The Editor, Sir:

Today as I followed my normal routine to read The Gleaner online, I came across the Letter of the Day titled 'Arm teachers for self-defence', written by Nadia Jones. I was ultimately surprised that anyone would encourage such a counterproductive solution to the problems we are facing within the schools.

I am not supporting the violent behaviour that our youths are portraying in schools; however, I would like the Government and citizens to look on both sides of the fence and come to the realisation that arming teachers is not the solution.

I have visited the island on several occasions and have made it my duty to visit various schools on the island because I intend to open an independent school and was studying demographics. First and foremost, the public needs to acknowledge that a majority of teachers tend to think being a teacher gives one the right to speak to a student in just any tone, tell them any insulting verbiage that comes to mind and they should swallow it because they are 'children'. Children have pride, children have feelings and they model what they see. From the primary school to the high schools, I have witnessed the snobbish behaviour of most Jamaican teachers towards students.

Many of these students only need to be spoken to with respect and understanding. It's all a psychological warfare, which for them propels defiance when they are led to feel as if they are nobodies. Children who already live, in homes filled with criminal behaviour, as Ms Jones pointed out, are usually crying out for help. Most schools that I've visited had no adequate counselling resources and the counsellors I saw on campuses mainly chit-chatted with colleagues and passed the time. How many trained psychologists are assigned to these high schools? What kind of intervention programmes are on site?

Different treatment

Children who are underprivileged are usually treated 'differently'; the children who are known to have well-to-do parents, etc, are communicated with in a different manner. This is another form of segregation which weakens the spirit, inspires hopelessness within these disadvantaged children and trigger them to behave violently. Ms Jones seems to clearly have no understanding of the human spirit and the fragility of the mind, particularly young minds.

Jamaica needs to invest in retraining teachers on how to interact with students. Let's focus on mediation, respect, love and understanding. Guns or martial arts training for teachers can never solve this problem. A security team on campus would be a good measure to protect teachers and students by scanning and searching for weapons each morning and for intervening in fights, etc.

I am, etc.,

PRIMROSE A,

writer@paris.com

Maryland, USA

Via Go-Jamaica