flushing the head of a pupil in the toilet ..

[Poser]

http://www.guardian.co.tt/news/2012-...pp-lay-charges

this is real madness ... what is really going on with schools .. i remember once saying on this Forum that teachers don't care and are are ill-equipped to teach ..

well.

The principal of a popular private primary school in Maraval is facing possible attempted murder charges after allegedly flushing the head of a Standard Three pupil, who is an American citizen, in a toilet bowl. And Deputy Police Commissioner in charge of Operations, Jack Ewatski, yesterday promised a full and thorough investigation into the matter. The incident has also sparked concern among government officials who assured that the matter would be handled transparently. At yesterday’s post-Cabinet press briefing, Minister of Gender, Youth and Child Development Verna St Rose- Greaves announced that her ministry had already initiated its own investigation. “I heard of the incident and officials from my ministry are probing the circumstances as to what exactly happened,” she said. “The matter is of very serious concern and I am going to get to the bottom of what has happened.” Police officers who were in the process of compiling a file are expected to approach the Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard early next week for instructions.

The alleged incident has also sparked a high degree of outrage among parents of children attending the private institution, some of whom have charged that this was not the first time such an incident has occurred. The previous incidents were covered up by school officials, the parents claimed. Some parents who say they pay almost $4,000 school fee a term are contemplating removing their children from the school. Police sources said that after being interrogated at length, the principal gave pertinent information to investigators which they believed could be very helpful in bringing the probe to closure and for charges to be laid. Police described the incident as very serious, adding that the nine-year-old boy, who lived in a gated Maraval community, could have drowned while his head was submerged in the water of the toilet bowl.
Investigators also said they expected to receive a full statement from another pupil who witnessed the entire incident.
They maintained that the purported act was not committed by any teacher of the school, saying it was done solely by the principal. It was also reported that after his head was flushed in the toilet bowl, the boy was ordered to stand for three hours until class was dismissed.

In a telephone interview yesterday, the boy’s outraged father said he had immediately removed his son from the school and was in the process of enrolling him at another private institution. The father added that he had already initiated “full legal action” against the school’s authorities. He also expressed anger over a Newsday report which identified the child, despite being assured that the child’s name would be withheld. “My son went to the bakery yesterday morning and immediately he was identified as the boy whose head was in a toilet...all because of that newspaper report,” he said. “Why should my son go though that?...It’s as if my son is reliving the incident over and over again, because his name was exposed and as a child he should have been protected. He should not be made to be repeatedly humiliated,” the father added.

Asked how the child was coping yesterday, the father said despite the trauma and the embarrassment, he was “holding up pretty well.” “My son has been coping and he is more alert...He is very adaptable. “He’s doing better than the day before, given the trauma he went through. “He was really hurt when the incident happened, but he’s holding up as best as he can.”
Maintaining that he would leave no stone unturned in pursuing all legal avenues to obtain justice, the father said: “I owe it to my son to try.” Contacted yesterday, an official at the school said the principal was not in office and was unsure when or what time would she would return.

Minister: There will be consequences
Minister in the Ministry of Education Clifton de Coteau said yesterday that once the private institution was funded by the ministry, the principal would have no choice but to face the necessary consequences. “The situation will definitely be under investigation by the Education Ministry as it is a serious matter and I am sure that school supervisors have already begun doing their part,” he said. “And if the school is funded by the Ministry of Education, there would definitely be consequences that the individual would have to face, there is no doubt about that.” He added, however, that before any form of disciplinary action could be initiated, a thorough probe must be carried out and completed.

TTUTA: Justice must be served
The incident was also met with severe outrage by the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) who demanded that justice in the swiftest and severest manner must be meted out. “If this is true, then TTUTA abhors what transpired, to say the very least, said the organisation’s president Rouston Job yesterday. “I am totally dumfounded by what has been reported and TTUTA condemns the incident outright. How could such a thing happen? It is simply unbelievable.”
Job also said when such matters occurred, it raised the question about disciplinary procedures implemented in private primary schools. “These are schools where parents shell out a lot of money to ensure their child is educated and well cared for.” He said he was almost certain that the school in question was not a member of his organisation, hence very little action could be initiated by TUTTA. Job also expressed concern about the child’s mental condition, saying the incident could result in psychological scars. “The child would have not only endured mental anguish but also a high degree of embarrassment,” he said. “No child should undergo this. Justice must take it course. There must be no cover-up.”

