EDITORIAL: Extra time
A proposal was made by the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training recently which led persons in the profession to feel as if their voices were not being heard by their ministry. The teachers appear to feel as if they are being unfairly disadvantaged because the proposal seeks to change the nature of the job which some of them have been doing for decades. The Ministry has also requested that retired educators assist with what is being called the Bounce Back summer school program. The program would require teachers to sacrifice their much needed and long awaited summer holiday time to continue teaching students. It is argued that the need existed for such an opportunity for students because they have lost a significant amount of teaching time due to Covid-19. However, the teachers appear to have been completing even more teaching hours after switching to online and hybrid teaching. The issue would then have to be that some students did not have access to online learning which is completely understood although the Ministry of Education and some individual schools did a huge job in providing students with devices with which they could attend classes.
Teachers have a complex job which looks simple to those on the outside. Essentially they are the secondary parent to about 30 children each day with the responsibility of teaching more than a hundred children in one or more subject areas. When a parent considers the challenges they have with their own children at home, it is difficult to understand how they could believe that teachers do not deserve every second of free time that they can get. There should be no need to repeat that teaching is an all day job. It should be understood that teachers have to teach students and supervise them while they are on the school compound and even on the streets sometimes whether or not they are in uniform. Marks are generated and placed on a periodic report for children, so it would seem like teachers have to create suitable assessments for each class depending on the level of understanding each class has of a topic, they then have to supervise the children as they complete the assessment and then assign grades. This is aside from the actual teaching of the topic and of course we remember that many Barbadian children have learning challenges such as Attention Deficit Disorder and Dyslexia. School based assessments for external examinations are another challenge altogether and these are just the technical aspects of the job. The counselling, emergency health care and financial support teachers provide also should be factored in.
There therefore needs to be a balance, if a person is asked to give so much of themselves to a job while they are working then they should have a suitable amount of vacation period in order to engage in a personal life, develop their own families and take care of their mental health. It is only with these breaks that teachers can continue to come back each term refreshed and motivated to give their best to our children. One can assume that it is for these reasons that the Barbados Union of Teachers told their membership to remain firm on their decision not to attend the proposed summer school.
Teachers are able to assess the needs of their students and regardless of ministry mandates would schedule any necessary extra classes with the students while ensuring that those students have enough rest time for their brains to function properly. This has been happening for years and is nothing new. For these reasons teachers should not be chastised or in any way disadvantaged if they do not volunteer to assist in the way envisioned by the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational training. Let the teachers continue to do what they do best and take care of the wellbeing of our country’s children.