I know very well that good management commits to doing less and being more. Conflicts cannot cease to exist, as they are intrinsic to human beings, forming an integral part of their moral and emotional growth. Likewise, they exist in all schools. Thus, conflict is part of school life, which implies that teachers must have the skills to manage conflict constructively.
Harmony and appreciation should coexist in a classroom environment and conflict should not interfere, negatively, in the teaching and learning process. However, the management team in a particular secondary school in Grenville cannot manage the diversities.
This school as a microcosm of society should bring together different views of the world, different ways of being, thinking, and living, thus becoming a space for representing social differences and being a place where different conflicts occur daily. Instead, this particular school brings civil war into the school environment undermining the authority that teachers should administer or possess.
Dealing with this situation requires learning and that is why the management team at this particular school needs training in conflict management so that they can correctly manage the school, classroom conflicts and educate also our students for conflict management.
In this sense, it is important to enhance positive conflict characteristics and reduce negative ones. So, the difficulty in resolving conflicts is largely due to the difficulties existing between those involved in the conflict to be able to communicate effectively. Therefore, the constructive and educational potential of conflicts depends largely on the skills of the management team first and those involved. Thus, knowing how to communicate, and respecting the rights of others and existing differences are essential for conflicts to revert to social and human development benefits.
The teaching and learning process is harmed tremendously at this particular secondary school in Grenville, St. Andrew. The management team is making situations worse and causing more conflicts to escalate in this already toxic environment. Since it is impossible to eliminate school conflicts, it is essential and urgent to reduce their intensity, duration, and severity, so that the teaching and learning process is not harmed.
Are there difficulties in communication and assertiveness at this particular school in Grenville? The conflict intensity, duration, or severity can then increase or decrease depending on the strategies used to resolve it. Having too many conflicts leads the organisation directly into chaos. This is very much prevalent in this secondary school in Grenville.
The conflicts in this particular school are mainly caused by lack of communication, personal interests, previous conflicts, issues of power, or political and ideological differences. It is also caused by students bullying teachers, students bullying students; the management team bullying and harassing teachers.
Conflicts between parents, teachers, and administrators arise due to aggressions that occurred between students and teachers, lack of pedagogical assistance by the management team and lack of support for teachers. Teachers often perceive conflicts as indiscipline, violence, disrespect, and like all situations threatening their authority.
Teachers are faced with negative psychological impacts which include discomfort, insecurity, feelings of insignificance, sadness, resentment, frustration, and stress. In turn, at the social levels, results of hostility, intolerance, and violence are present.
I am highlighting the existence of a tense, toxic environment, weakened cooperation, communication failures, poor performance, and an undisciplined environment. Inevitably, in this way, there is a decrease in education quality. This discourse conceives the conflict by the violent consequences that result from its non-management.
The school has been known for violence and its cultural deformities. People do not want to associate themselves with the school and its toxic culture. Violence in this secondary school is on the rise due to a weak management team.
Some of the major issues faced at this particular secondary school in Grenville are threatening teachers’ livelihoods, nepotism, unfairness, vindictiveness, bullying, disrespect from teachers and students, students using threatening language to teachers, lack of proper punishment strategies, male teachers having sexual relations with female students, teacher showing favouritism to other teachers who they are involved intimately with on staff ( female teachers are allegedly sleeping with the principal to get a promotion).
In addition, the parents of these children are coerced by other teachers to verbally and physically attack teachers and students in the school’s office while trying to resolve conflicts. Also, teachers are known to have sent sexual and vulgar text messages to students on social media platforms such as Facebook. When this issue was brought to the office the said student provided the evidence yet nothing was done. The teacher was not penalized for his actions. Instead, it was swept under the carpet.
Allegedly, the child was not allowed to graduate at this secondary institution and the teacher went away “scotch-free”. Today, he has now been promoted within the institution and his immoral ways are rampant throughout the institution. Is this fair? It is very dangerous to report a child in the office because it will be used against the teachers.
A toxic school culture is not good at all in this secondary school. This is a school where teachers or professionals are not on the same page; do not trust each other and where the performance and mental health of teaching staff has impacted in a negative way.
It is the result of behaviours and habits that have been left unchecked time and time again and unfortunately has become accepted as the norm. As teachers and leaders, it is our responsibility to maintain a strong school culture where there are high expectations of both staff and pupils.
It is important to have trust, teamwork, efficacy, organizational learning and continuous improvement. Ultimately, it is up to us to improve pupils’ life chances together but what if there is a total breakdown of relationships?
As human beings, how do you go back to a team that has given you grief: they have bullied you, and truly made school life a living nightmare? Would you stay?
Teacher Ambie