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The
release on
January 10, 2008
the School Community
Safety Advisory Panel report has upset educators all across the country.
The report suggests there may have been hundreds of incidents of violence
within the Toronto District School Board that have gone unreported by
teachers and students.
Most teachers will readily admit that they are not equipped or
trained to deal with the serious behaviours of kids today. One teacher
from Toronto was quoted as saying, "There are kids whose behaviour is
so bad that 20 years ago they'd be told to leave school - they don't want
to be there, they're not respectful, they're aggressive and quite prepared
to be violent if they need to be - and yet the school system is trying to
keep them in school and trying not to disaffect them by punishing them for
everything. So consequently, there's a bit of a mixed message."
The guidelines from the Ministry of Education and the school boards
are quite clear about what the duties of a teacher with respect to
reporting incidents involving students. Nevertheless, there is so much
pressure in schools today to uphold a positive public image and to focus
on student success that some teachers are hesitant to bring forward
reports to administration.
There is also a “culture of fear” that is prevalent in our
society today that is exhibiting itself in the schools. For example, many
people who consider themselves to be good citizens think nothing about
turning their backs on what they consider incidents that should be
reported to police simply because they do not want to become involved in
long, drawn out investigations that will merely make them “targets for
reprisal” once the courts hand out “meaningless” punishment to the
criminals. Parents do not want to place themselves or their children at
risk so they simply pretend not to notice what is going on and let someone
else take care of reporting the incident. And so it is that many people
who witness others carrying weapons, committing acts of sexual assault and
violence, vandalizing or stealing public and private property, and a whole
list of other misdemeanours are too intimidated to report what they have
seen. They are just happy that they have not been the ones where were
victimized this time around. This “culture of fear” has been created
by a “society of bullies” that come in all forms.
And so it is with teachers who must deal with so many students in
their classrooms who come from such a variety of backgrounds. The
pressures these students are facing in their life spill over into the
classroom and into hallways, resulting in “flare-ups” that must be
dealt with severely. Yet, everyone, including fellow students, teachers,
administration and parents, would rather turn and walk away than get
involved in something that may in fact have a negative impact on them and
their families. The fact of the matter is that students can easily get
back at teachers and administrators who make life difficult for them. They
can make life horrible in retaliation and can inflict serious,
long-lasting consequences on anyone who reports them to the authorities.
The penalty for “reporting a crime” is often far more serious than the
penalty for “committing the crime”.
You can provide teachers college students and professional teachers
with all of the information necessary for them to know their duties and
responsibilities. However, when all is said and done, the fear of making
false accusations, of alienating students and parents; of facing the wrath
of parents whose children have been accused of wrongdoing, and the fear of
retaliation against your home and your family members is going to play a
huge part in whether a teacher actually reports an incident of abuse or
violence or other inappropriate action he/she has witnessed. In most
cases, it makes far more sense to simply ignore the situation, finish your
job and go home; hoping that tomorrow will be a better day.
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