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Christiana teachers protest against poor discipline
Friday, February 22, 2008
Christiana High School Principal John Beckford, at his office yesterday. (Photo: Gregory Bennett)
MANDEVILLE, Manchester - Classes were suspended yesterday at the Christiana High School as teachers, bearing placards, marched in the North Manchester town to protest student indiscipline following a physical clash between the school's acting vice-principal and two female students on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Education's regional director Vincent Guthrie, other ministry officials and the chairman of the school board met with the staff of the school yesterday afternoon in a bid to resolve the situation.
News reports from Christiana yesterday said Wednesday's ugly incident flowed from the use of make-up by a student, which is a breach of school rules. The acting vice-principal, Tatline Williamson, told journalists on tape that she fought "fist to fist" with the two students in the school's bathroom. One student had apparently come to the aid of the other in the "fight" with the teacher.
Williamson told how she grabbed a mirror from one student and "smashed it on the wall" because the teenager had disobeyed her order to "wash" the make-up from her face and was instead taking a protracted time to remove it with the use of tissue paper.
Williamson was unapologetic: "Although the Ministry of Education stipulates that teachers are not to hit students, I am standing firm... I am not backing down from any student. I retaliated, she retaliated, a struggle ensued..."
Other teachers had to intervene to break up the fracas.
But one student told journalists that even after the "fight" was broken up and she was taken to the "office" by teachers, there was another clash between herself and the vice-principal.
"She box mi an' mi box her back," the teenager said. A woman said to be the mother of the teenager asserted: "Teacher is wrong and my daughter is wrong also... teacher have no right to put her hand in my daughter face".
School principal John Beckford said yesterday afternoon that the incident was the latest of several examples of undisciplined behaviour at the school.
"Teachers are fed up...," he said. He said the situation was complicated by the fact that he was limited in terms of the disciplinary action he could take against students.
"I have tried to explain to my staff that I can't expel students just like that," he said. Both Beckford and Williamson want the Ministry of Education to give school principals and teachers greater "authority".
Friday, February 22, 2008
Christiana High School Principal John Beckford, at his office yesterday. (Photo: Gregory Bennett)MANDEVILLE, Manchester - Classes were suspended yesterday at the Christiana High School as teachers, bearing placards, marched in the North Manchester town to protest student indiscipline following a physical clash between the school's acting vice-principal and two female students on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Education's regional director Vincent Guthrie, other ministry officials and the chairman of the school board met with the staff of the school yesterday afternoon in a bid to resolve the situation.
News reports from Christiana yesterday said Wednesday's ugly incident flowed from the use of make-up by a student, which is a breach of school rules. The acting vice-principal, Tatline Williamson, told journalists on tape that she fought "fist to fist" with the two students in the school's bathroom. One student had apparently come to the aid of the other in the "fight" with the teacher.
Williamson told how she grabbed a mirror from one student and "smashed it on the wall" because the teenager had disobeyed her order to "wash" the make-up from her face and was instead taking a protracted time to remove it with the use of tissue paper.
Williamson was unapologetic: "Although the Ministry of Education stipulates that teachers are not to hit students, I am standing firm... I am not backing down from any student. I retaliated, she retaliated, a struggle ensued..."
Other teachers had to intervene to break up the fracas.
But one student told journalists that even after the "fight" was broken up and she was taken to the "office" by teachers, there was another clash between herself and the vice-principal.
"She box mi an' mi box her back," the teenager said. A woman said to be the mother of the teenager asserted: "Teacher is wrong and my daughter is wrong also... teacher have no right to put her hand in my daughter face".
School principal John Beckford said yesterday afternoon that the incident was the latest of several examples of undisciplined behaviour at the school.
"Teachers are fed up...," he said. He said the situation was complicated by the fact that he was limited in terms of the disciplinary action he could take against students.
"I have tried to explain to my staff that I can't expel students just like that," he said. Both Beckford and Williamson want the Ministry of Education to give school principals and teachers greater "authority".
This IMO is only adding more fury to an already tense situation.
(wry smile) 
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