[vaio]

a principal did that

atrocious!

[Falcon]

Sounds like they are still investigating but the minister, ttuta, and V done talking punishment.

[shield_2006]

gives new meaning to the notion of chit for brains---what a litany of righteous indignation when abuse is common on children throughout the public school system

[Aurea]

This is a private school, what training do these teachers and the principal have? For teachers of government schools, u must attend training college, have a degree in edu. I believe teachers are well trained here in t&t and ah sayin that cause two of my sisters are teachers and that are damn great at their job! I should mention they choose this profession eh. And what trianing do teachers "abroad" have pray tell? That principal should loose his job of course!

Aurea

[amzz]

poser should produce his stats

[Solachica]

if tht is true tht is horrible. So why they named the child.

If it was done before it was covered up by the parent to don't blame a cover up by school official alone. If this parent cud expose this then the other child parent or others cud have exposed it to.

[Sirius]

It's an outrage! Many teachers are indeed ill equipped for the profession. They may have the paper for the job but not the predisposition. When the teachers - only a few, but that's enough - act this way then it is no surprise when the children also practice twisted means of punishment and retribution.

Some people are just unfit -- and it does nothing for the child's recovery when the media reveals the child's identity!

[vaio]

Sounds like they are still investigating but the minister, ttuta, and V done talking punishment.

if that was my child, i ent waiting for any investigation at all!

[shield_2006]

The unending knee jerk reaction and upset---wow--teachers abuse children all the time and then you have a situation like this and everyone screams to high heaven. My son--sometime ago--when he was in Form 1 at a College had a so called teacher tell him that he will surely end up a URP worker--that was abuse too--and I went to the school and spoke with the teacher about it. i realised that the teacher in question was only articulating what she was aculturised with as an attitude towards the other people--not really her fault with the exception that she could not rise over her culture and adopt professionalism. It is what pertains and probably getting worse. YES--this incident is alarming and unacceptable--but I also wonder what would have occasioned the reaction. What was the issue with the child? Did he also grow up in an environment where he has been conditioned to see people in a certain way and acted it out without understanding the issues? is he a product of our so called privileged class? Is he a continual discipline problem in a paid environment? Is he a manifestation of the very issue among some so called lesser classes where the parents adopt the attitude that their children are always right? Is this a case of not being able to control the students because the parents pay and therefore have the say?

What would make a normally controlled Principal act in such a manner?

[vaio]

The child may have issues but there are ways of dealing with such issues! What lesson are you teaching a child of that age by flushing his head in the toilet???

What kind of normal person would think to do such an act (if it was in fact done). Bottom line is he is a child and treating him like shi!t does not help in making him become a better person.

It's a private school, then tell the parents that yuh doh want him there - expel him if his behaviour is beyond your control. Let the parents go elsewhere and find a school for their child. Make some kind of recommendation for this child to get the help that he may be so much in need of.

As a principal, you'd expect this person to have some kind of training to deal with unruly and undisciplined kids.

I wonder which class teachers have to take to learn how to flush a child's head in a toilet

[vaio]

. Sources revealed that in the statement to the police the teacher reportedly admitted to doing the same thing to another student of the school but that student was not identified.

http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,154327.html

[shield_2006]

vaio--my point is that we have to treat with a problem--a multi-faceted one-- and not an incident--yesterday there was a report of changes in the South Korean school system whereby among other things children are now allowed to dress and wear their hear as they see fit--we keep lowering the standard bar and expecting better results. We are limiting teachers in the disciplinary category and expecting them to control what some of us can not control at home.

[dancerboy]

This is a private school, what training do these teachers and the principal have? For teachers of government schools, u must attend training college, have a degree in edu. I believe teachers are well trained here in t&t and ah sayin that cause two of my sisters are teachers and that are damn great at their job! I should mention they choose this profession eh. And what trianing do teachers "abroad" have pray tell? That principal should loose his job of course!

Aurea

AUREA my friend, teachers in the USA may not have much "TRAINING". However, a teacher here is obligated to report any sign of apparent abuse of children. Sometimes these teachers here go overboard. If they hear a student says something that remotely indicates child abuse , teachers report it.



DANCERBOY

[dancerboy]

It's an outrage! Many teachers are indeed ill equipped for the profession. They may have the paper for the job but not the predisposition. When the teachers - only a few, but that's enough - act this way then it is no surprise when the children also practice twisted means of punishment and retribution.

