primary and secondary schools, to help them cope," said Tang Linchun, an associate researcher with the Shanghai Academy of Educational Sciences.

"Of course, more understanding and cooperation from parents and students is also needed to relieve the workload," he added.

Beijing Normal University already offers a free course in psychology to all students, which is reaping rewards, especially for those students who are determined to become teachers. The program could be rolled out across the country.

Many schools have also begun organizing fun tours for teachers at the end of every semester, while teachers in Beijing have designated Mondays and Tuesdays "No Complaints Day" to help ease the mood on campus.

However, Nie Zhenwei, director of Beijing Normal University's psychological counseling center, insists the long-term solution is to improve the education for trainee teachers and offer better post-employment services.

"Teachers need to be all-rounders," she said, "so they need to learn how to cope with problems they might face in the future."

The central government has made moves to shift toward a system of quality-orientated education, yet the senior middle school and college entrance exams still have the power to make or break careers.

Educational backgrounds also remain the chief concern of employers when hiring new staff.

"Without a fundamental reform to get away from this deep-rooted fixation with exam performance, it will be hard to ease the pressure on both teachers and students," said Nie.

Gan in Changchun, however, said such a move is "unrealistic at this time" but suggested that a good start would be for the government to "cancel unnecessary checks and visit to schools to give us a more peaceful teaching environment".