SMITH...it doesnât faze me if people want to castigate me for it, but I do not want my teachers to just sit down and allow themselves to become a victim
June 13, 2022
More protection needed for our nation-builders
Dear Editor,
Imagine living in a country where those charged with the strenuous responsibility of nurturing the future and what haplessly appears to be “emerging hooligans” are not inherently given the respect they deserve.
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In a recent viral video depicting what appeared to be an altercation between a student and a teacher — droplets of what can and actually occurs on a daily basis in any given classroom — left a stain that has painted our minds with either sympathy or total disregard for potential events of such nature, a stain that also highlights and goes far beyond that of the behavioural issues and void in the education system. This is a stain of the blatant moral decadence in our Jamaican society that only seeks to devour and never to restore.
A decade ago, a student would never see it fit to disrespect a teacher even if an unjust situation would stimulate or warrant such a reaction; however, students are now unapologetically and deliberately ridiculing teachers, and when a reaction is given and happens to be conveniently videotaped for the public’s opinion, teachers are blamed and forever castigated.
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There is no doubt that there exist teachers who can be provocative; nonetheless, majority of the times, they are the ones being provoked and such provocation, unfortunately, propels them to respond rather violently and/or aggressively.
The snippet of the grand “showdown”, now having made its many rounds on social media platforms, evidently does not provide adequate premise for proper judgement of the situation to be made; nevertheless, students as well as teachers have a responsibility to engage in a pragmatic approach in an effort to achieve substantial resolutions for conflicts.
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This video also impels one to wonder: How can you censure a teacher for merely protecting himself/herself, especially since the Ministry of Education (MOE) still fails to see the need for teachers to be protected at the maximum level?
If the school administrators and the MOE, those given the legal responsibility to serve and protect teachers, cannot ensure their safety, who else is left to render defence when it is needed the most?
As the current Jamaica Teachers’ Association (JTA) president, Winston Smith, rightfully opined, “It doesn’t faze me if people want to castigate me for it, but I do not want my teachers to just sit down and allow themselves to become a victim… so, because you’re trying to be professional you end up [being] professionally dead?” These are words that resonate with many teachers, in and out of the system, because they have little or no support.
The moral decay in our society stems from parents who do not support a culture of ethical values. Parents are most times the leading cause of the atrocities perpetrated by their children who are now decimating what is left of the probity in Jamaica, land we love. They do not know that their opinions and actions, whether they be positive or not, create a lasting impact on these young and undeveloped minds that teachers have to sadly deal with on a daily basis.
In a recent article in the Jamaica Observer titled ‘15-y-o Camperdown schoolgirl held with gun’ we learnt of a student who was apprehended because she had in her possession a lethal weapon. How can a parent or guardian be so careless to allow his or her child to leave the house with a gun? How can you even allow your child or ward to occupy the same space as you do with a gun? Many will respond, “Well, perhaps they were unaware.”
Parents can only be unaware because they are not playing their part in building the welfare of this whole human race. This is not just the teachers’ responsibility but that of the parents as well.
Jovaine K Reid
Lecturer of language studies
jovainereid@gmail.com
