Many-pronged approaches needed to control new and emerging students’ problems

When the situation in any school reaches the point where teachers have to abandon classes in protest, there is dire need for intervention by the authorities, parents and teachers in a tri-partite arrangement. Are we heading for copycat situations in the USA where students take guns and other weapons to school and some of them use them? This situation needs to be addressed urgently. Region Two, where I live has seven secondary schools and one cannot envisage teachers being scared of students en masse and deserting the school . Is this an urban, inner city problem where the culture and socialization is different from rural areas? Whatever it may be, it is a scary problem that needs attention. (Mind you, everywhere has model students who do not pose problems and this is not about them).

I have taught 12 years in Guyana, 18 in Belize, one in Grand Turk (T&CI), one in USA and 5 in Canada at primary, secondary and tertiary level institutions and never encountered a situation as happened in Georgetown last week where teachers had to abandon classes in protesting students’ behaviour. My experience has exposed me to the best schools where students are highly competitive to the ones with at-risk students with behavioural problems who are poor, from single-parent families and gang affiliated, but teachers and administrators, including myself are always in control. We need different many-pronged approaches to control new and emerging problems, rather than chalk and talk and corporal punishment, both of which are outdated.

In a letter of mine, published in the newspapers of July 11, 2015 titled ‘Please revamp and modernise the education system, Dr. Roopnarine’, one of the nine suggestions I made was, “Appoint trained counselors in all schools for behavioural and vocational guidance. Staff should also get counseling when necessary.” Counselling referral forms should be filled and given to the counselor who should make the necessary intervention, including parent meeting. Counselors should be proactive and check with teachers to become cognizant of issues that need addressing. Additionally, have proper security, including abled security guards, surveillance cameras and screening students as they enter the school compound. Also, do not permit cell phones in classrooms as this lead to various issues including cheating at tests/exams. Liaise with the police for quick responses when summoned. When I taught at RESA (Rockford Environmental Science Academy) in Illinois, USA, there was a police office in the school for students that the

teachers could not handle, and a room called the “Think Tank” where such students were kept in and supervised till their parents arrived.

Moreover, have co-curricular activities (aka extra-curricular activities) such as clubs— chess, table-tennis, volley ball, cricket, football, dominoes, debating, choir, art & craft, etc. — and make it mandatory for students to be a member of at least one club, for several years, as part of the credits for graduation. Many of us learnt to play chess and other games in school clubs and some of us could not wait for the dismissal bell to run out and take our place on the volley ball court, while others kicked football, etc. These activities are for both physical conditioning, as well as life skills. For affective influence, invite religious and community leaders to deliver motivational speeches to the students regularly. Instill in them that other people are poor, hungry and suffering and that they should make optimum use of their opportunity. Invite also role models, rehabilitated drug addicts and ex-convicts, single-parents who succeed to share their experiences in an effort to inspire students.

Furthermore, have remedial classes for struggling students and use various methodologies for achievement. Differentiated Instruction, the Multiple Intelligences approach to learning, the taxonomy of cognitive learning (recall, application, evaluation etc.) should be implemented by all teachers, some of whom need professional development. We cannot discount the fact that there are late developers, change of family circumstances, change of attitude and other factors that can cause students to improve academically and behaviourally.

There should be alternative/positive discipline. In Belize, students are issued with a Demerit/Merit Card on which demerits are crossed off , on one side, whenever there is a specific infraction, for example, no homework or disruptive in class. Five demerits results in a detention, 15 in a suspension (which can be inschool), 25 which is the maximum can lead to expulsion after the school board meets. In between, there is counselling and parent conferences in an effort to modify undesirable practices/behaviours. On the obverse side of the card, students are given merits, which are also marked off and rewarded for accumulated merits with gifts, certificates etc. The merits/demerits of each student is recorded in a notebook by the homeroom teacher in case there is loss or damage to the card.

Implement a zero tolerance policy for bullying (which can lead to fatal retaliation and mental issues) and gang affiliation such as signs, tattoos and association. Convene regular Parents’ Day in which parents, some lacking parenting skills, meet and are involved in good parenting practices such as monitoring and guiding their children. From experience I know that parents of delinquent students hardly ever attend these sessions, but some do and it is worth the effort. We as guardians of our children cannot sit idly by and see that they go astray, then throw up our hands in resignation, belly-up, point fingers when we need to act responsibly. We have to be proactive instead of continuing to be reactive.