Violent Monday

Many of my Mondays suck – and i don’t know why. It’s a horrible day for things to go wrong and sets me up all wrong for the week ahead.

Our main concern in opting for Mr Arshenafi in 3A is that he is a bit smelly and needs to buy at least a couple of new shirts. Mr Z and i invited him in to give a lesson in the class and he gives a brief overview into biodiversity and he does quite well – clearly an area he is passionate about and the class respect that too. We are hitting desperation point too which doesn’t help.

Mr Z will be his new line manager in Upper Primary and i ask him to call Mr Ashenafi that he can start on Monday. “But make sure he looks clean and presentable.” Mr Z looks uncomfortable at this, but i need him to grow cajones. I relent just a tad – “Do you want me to do it for you?” as i gaze over my specs.

“No, i’ll do it” he says tentatively. And i’m pleased.

Monday morning and i’m trying to catch up on stuff i need to finish, but i aim to pop in to the class after snack time and see how they’re coping with each other. My plans are thwarted when two of the 3A boys enter my office forlornly.

“What’s up?”

They’re clearly “not themselves”. I tell them to take a seat as i scrabble at my non – Internet connected prehistoric desk top finishing off the PMT minutes. It only takes me a minute and they’re ready to share.

“He hit us!” they exclaim. I ask them to show me how and where, and one has had his ear twisted whilst the other had the back of his head slapped sharply. I tell them not to worry and i was going to speak to the teacher immediately. “He is still learning” i say somewhat pathetically.

It’s snack time and he is not in the classroom. I head into the playground, but find only Mr Z. I tell him what has happened, to speak to Mr Ars immediately if i don’t find him before. Right at that moment Mr Ars steps through the gate and i stride up to him directly. I calmly bollock him out.

Whilst common in many government schools, corporal punishment is illegal in Ethiopia. I made it very clear to all staff in Induction Week that as i was now in charge, the school had a “No – Touch” policy introduced. I did my homework and checked out the legalities, so all i’m really doing is enforcing an Ethiopian Law. I had already heard of repeated accusations made of at least one of the Ahmharic teachers in the school, and reiterated again as i drew Induction week to a close.  And of course Mr Ars wasn’t yet employed. And we don’t even have a Staff Handbook for our new arrivals! We hand them into the “care” of the so far ineffectual newly appointed “Year Band Co-ordinators”.

“You do not lay another finger on my students. Is that very clear?”

He is quaking, trembling and bowing at me all at the same time. “Yes! Yes Sir!”. I tell him i will be popping in and out regularly, and i storm off as he kowtows behind me.

I do pop up almost every 30 minutes but his class are out of his room for ICT and PE, and  then swap teachers for English.

All i can do is pray that the matter is closed and we understand what is acceptable and what is not. 

As i head back up to the office, i witness first hand my Upper Primary ICT teacher violently wretching a Grade 4 boy out of the door by the scruff of his neck. Her face goes white at the shock encounter. 

“I was just bringing him to your office. He is fighting with someone and he always is disturbing”.

I tell her to put him down immediately and open up the office. 

I sit him down and ask him what was happening. He tells me he was talking to a friend and the teacher pinched him. I tell him to go get his Communication Book and we’ll wait for the lesson to finish, even though it had only just begun.

I take him in at the end of the lesson asking her to make a note of the incident  for the parents. I wait for her to finish and send the boy back to class. I tell her that if i see that again she will be finding herself a new job.

A completely appalling and violent day.