Dear Editor,
Parents need to be aware that the future lies in what we do in the present and lies in the youth of today. I have never been at a loss for words, but this recent spate of parental attacks on teachers, has certainly left me bereft of words. Compounding the swirling miasma was the statement given by Coretta Mc Donald, General Secretary of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) also a Member of Parliament, who des-cribed the two recent occurrences at Graham’s Hall and St. Angela’s primary schools as sad, but acknowledged that it is not a new phenomenon. If it is not new, then what did they prior do? Given that this seems to be happening more frequently, what are the causes of this lack of respect for teachers, and where is this all headed? Some of the answers have to do with the perceived status of teachers at the governmental and societal level of stratification.
Years ago, teachers were among the most educated members of their communities. This meant that they were, to a large extent, looked up to because of their learning. This has all changed with politics becoming a reason why teachers are not receiving the respect they deserve. August 2018 saw teachers taking industrial action against the former government in support of wage increases. Education was regarded as a political backwater, senior levels of government had little interest in education, and little reason to pay attention to it. Additionally, parents and their attitudes have changed. During my school years, if you got into trouble in class, not only were you disciplined by the teacher (or worse, the principal), you got it double at home. Nowadays many parents start with the assumption that their little darlings must be right, and therefore the teacher must be wrong. So, they attack the teacher who had the temerity to discipline, or even give a poor grade to little Shaquana or Jaleel. Having a cell phone in class also alerts the parents fast.
Carl Jung the famous psychiatrist and psychoanalyst explained that we tend to attack in others what we are most uncomfortable with in ourselves. Other surprising reasons, though far-fetched as they may appear, are that the attacker usually in the single parent, many children, trying to make- ends-meet category is extremely pressed for time. She is tired, frayed around the edges, with lots of repressed anger, and lacks the patience to take a deeper look at what is going on with her kids. Part of the displayed overreaction may also be due to guilt. Since she is unable to spend enough time with or on the kids, she compensates for it by trying to be the “good girl”. This means allowing the child to make the teacher the bad guy. Additionally, some children serve as decoration for their parent’s egos. How dare a teacher diss their child, who is after all a manifestation of their very being, and a showcase for the superiority of their genes? The system also works against teachers.
Generations ago, discipline could mean some form of humiliation (put your face/stand in the corner), a smack on the hand with a ruler, or even being sent to the headmaster for the strap. Today, all of these are considered Dark Age remedies, and teachers are almost powerless in matters of discipline. Worse, they often fear repercussions of even a mild rebuke. Since such repercussions can be anything from a verbal confrontation with an irate parent, to physical assault from either the parent or the student, threats of a lawsuit, charges of assault, or worse, sexual assault, the risks are high and the payoff is minimal. This means that the motivation for teachers to discipline at all approaches zero. Notwithstanding, most teachers do not join the job expecting to deploy self-defense strategies in the classroom. Violence and threats against teachers are severe problems with long-term consequences.
Not only does an attack have a harmful impact on the teacher who is attacked, but also on the pupil offender, the rest of the pupil body, the school’s future, and the community. Heads of schools and teachers should become proactive in describing the responsibilities of all parties, teachers and parents alike. There should be a clear set of guidelines about what constitutes acceptable behaviour, what are the consequences for unacceptable behaviour, and the process parents must follow regarding a disciplinary decision. It should be mandatory for all parents to sign an acknowledgement of reading and understanding of these issues, with a copy given to the parents and a copy retained in the student’s school record. The work that teachers do is critical to the success of society, whether or not parents understand or acknowledge it. So, we need solutions that look at the profession as a whole. Assault on teachers goes beyond simple disrespect, and a clear message should be sent to all parents countrywide that will serve as a deterrent to the next likely pugilist(s).
Parental assault will bring the student’s education to an abrupt halt. Parents should also be mindful that contrary to what they may think, a school is also someone else’s workplace, and that their child will suffer an educational drawback following any teacher attack. Aleuta continua—- The struggle continues.
Sincerely,
Y. Sam
