ROGUE LEARNERS: LET THE TRUTH BE TOLD

IT IS an unfortunate truth that many of today’s youth do not take well to authority, especially male authority.

If they see that you are out to enforce discipline, they will go to great lengths to undermine your efforts. This means fullscale psychological warfare: constant disruption as soon as your back is turned, taunts, threats of violence… the list goes on.

Yet as soon as a teacher responds to provocation, they are automatically victimised and have no recourse.

The South African Schools Act is biased in favour of the learners, and there are multiple reasons why learners should be forgiven or go unpunished.

The result is that thousands of teachers are booked off by psychiatrists, and education authorities are forced to condone this as they know the truth but cannot fathom how to rein-in ill-disciplined youth.

I suggest teachers resort to taking legal steps whenever necessary as the South African Council for Educators is geared only towards punishing teachers rather than defending them as professionals.

It all doesn’t auger well for South Africa with a youth population that will probably double in less than a decade.

Any person worth their salt will avoid the profession like the plague.

G Ellis