4.2 Unpacking my primary school teacher-learner relationships and learning from them
4.2.6 One event from an unsupportive teacher-learner relationship I experienced in
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conversations with teachers, resulting in changes to their situations. This was evident in my case, where my teacher engaged me in a positive discussion on the issue of soccer. It made me feel that I was given a lot of support. I engaged in this vital conversation, which led to positive results. Furthermore, the conversation made me gain confidence and increased my self-esteem regarding the issue I was confronted with. It also led to a beneficial relationship between my teacher and me. Therefore, I can now see how teachers can build supportive teacher-learner relationships by taking the initiative to support their learners in extra-curricular activities. The motivating power of extra-curricular activities can also be seen in memory-work done by Magubane (2016), who recalled how playing soccer in Grade 7 motivated him and made him feel more positive towards school. Magubane’s memory story shows how the value of encouraging extra-curricular activities in school can also be strengthened through learners responding positively to the initiatives entered into by their teachers.
4.2.6 One event from an unsupportive teacher-learner relationship I experienced in
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while the girls were waiting for us to finish the task so that when we left, they could start with their own cleaning process. Girls’ duties included sweeping and mopping the classroom.
Figure 4.6: A memory drawing of the one unsupportive teacher-learner relationship I experienced in primary school.
We could see that our teacher was frustrated while we boys continued our work. He had been standing there for some time and watching all our steps as we did the normal. For some minutes, I heard my name being shouted in a terrifying and disturbing manner a few metres away from me – my teacher’s voice! I remember that the next minute I was immediately shaking, as I was so shocked. My teacher had never called me like that before. In my mind I immediately asked myself what mistake I had made regarding him or in the class that day. My self-posed question was immediately answered – according to my self-reflection, I had not done anything wrong for the day. My teacher continued to shout and asked me who had told me that desks are carried in pairs during the cleaning time. The focus was on me; he did not yell at the other boy who was carrying a desk, because he recognised that he was helping me. After all, it could be seen
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that his physique allowed him to carry the desk on his own. I answered “Nobody said so, Sir”
with a sad face full of disappointment and embarrassment. He continuously shouted at me until he instructed me to carry that desk to the back of the classroom on my own, just like many other boys had been doing. Several times I tried to carry the desk on my own and failed. My body size did not allow me to do this task. My teacher just sat there on his table, watching me continuously struggling to complete the job he had asked me to do. This was followed by some learners in our class, especially boys, laughing at me because I could not carry a desk alone. I heard some voices saying, “You cannot be a boy enough and fail to carry a desk”. They continuously laughed at me, and some said I was a weak boy. I could feel tears rolling down my face.
That was one of the worst days of my life. I had never felt so embarrassed and disappointed at that stage of my education. My confidence quickly lowered because of this humiliating experience. Everything just happened at once: I lost my self-esteem and spirit all at once because of that experience. My teacher had really thrown me. To make it worst, he did not even call my peers in class to order, as they continued and added to the debacle he had started. He did not care about the embarrassing situation he had put in. This was indeed the worst experience of my primary school days. On this day, I had experienced unsupportive teacher- learner relationships at their worst.
I learnt from this experience that learners in schools should feel safe under their teachers’ care and supervision. If they are not supported by their teachers in schools, they become vulnerable to all kinds of attacks, such as bullying by teachers themselves and other learners in their classrooms, and in the wider school context. Such an event can make learners lose focus, confidence, and faith in themselves and their teachers. Therefore, teachers in schools must respect their learners and protect them from any possible attacks that may be directed at them.
Furthermore, as teachers in a study by Luthuli (2021) recalled from their own schooling experiences, continued attacks directed at learners in schools by teachers and other learners can bring out their worst behaviour and performance, leading to many negative consequences such as decreased participation in classroom and school activities. Furthermore, as shown in my case, such experiences can open wounds that may take some time for learners to recover from.
Remembering this painful experience has demonstrated why that teachers in schools must create a safe learning space for all their learners, irrespective of their many differences, such as their socio-economic backgrounds, physical and intellectual abilities, among many others
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(National School Climate Council, 2015). This can help learners appreciate the differences they possess and learn to coexist in one enabling environment, which can also lead to increased participation, positive engagement and achievement levels.
4.3 Unpacking my high school supportive teacher-learner relationships and