Dear Editor,

Whenever there are negotiations for an increase in teachers’ salary or payment of retroactive money, teachers’ necks are placed on the chopping block. They are blamed for students’ failure, criticised as being lazy, greedy and incompetent and hence undeserving of any raise in wages or retroactive salaries.The fact is, the majority of teachers are very dedicated and hardworking. They make every effort to ensure that their students excel.

When the police strike they are not lambasted because they place their lives in danger to protect citizens. When nurses strike they are not criticised because they are doing essential services. However, when teachers ask for better wages, or in this case, requesting what is owed to them, they are given a tongue-lashing by all and sundry.

If truth be told, many of the students whom these critics are defending are not interested in education. They want money and they want it quickly. There are students who are alleged to be involved in the infamous lotto scam. Last year one of our newspapers carried the story of a primary school student who was a millionaire at 10 years of age. Some students often remark that they do not want education because there are teachers who are working for many years and have to be taking public transport because they cannot afford a car, while they, on the other hand, are able to drive “crissas” on graduating from high school. Many do not attend classes, opting instead to get into all kinds of trouble.

If students do not want to learn, they cannot be forced to do so, as you can lead a horse to water but you cannot make it drink. These modern-day students have so many distractions that it is no wonder that some of them cannot learn. Video games, instant messaging, and many other offshoots of technology, not to mention the vulgar dancehall music in which they are immersed, have exchanged places with reading and other educational activities.

Teachers are burdened by the amount of load they have to bear.

They play the role of:

(1) Parents: often teachers have to provide some students with lunch money, bus fare, learning tools and even uniforms, because their parents lack the financial wherewithal to provide these. Long before the Ministry of Education paid for subjects at the CXC level, there were teachers who offered their assistance in one or two subjects.

(2) Doctors and nurses: dressing wounds inflicted by all kinds of weapons in fights.

(3) Police: intervening at their own risk to part frequent fights and confiscating weapons.

(4) Judges: settling disputes.

(5) Pastors: imparting moral values that some of their parents fail to instil.

(6) Involuntary victims of violence: teachers have become an endangered species. Almost every week there is a story of a teacher who has been attacked by a juvenile delinquent. Teachers now enter schools at their own risk.

Many people are so angry at the teachers’ demands that I would not be surprised if there are a record number of heart attacks this year. From time immemorial certain people have been made into scapegoats.

The Christians were blamed for burning Rome and the Jews were almost annihilated for the ills of Germany. In Jamaica it is the teachers who are scapegoats.

To all the detractors who are casting stones at teachers, give thanks that it was because of them that you became literate to be able to write letters to crucify them.

To the teacher from Westmoreland and others of similar thinking who are getting so much salary that it is really bothering your conscience to take the retroactive payment, whenever you do receive same, please donate it to charity or give it to some of the teachers who are not getting so much. (There are many such teachers.) If you fail to do either, then in the future when there are negotiations you should keep quiet.

Finally, when man on earth has done his best, the angels in heaven cannot do better.

Ceslyn Wolfe

csywle@gmail.com