What school culture?

By Rhona Canoy

SO… People still keep asking me for my opinion on what happened with that teacher and the Tulfo dude. I don’t know that it matters since I have no claim to being any sort of authority except for more than 25 years of experience. And since my mind normally stays out in left field, I don’t think that my opinion would make sense to most people. But, in keeping a promise to some friends, here are my thoughts. And after this, no more… please.

Almost three decades of being blessed with the greatest privilege to create and run a school whose structure and operation is limited only by my imagination gives me the authority to say that I do know what I’m talking about. And that I’ve seen how things work. Sadly, the evolution of our school communities leaves much to be desired. Worse in our public school system. The truth is that there must be a unique, positive, and interactive relationship amongst all those who are part of the school community. Generally, these people are the school leaders, teachers and staff, students, parents and guardians.

It seems that these parties have become quite self-centered in their attitude towards the task at hand. School leaders are held unreasonably captive by the Department of Education’s flawed policies and systems. This filters down to the teachers and staff, all of whom must be subservient to the powers above for job security. Policies and dicta are spread throughout the machinery by people who have little or no clue as to what is involved in the day-to-day activities and circumstances. It all boils down to compliance and staying within the lines. For teachers, they are expected to deliver performance levels set by people who have not been in the classroom environment for years, if at all.

Students come to school because it is the demanded path. They must place themselves under the jurisdiction of a school system which (in reality) only cares about their performance markings. It’s all about the grades. At the same time, they are also under the care of parents and guardians who, oftentimes misguided or ill-informed, regard the school as a service provider which must kowtow to their unreasonable demands, and really also only care about the grades. Worse for those in the private school sector because of the general attitude that “I pay for it, I get what I demand.”

These parents and guardians also take it upon themselves to interpret the laws which they believe have been enacted to protect their children’s rights. Listen, folks. You’re going to hate me for saying this, but–children’s rights? What rights are you talking about? The right to a safe and secure home. The right to not be hungry. The right to shelter. Basically, that’s all they need. And the right not to be bullied? Oh, my God. People have taken this issue to unrealistic extremes.

There are going to be children who are dominant, and there are going to be children who are meek and withdrawn. One must know how to identify exactly what bullying is. If a dominant child asserts his way to get on the swing,  pushing aside the meeker child, is this bullying? Frankly, I don’t think so. It is unacceptable behavior, at best. And one which must be brought to the attention of and addressed by school personnel who supervise these children. It is not reason for some wildly protective parent to storm the school with threats of legal action. Now, if this dominance happens to the meek child every time anywhere in the school by the same dominant child or group of children, that’s bullying.

Children are going to run up against difficult people who have stronger personalities than them, are larger than them, are more powerful than them. That’s a reality in life which must be accepted. So what did that second grade student from the Tulfo show learn from all this? That his parent and lola can  bully their way to a sensationalist program, make unreasonable demands, bully Tulfo and the teacher into doing what parent and lola want. In essence, the boy learns very fast that he can be sheltered and protected from things he doesn’t want by these bullies. I’d like to be there when he grows up and finds out that life doesn’t work that way. This doesn’t happen in my school simply because we don’t allow that kind of behavior from anybody. I mean anybody. Not from parents, not from students, not from teachers, or school bosses.

There are more reasonable and socially acceptable ways to find solutions to problems. Let me give you a word of advice. If your kid doesn’t go to my school, then this is going to be new to you, so pay attention. Before all else, parents and lolas and guardians have a great responsibility to know what behaviors are not acceptable according to school rules. And what consequences there are, should their charge break them. Parents and lolas and guardians also have a responsibility to check on their kids to guide them in meeting their responsibilities. Check on what deadlines have been laid down, and what for. If the report card is supposed to be returned to the teacher at a certain deadline, then treat this with importance. Your child isn’t going to remind you, especially if they’re used to you saying, “Don’t worry about it.” This teaches the child that deadlines don’t matter, or can be negotiated or worked around. This is what happens to homework, reports, projects, essays, and such. Teachers have a right to impose these deadlines, and be strict about them. In my school, the explanation is simple. “This is the line, and if you go past it, then you’re ‘dead’. That’s why they’re called deadlineds.” So students and parents and lolas and guardians should be prepared to face the consequences.

I do find issue with having the child go out into the hallway. There should be enough justification to banish the child from the classroom. Disruptive behavior is on top of that list. If the child needs to be sent out, then teacher should send them to the guidance office or to the principal. But that consequence should be stipulated when the rules are set. If a teacher gives out assignment and says, “You can’t come into class on Tuesday if you don’t have homework,” then I would (as school head) support my teacher in this. As a matter of fact, all school heads have the command responsibility of having their teachers’ backs, even when they make a mistake. In my school, this trust level is high. Even though teachers are also held accountable for their mistakes, they know school leaders would never hang them out to dry.

The culture that is created within a school is important. A lot of parents seem to be oblivious to this. And yet they are part of that community. I remember a time when one of my students got caught with a crib sheet (codigo) before the exam started, because he was reported by a classmate who saw it. The student was not allowed to take the exam (for that particular subject) and, according to school policy, would receive a O mark for the test. A couple of days later, his lawyer father stormed into the administrative office, shouting that he was going to sue the school because we had no right to do that, because his son wasn’t caught in the act of cheating.

When asked to explain himself, the student only said that he agreed with the school’s decision because he actually was planning to cheat. He also refused to tell his father the name of the classmate who reported him, because the student said it was an irrelevant piece of information. I was humbled by the student’s integrity, his honesty, and his sense of accountability. His father, on the other hand, needed some time to calm down and see the value in his son’s character. Parents need to know that school is where their children learn how to work their way through life. But can do so in a safe place, where the lessons learned will serve them well.

My column is getting too long. If you ever want to have a conversation with me about how you can improve your participation in your school community and culture, let me know. All I ask in return is one maruya. And you might learn something.