Stringing teachers along

Carolyn Cooper, Contributor

Long ago, in those suppos-edly innocent times before the rise of dancehall slack-ness, we used to chant a rather rude little verse in primary school that I still remember perfectly well. Those days, a DJ was a radio disc jockey who excelled at nonsense lyrics like 'the cool fool with the live jive'.

I don't know the origin of my little chant. It's part of that large body of disre-putable popular songs for which nobody claims authorship, for good reason. Like mento songs. If you listen carefully to the lyrics of some of our now respectable mento songs, you'll realise that our dancehall DJs could take lessons in slackness from them.

Mento songs, like most calypsoes, thrive on innuendo. Schooled in the calypso tradition, the fortunately named Lovindeer, for example, is a master of the art of doublespeak. You know his song about the man on the bus who remembers his own shortcomings every time the conductor shouts out the destination 'Shortwood'? That is 'liriks'. By contrast, dancehall DJs tell it like it is, raw and uncensored.

But back to primary school. The verse starts off on a quite respectable note: 'Ting a ling a ling/School bell ring.' Then it descends to the nether regions to report an unfortunate accident. The string holding up Teacher's undergarment pops. I leave the rest to your imagination.

That bold-face lizard

However vulgar this little verse may seem, it can be properly interpreted as a quite insightful bit of social commentary on the continuing devaluation of the salary of teachers in Jamaica - especially in basic and primary schools.

Even as children, we knew that Teacher was not being paid adequately. My own mother was a primary school teacher and I intimately know some of the creative strategies she used to make her pay stretch for the whole month.

Bright and out-of-order as we children were, it didn't occur to us that the collapse of Teacher's suspension could have anything to do with her own desire to be released from a certain kind of constriction. Even though the Mighty Sparrow might have been singing the praises of a bold-face lizard bothering Teacher Mildred, we knew that our proper Teacher wouldn't stoop to anything like that.

But, seriously, though. At the beginning of every school year, I wonder when we're going to put our money where our mouth is. We talk about the great work that our teachers are doing in very difficult circumstances, and yet we don't seem to be able to find the money to make teaching a truly rewarding profession in material terms.

Robert Fuderich, resident representative of the United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF), has stirred up quite an ants nest. A recent Gleaner article reports his claim that "fifty per cent of the kids aren't prepared to do the learning material that is required of them and it shows up in fourth grade. When they get up to fourth grade, they are not even reading."

That use of the word 'prepared' is ambiguous at first sight. It could be interpreted to mean that the children refuse to learn. They don't want to put in the hard work that is required. But the context makes it clear that it is the school system that has failed to prepare students to learn.

Fuderich warns that "a lot of the education investment is happening at the tertiary level because they are the most political, but it is at the earliest level that the platform is to be made so that when children enter into the schools they are strong and willing to learn."

I absolutely agree that we need to increase our investments in early childhood education. And we need to pay particular attention to the challenges of teaching and learning in a bilingual environment. We have failed to invest in the training of teachers who can confidently teach English as a second language. It's hit or miss.

Dancehall role models

A few years ago, I came across another 'Ting a ling a ling' verse, this time on the cover of an exercise book. It was just like the ones we used in primary school, with a picture of the Queen on the front cover and all those arithmetic tables on the back. Except that there was Shabba Ranks on the cover with a 'fit for school' version of his dancehall lyrics: "Ting a ling a ling/education is the ting/go to school and your goal you'll win."

Male DJs are such influential role models for boys. We need to recruit them to help make education a macho thing. I speculate that if Vybz Kartel were to decide to enroll in university, all of a sudden many young men who are now sitting idly on the corner would try to get qualified. Just remember how Clarks 'sell off' because Kartel hyped the brand.

Fuderich reminds us that "a lot of the boys are showing up lower in achievements. They are the first to drop out, they are the first to be offered a place in gangs when they leave school, they enter into a lot of unhealthy lifestyles." Indeed, the roots of gender inequity in tertiary education run deep, all the way down to basic school. Expectations often determine outcome.

Education is the thing; but we have to make sure that teachers are able to achieve their own goals if they stay in the classroom. I really can't blame all those trained teachers who have decided to leave the profession to sell insurance, for example. All they're doing is taking out an insurance policy to protect themselves from poverty. No strings attached.

Carolyn Cooper, PhD, is a teacher of English and an advocate of Jamaican language rights. Visit her bilingual blog, Jamaica Woman Tongue, at carolynjoycooper.wordpress.co Feedback may be sent to columns@gleanerjm.com or karokupa@gmail.com.