Some people are just unfit -- and it does nothing for the child's recovery when the media reveals the child's identity!

SIRIUS my esteemed friend, some of them have the aptitude, but are sorely lacking the attitude.



DANCERBOY

[shaddeck]

http://youtu.be/HfUg_Sru2GI - dis is how teachers do it in brazil

http://youtu.be/4RpYB3hkqag- dis is how teachers do it in egypt

http://youtu.be/Z4bQ3crMkvk- dis is teachers do it in usa

[snowbird]

The unending knee jerk reaction and upset---wow--teachers abuse children all the time and then you have a situation like this and everyone screams to high heaven. My son--sometime ago--when he was in Form 1 at a College had a so called teacher tell him that he will surely end up a URP worker--that was abuse too--and I went to the school and spoke with the teacher about it. i realised that the teacher in question was only articulating what she was aculturised with as an attitude towards the other people--not really her fault with the exception that she could not rise over her culture and adopt professionalism. It is what pertains and probably getting worse. YES--this incident is alarming and unacceptable--but I also wonder what would have occasioned the reaction. What was the issue with the child? Did he also grow up in an environment where he has been conditioned to see people in a certain way and acted it out without understanding the issues? is he a product of our so called privileged class? Is he a continual discipline problem in a paid environment? Is he a manifestation of the very issue among some so called lesser classes where the parents adopt the attitude that their children are always right? Is this a case of not being able to control the students because the parents pay and therefore have the say?

What would make a normally controlled Principal act in such a manner?

Regardless of the circumstance that may arise between you and your charge....YOU CANNOT TREAT THEM LIKE ANIMALS..... OR WORSE.... when you do...it speaks volumes of not only your own upbringing.... but also you training and education in your chosen field.



Shield.... My cousin and her husband who lived in Canada for a while .....returned to Trinidad to live with their four sons who were all born in Canada and so had.....dual citizenship.... the boys being very bright fellas passed for 'prestige schools'....one ended up going to ....FATIMA COLLEGE ..... while there this child ended up being ..... brutalized (via corporal punishment) and humiliated (taunted by this teacher in front of the other children)

funny thing is ....I know the guy.... we hung out together when we were young...his three other brothers live in Canada and we are all still friendly.... he is the only one who lives in T&T...YEH MAYBE SOME AH ALLYUH NOW KNOW WHO AH TORKIN BOUT....HE HAVE AH FRENCH NAME)..... anyhoo this man was such a 'tyrant' that he completely broke this child's spirit. Whenever the child would go home and complain to his parents ...who would in turn take issue with the teacher....the teacher would then...turn on the kid again..... more licks and more barbs..... according to my cousin.... he rode this child like a jack arse.....AND DE BLASTED SCHOOL KNEW ALL ABOUT IT.

Finally when his parents saw the negative effect this treatment was having on their child.... (he literally went into a shell.... lost all of his self confidence... and began to dread going to school)....Yuh tink!!!
His parents had no choice..... but to send him back to Canada to stay with relatives so that he could attend school over here.... he eventually graduated.... but that child's life was totally destroyed by that teacher ....not only did he lose his self confidence.... his sense of well being.... he also lost the comfort of being with his parents and his siblings while being at school away from home.

.... Yuh kno What? .....ah tink dat fella may still teaching..... heard he had cancer the other day....don't know if he resigned because of his illness.... or if he is still out there..... ruining lives.

Shield, I am sure what I am sharing is not an isolated situation in T&T.

[snowbird]

This is a private school, what training do these teachers and the principal have? For teachers of government schools, u must attend training college, have a degree in edu. I believe teachers are well trained here in t&t and ah sayin that cause two of my sisters are teachers and that are damn great at their job! I should mention they choose this profession eh. And what trianing do teachers "abroad" have pray tell? That principal should loose his job of course!

Aurea

When I first came to Canada 44 years ago....to be a teacher.... you just had to have graduated high school....then completed a 'teachers course'.... nothing like the current program...(thank God, when my children now adult children were just starting school...the new requirements came into effect.

These are the ones for....'Ontario'.... which to the best of my knowledge.... are the same in... other provinces across Canada...with probably some other 'provincial regulations'.

