Teacher blasts colleagues for ignoring bullying

An educator with more than two decades of experience is raising concerns about the growing prevalence of bullying in schools, arguing that the larger issue is how it is handled by teachers and administrators.

"The way some teachers deal with these matters, it's almost as if you're placing a child in a cell, you don't want them to express themselves or to complain about anything," she said.

She opined that a cultural shift has taken root in some schools, with teachers adopting a 'turn a blind eye' approach.

"[They are] basically not caring enough. If from this level it is dealt with properly, don't look at it as complaints or a child being miserable."

While acknowledging that misunderstandings among children are common, she stressed that there is a clear distinction between ordinary conflicts and repeated bullying. She recalled the experience of her granddaughter, who was transferred to a school in St Catherine, and has reportedly endured frequent name calling, including "ugly and stink".

The educator said concerns were brought to the attention of the form teacher but those were allegedly ignored. Despite multiple attempts of consultations with the school by the child's parent, she claims no effective action was taken. The situation escalated where her granddaughter retaliated and was punished by the teacher, an indication to her that teachers are not fairly dealing with misunderstandings between students.

"Empathy is lacking in our children and respecting others' feelings. They need to Know 'stop or no' means just that," she said. However, she placed the greater responsibility on teachers to "simply teach them about sharing".

"This teaches children socialisation, positive interaction and caring for others. Group work and collaboration, it makes a difference."

While she acknowledged the need for more training to equip teachers to manage bullying effectively, she said the general attitude towards teaching makes the difference.

"There's a saying that good teachers are born, not made, and sometimes that seems to be proven true. It can't just be about month-end salary, it has to be about love for our children," the teacher said.

Highlighting a recent court ruling in which a student was awarded millions in damages after being left bloodied and missing a tooth during a violent altercation, she noted that the court found the teacher's failure to intervene constituted a clear breach of duty of care. She said the ruling highlights the critical responsibility educators have to de-escalate conflicts before they turn physical. Public feedback from the court ruling suggested that teachers are not paid enough to intervene in school fights. But the senior educator argued that commitment to students must go beyond pay.

"When you take on the role [of teacher], you accept the good, the bad and the indifferent, and some may be fully qualified, but their heart isn't in it," she said

The educator is calling on the education ministry to intervene more proactively, including increased school visits and forums to engage both students and teachers on how to address bullying.

"The only time these things are highlighted is like Peace Day coming up in March now. We probably have a march, workshops and so on, parental seminars. But it's not enough, because one time out of a year when you have these incidents happening daily or weekly in schools, it's not enough," she said.