Source: City Paper
Assume its poetic justice. Assume its sweet revenge. Just don’t assume that young people are always the problem, because that would be far from the truth.
In the February 3rd Edition of the Sun, an article titled, Teacher in assault pointed to as Instigator, showed that the infamous cell phone video fight between a student and teacher was a snippet of an incident that was instigated by the teacher. On April 4, 2008, Baltimore City and the rest of the country was shocked to see the images of a student sitting on top her teacher assaulting her vigorously while other students looked on. The fight and video made local and national headlines, and the assaulted teacher, Ms. Jolita Berry was even a guest on NBC’s Today Show, where she instantly became a symbol of the victimized teacher.
However, after further investigation and several key witnesses coming forward, the fight, that was supposed to have been started by the student, was actually caused by Ms. Berry. Why did Ms. Berry decide to paint a biased picture about what really happened that day? The melee between the student and Ms. Berry sparked a nationwide conversation about teacher-student relations and classroom safety.
Around the city, the incident caused an uproar, from North Ave to City Hall to the streets. School and city officials tried to respond quickly by assuring the city that Baltimore City Public Schools were safe. We heard the barrage of responses from politicians, teachers and union officials about how teachers should be “protected” in the classroom. There were cries for more school police and the need for better training so teachers should know how to handle “problem children” in the class. And with all of the fanfare and rash judgments, assumptions were made, attitudes were hardened and the city’s youngest member was once again left out in the cold, without being heard. There was hardly a whisper about the view of the students compared to the chorus singing about the protection of teachers.
In my conversations with students at a local west Baltimore middle school, a few days after the incident, there was the attitude that a situation like this was bound to happen. These students shared their stories of how some teachers just did not respect students. They said these teachers had a tendency to use profanity at them and in the classroom in general. Plus, the teachers themselves had attitude problems and instead of trying to diffuse tense moments, they resorted to using language that both demeaned and instigated a conflict. So where is the justice for students who are confronted with this behavior from their teacher?
Based on the article, Ms Berry pushed the student, used obscenities when yelling at her, and clearly prepared herself for a physical confrontation. Given all these indicators a fight was going to happen, the student should have reported Ms. Berry right then and there. However, this was a case where the student clearly felt disrespected by the teacher and refused to accept it.
I know it is easier to blame a teenage girl for poor judgment rather than a grown woman but, in a day and time when teachers are having intimate relationships with students, political corruption runs rampant, and other issues affects those at the top, assumptions can no longer be made that authority figures always exercise proper judgment. So incidents of this nature should not be viewed from the lens of who is involved but based on what really happened. And even though, the young girl was wrong for fighting her teacher, Ms. Berry was even more liable for instigating the situation and making the whole city believe she was a victim.
If the school system and the city truly want to build a stronger relationship with young people, then truth and justice must be the foundation of that effort. The authority figures i.e. politicians, police offices and school officials, have to be willing show young people that truth and justice is the cornerstone for governance and authority. As a city, we should not be so judgmental about the things we hear regarding young people without getting the full truth, because quick judgments in a limited circumstance can sometimes be more destructive than the circumstance itself.
If Ms. Berry would have had a more peaceful attitude, things would have been different. If she would have seized the moment to show that good judgment is the best way to resolve conflict, things would have been different. If she would have been honest about what happened, then this incident would have been a step forward for the city to have a different relationship with young people. However, none of this happened, and unfortunately, those lessons were never taught.
Farajii R. Muhammad serves as President of New Light Leadership Coalition, Inc. and host of Listen Up! on public radio WEAA88.9 FM
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What has happened to our school system? It doesn't matter who instigated the incident or how the details played out. The fact of the matter is that a TEACHER and a STUDENT were fighting. Teachers being harsh is not something new to schools. There was a time when corporal punishment was accepted as the norm in the disciplining of students. I am not suggesting that course of action is the most effective. I do remember a time when the consensus of students respected the authority of the teacher whether they were right or wrong.
I believe that students should have a voice. I also believe that respect for authority is paramount to achievement. There are procedures in place to call into account rouge teachers. Parents and students should educate themselves and become aware of the protocol and procedures that govern the climate of the school.
Teachers are trained and payed to teach. They are responsible for insuring safety and maintaining order in the classroom. They can't do it in a vacuum. What happens when a teacher after repeated attempts to discipline and redirect negative behavior refers a student to the administration for follow up and for what ever reason, the student is immediately redirected back to class? What kind of message does that send to the rest of the class? When this course of action is consistent, a dangerous precedent is set that allows incidents like the above referenced one to occur.
I am not suggesting that this was the case in this particular situation. I do not know all the details that lead to this incident. I do know this, if we as a society are going to change the culture of our schools and communities we need to do less finger pointing and more soul searching. All of us, the religious community, local,state and federal government, the corporate community, the school system, law enforcement,community organizations, colleges and universities and families, need to revisit our priorities and begin to bridge the gap that allows us to be productive and accountable to one another. If the African proverb it takes a whole village to raise a family/ child is true, then the village members need to realize their role in insuring that village becomes whole.
A thoughtful piece by Mr. Muhammed which raises good points, but I have to whole-heartedly agree with Ramblings on this one. All of the ills in the school system that Mr. Muhammed pointed out are nothing new. Not one single thing. In this information age it is just public now. But what is new and sad is the almost total lack of regard of authority that a lot of(by no means all) young people show towards teachers, elders and people who should be respected. Showing respect to responsible people in charge never hurt anybody. As for hitting students, a lot of you may not like this but that never hurt anything but a kids pride. A necessary tool in teaching humility and the rightful pecking order of things.
This thing has spiraled so out of control that kids know that their parents and teachers can't discipline them so what you see is the result of taking the paddle out of parents and teachers hands. Are teachers and adults absolute in power?? Of course not!! But sometimes having to bite the bullet when you know you are right builds a certain type of character, a certain humility that many of our kids lack, due to improper guidance from parents and society.
Sometimes the simplest things seem so hard to this generation of parents. I will try to break it down as basic as possible. YOUR ONLY JOB AS A CHILD IS TO GO TO SCHOOL AND BRING HOME A'S AND B'S. YOU WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THAT. NO REWARDS FOR C'S AND D'S!!! NO PLAYSTATION, CELL PHONE OR OTHER ITEMS THAT YOU DEEM IMPORTANT!!! YOUR ONLY JOB IS TO LEARN. PERIOD. NO EXCUSES, NO JUSTIFYING, EXPLANATIONS OR NOTHING!! IF AS A PARENT I STRAY FROM THIS EDICT, THEM I AM COMPLICIT IN YOUR FAILURE!!! PLAIN AND SIMPLE. YOU WILL DO AS I SAY BECAUSE YOU ARE THE CHILD AND I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR GETTING THE BEST OUT OF YOU. THIS IS A DICTATORSHIP. I RATHER YOU GET MAD AT ME NOW AND LOOK BACK AND SEE WHAT I'VE DONE FOR YOU IN LATER YEARS WHEN YOU ARE A SUCCESS, THAN TO BE YOUR BUDDY NOW AND ENABLE YOU TO FAIL. It is just that simple. It's just that these modern day parents don't have the courage to carry it out.
I've noticed a dangerous trend that is occuring more often than not. The adults are being shaped more by the kids, instead of the other way around. What does that portend?
I've noticed more hip-hop look like, dress like, act like adults lately. Aren't we supposed to be the ones that are shaping the kids!
I suspect that the kids have little respect for some adults. Child psychologists teach that internal controls in children, are developed as a result of external controls that derive from the parents.