Jaevion Nelson | Students’ behaviour needs to be addressed, too
Published:Monday | November 25, 2019 | 12:00 AM
I feel like we’re stuck as a nation and that we sometimes don’t care to be understanding. I feel we are often too unwilling to see both sides of an issue and recognise that even in doing so, we can still hold people accountable for their actions.
The response to the video of the teacher at Pembroke Hall High School reveals so much about how we think as a people—how unwilling we can be sometimes to be a little more empathetic, and our sometimes-insatiable appetite for a particular kind of accountability that comes off as persecution.
The incident reminds me of that video about a year or two ago of the policewoman who lost it at the station. She was recorded and the video broadcast. People were so unwilling to accept that we all can reach our breaking point. They were unkind to her.
I must confess, I have lots of issues with teachers and the way in which they implement their duties. I have written and spoken about that countless times here and in other spaces. I therefore won’t pretend I am not hard on our educators too, but I think we can see and understand both sides of this particular story, and still agree that the teacher was wrong and should be held accountable.
The truth is, no matter how much we hold it together and respect our uniform, position or title, we will sometimes lose it because we are humans before all of that responsibility. Sometimes it just takes one student being mischievous to trigger you. Sometimes it takes your supervisor not commending you to trigger you. Sometimes it’s people just going about their business.
Accepting this doesn’t mean you are providing justification for an unacceptable behaviour. It doesn’t mean you are suggesting that the teacher shouldn’t be held accountable. Her voice note explaining the situation suggests to me that she knows what transpired was unacceptable.
This incident should catalyse a comprehensive intervention. We must consider mitigating these occurrences in our classrooms. This isn’t the first such incident and it won’t be the last, either. Many of us can give similar or even worse stories. The critical thing is, what are we going to do about this? I sincerely hope the intervention isn’t limited to one thing.
Psychosocial support for teachers
In addition to holding the teacher accountable for her actions, the Ministry of Education and Youth and the Jamaica Teachers’ Association as well as Ministry of Health should work together to address this. They must ensure that going forward, there is greater psychosocial and other support for teachers (as pay isn’t the only thing bothering them).
I’m not sure about the legal ramifications, but I think a meeting and an apology to the students should be one of the actions taken. That is important for the healing and moving forward. Even if she is charged for an offence, restorative justice is still critical in this regard. As my friend Winsome Chambers said, “We don’t foster a culture of restoration. That’s at the crux for me. Also, many, perhaps, are unaware that this is a tiny part of what students and teachers face. Daily. The brokenness in the society is reflected everywhere. After she’s ‘punished’, without more, it will repeat.”
Importantly, the education budget for 2020-2021 should make provisions to equip educators with tools and resources for dispute resolution, dealing with grief, trauma, mischievous students, etc, and managing security risks, among other things. They should have therapists and counsellors they can get support from when they need it.
If we want a society where Jamaicans are empowered to achieve their fullest potential, then we have to recognise that the achievement of this goal hinges on greater psychosocial and other support for our educators as well. We can’t keep ignoring these issues.