September 4, 2012Dear Sir,“Too many of our boys are suffering from broken spirits. During the preschool and kindergarten (P1) years, our boys are energetic and curious, they love learning and ask thousands of questions, and there’s a glow in their eyes. For your son’s sake, always make sure the glow remains in his eyes. Don’t let school or any institution or any person break your son’s spirit. It is impossible to reach your full potential if your spirit has been broken — if you are no longer curious, if you no longer possess enthusiasm, if your eyes have grown dim.” ‘Raising Black Boys’ by Dr Jawanza KunjufuAs we stand on the brink of a new school year, allow me as a taxpayer, a seasoned educator, a stakeholder and a children’s activist, to share with you some concerns about teacher bullying. What is “Teacher Bullying?” Stuart Twemlow, MD, a psychiatrist who directs the Peaceful Schools and Communities Project, defines teacher bullying as “using power to punish, manipulate or disparage a student beyond what would be a reasonable disciplinary procedure”.Joe Gubbay, a clinical psychologist, counsellor, psychologist, psychotherapist and a scientist states if we define bullying as “repeated oppression of a less powerful person by a more powerful person or group,” then the question becomes, “Are there teachers who act cruelly towards children?”From February last year, a little nine-year old boy reported the following incidents to his parents:n His teacher celebrated her birthday at school. The teacher bought Kentucky Fried Chicken for the class but excluded three little nine year old boys. Her reason was that they were disruptive. Shouldn’t we be careful about labelling these boys as disruptive? Were they really disruptive or were they typical, mischievous little boys? How do we stop the negative experiences that aid in destroying black boys? How is the teacher-student relationship monitored so that we provide a positive environment that is necessary for all students and especially for little black boys? How could this teacher be so mean, so cruel, so uncaring about children’s feeling and reject children?n The child was participating in a soccer tournament at Devonshire Recreation Club. His teacher came to two of her students who were on the sidelines and said, “Bet you boys didn’t know that I know your coach.” Pointing to one of the boys, the teacher continued, “That one there! Rolling on the floor!” The little nine year old boy said, “I never rolled on the floor. She was just saying that so that to get me in trouble so that the coach would not let me play.” Is this teacher receiving satisfaction by demonstrating her power over defenceless children even outside of the classroom setting?n The child reports that he was not allowed to go to Interschool Sports because of alleged bad behaviour. The little boy was telling another student that he should have been allowed to go because he performed better than some of the children who were allowed to go. The teacher interrupted and said, “It was not only your bad behaviour. I have heard other stories about you.” Believe it or not, the parents were never called about the child’s supposed bad behaviour. Where had the teacher heard these other stories? Do teachers gossip about children?n The teacher invited her class to church. When asked by the teacher if he would be attending, the little nine year old boy said no. The teacher said, “I didn’t think that you were a church boy anyhow.” Is this teacher guilty of engaging in persistent unwelcomed behaviour, invalid criticisms, fault-finding and exclusion?Does this teacher have a genuine love for children? Will defenceless children be at her mercy in September? Will she still be employed in the school system in September? Shouldn’t she benefit from counselling from Employee Assistance Program that would help her to get to the root cause as to why she is mean, punitive and cruel? Then, the little boy’s pray, “Lord, please help my teachers not to be mean and cruel. Make them nice and kind.” These are the kinds of situations that cause our little black boys to get turned off from school. Is teacher bullying a contributing factor to our young people joining gangs, engaging in violence and black on black crime? An advocate for children,MURIEL M WADE-SMITH PHDCurriculum ConsultantSmiths