Take Responsibility. Teach Responsibility

Teachers are getting such a bad rap these days. Not just in Trinidad and Tobago but in North America as well. The entire education system is under scrutiny with many weighing in as to what should and should not be done.

I’ve never liked making assumptions or generalizations. I don’t know any horrible teachers nor have I had truly horrible teachers in my past. I’m sure they exist but I have no personal stories to tell.

I did sit in at a school meeting recently where one parent in particular took the school to task on many issues including the food served in the cafeteria, the state of the toilets and absentee teachers. It was definitely an ‘us and them’ scenario. The principal stood her ground and was able to answer each ‘attack’ without getting upset, stating her own concerns and her side of the story.

The food situation: she would look into it

The toilets: Well it seems the school’s custodian had her own issues with the girls messing up the toilets following her rounds with extra toilet paper and dirty foot prints on the tanks (yes apparently they stand on the tanks!) and sanitary napkins IN the tank…sigh

Teachers being absent: This was legitimate. “Do you get the circular letters that we send with the students letting you know when teachers have to go on training? Did your kids tell you that we have substitute teachers so there is no downtime regarding progressing through the syllabus?

Parents are getting a bad rap too. All these single parents raising kids, working moms not having time for their kids, same sex parents eroding the very fabric upon which parenting was built, and persons of one race adopting children of a different race adding to the melee.

What does this mean? Of course ALL kids are now dysfunctional!

This is a very sad situation.

We cannot choose who we are born to. We may try to change the teachers or the system but it guarantees nothing.

We can continue to blame the teachers, the parents and the children.

Or….

We can all make a firm commitment to to taking responsibility for our lives and teach others to take responsibility for theirs!