Not sure if the US mirrors this:

To teach in Ontario's publicly funded schools, a teacher must be certified by the Ontario College of Teachers. Certified teachers are members of the College and pay an annual membership fee to maintain their membership and certification. For certification teachers must:

• provide proof of identity
• have completed a post secondary degree from an acceptable postsecondary institution
• have successfully completed an acceptable teacher education program
• provide a Canadian Criminal Record Check Report.

Teachers of Technological Studies do not require a post secondary degree for certification. They must, however, provide the following in addition to the rest of the items listed above:

• a secondary school diploma
• evidence of five years of wage-earning experience
• proof of competence in their field of specialization (for example, a trade certificate).

Teachers who completed their teacher education outside of Ontario in a language other than English or French or who are not Canadian citizens must also provide:

• proof of proficiency in either English or French
• Canadian employment authorization
• proof of certification/authorization to teach in a jurisdiction outside of Ontario even if they have never taught there
• a Statement of Professional Standing, which is a letter from a licensing institution such as an education ministry, that says the teacher's right to teach has never been suspended, revoked or cancelled.

[Solachica]

So which private school is this? The US or Canadian one?

Snow, how your family seem to be so blight or unlucky with people and situations in Tdad anything good does happen to your family here?

[bigzack]

the boys being very bright fellas passed for 'prestige schools'....one ended up going to ....FATIMA COLLEGE ..... while there this child ended up being ..... brutalized (via corporal punishment) and humiliated (taunted by this teacher in front of the other children)

It happened a lot when I was there too.

I remember one afternoon a priest called Father Powers was teaching English Literature.

Ah fella named Holder from Belmont, sitting in the desk behind me, was hitting his heel on the floor of the class and making a noise.

Every time Powers looked in the direction where the noise was coming from Holder would stop.

After about the 4th or 5th time, Powers left the front of the class, got red like a PNM jersey, eyes bulging, and veins popping, walked straight to me, looked menacingly at me, and said, "OUT !!!!".

The problem is, I had on a sand colored Clarks jigger boots, with a very soft, spongy type of sole.

When Holder saw that, he said, "Father is me".

Powers walked straight back to the front of the class, without even apologizing to me, or throwing Holder out.

For some reason, Powers did never "like my head".

We still have immature, untrained teachers in Trinidad that "doh like some children's head".

[bigzack]

So which private school is this? The US or Canadian one?

Snow, how your family seem to be so blight or unlucky with people and situations in Tdad anything good does happen to your family here?

Snow, this is strictly the opinion of one called Sola, the PAC called Zack, does not endorse the above message.

[snowbird]

So which private school is this? The US or Canadian one?

Snow, how your family seem to be so blight or unlucky with people and situations in Tdad anything good does happen to your family here?

Sola....for the size of my extended family in T&T...yes, lots of good things happen to them.... but lots of bad and unfortunate things too.

And it is not that my family blight Sola.... it is just that what you people accept as .... 'no big thing'.... 'de teacher right tuh cut he arse'.... we see as .... something is terribly wrong with that country.

So many people on this forum have 'defended' ..... corporal punishment ...both in school and in the home in T&T..... some of you have even gone so far as to say..... T&T now bad....because dey stop beating de children in schools....bring back licks ....(for those schools or teachers who are not 'assaulting' the children.... in the name of discipline).

Sola....it is only when you have experienced better that you can make ....comparisons. I don't expect some people in T&T to be appalled by the things that appall me....they don't know better... for them....it is just ...part of the course.

[Solachica]

I not saying no tht its not bad things tht happened to your family and especially to the young man. But it does seem to be so much bad things tht happened to allyuh here.

[Solachica]

And I doh like tht we doh know better line.

[Poser]

poser should produce his stats

what stats you want ...

my two sisters in Trinidad are trained teachers .. one is retired .. my sister in Canada is the Principal of a Secondary School (minimum requirement - Thesis) my cousin in Trinidad is retired now after working the Dept. of Education - writing and implementing syllabus and other programs for the Ministry ....
my other cousin in Trinidad still teaches at UWI .. his two brothers are teachers .. one at Ryerson and one at a High School in Toronto ... we gather often and this topic of teaching and qualifications will often come up for discussion ..

Sirius raises a very good point .. you have the training but not the aptitude ... there are many good teachers but there are also many who are in only for the money and perks ..

now don't bring this up again .. you are getting boring ..

we need to look inward and ask ourselves are we teachers ...

as a matter of fact my two grand nephews attend the Canadian private school ..

nuf said ammz

.