4.1 Introduction
4.2.3 School relationships among learners and teachers
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Lloyd & Rowe, 2008). While reviewing literature the study conducted by Sulaiman (2012) evidenced that a form of a ritual like an assembly was powerful in conveying discipline in Missionary and Muslim schools where values were transmitted to the learners. Another study by Dias and Menezes (2013) found that the participatory experiences in school such as school assemblies and meetings were regarded as important learning opportunities that contribute to the school ethos. In addition, Southworth (2008) posit that assemblies are used in schools as occasions to reinforce, practise and promote educational practices and values. The findings of this study, viewed from social identity theory, suggest that an individual’s identity can be shaped and influenced by social gathering in a social space (Tajfel & Turner, 1979). This suggests that when schools are using morning assemblies to congregate, they enhance positive influence in terms of moral behaviours of learners. This is supported by Van Dijk (1999) who postulates that group identity also involves routine practices which its members identify and has a meaning to the organisation.
The findings presented so far suggest that the schools do encourage and practice school ethos and the dominating platform they used is the morning assembly in a collective manner.
Furthermore, the participants suggested that they reinforce what have been communicated in an assembly through staff meetings.
The next theme discusses the relationships among learners, teachers and between learners and teachers in schools.
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(Mr Zukwa, principal of Lokishini Secondary School).
Concurring with her principal of Lokishini Secondary School is Miss Buyeka, the post level 1 teacher who said the condition in her school were not conducive to teaching and learning and their safety was not guaranteed. Miss Buyeka stated:
The relationships in school is a huge mountain to climb as it is so horrendous, fights spread like wild fires because of dagga that is paddled in school amongst learners and lot of negative attitudes amongst teachers as well
(Miss Buyeka, post level 1 teacher of Lokishini Secondary School).
Similarly, lamenting about the ill-discipline and negative relationships of learners that take most of her time is Mrs Sibonga, the principal of Hloba Primary School who mentioned that:
Every hour I have to separate learners, who fight in the school, deal with learners who are rebellious to teachers and who bully other learners and smoking dagga in school
(Mrs Sibonga, principal of Hloba Primary School)
When asked further about the teachers in school Mrs Sibonga, the principal of Hloba Primary School had the following to say:
Teachers work collaboratively, they treat one another with respect, they respect the rules of the schools and have open communication with the learners
(Mrs Sibonga, principal of Hloba Primary School).
However, a post level 1 teacher Mrs Thobeka of Hloba Primary School shared opposing sentiments to those uttered by her principal. Mrs Thobeka had the following to say:
There is a great deal of lack of respect in school, conflicts amongst teachers, learners fight every day, bullying one another, sexually harassing each other and having negative attitude towards the school
(Mrs Thobeka, post level 1 teacher of Hloba Primary School).
The different views regarding issues of respect and collegiality at Lokishini Secondary School and Hloba Primary School seems to suggest there is no collaboration and that the
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relationships for both learners and teachers make the school climate to be negative which does not add any value to the school ethos. Also it seems to suggest that the two schools mentioned above have failed to put measures to ensure that the atmosphere is conducive to teaching and learning.
Likewise, Ms Maviyo, the principal of Ngoyi Primary School admitted that as much as they were trying their best as a school to instil discipline, there were some handful of learners who did not want to toe the line. Ms Maviyo explained:
We have a group of learners who are bullies, fight, steal others belongings thus causing the relationship amongst learners to very toxic. These are the learners who do not respect teachers but we deal with them. The professionalism of teachers makes them work as a team and they show love and care for our learners
(Ms Maviyo, principal of Ngoyi Primary School).
Responding to the issue of relationships in school concerning the learners and teachers Mrs Ngema, the post level 1 teacher of Ngoyi Primary School had the same views as her principal had the following to say:
Some of our learners are out of hand but teachers work as a team, so professionally that they respect one another
(Mrs Ngema, post level 1 teacher of Ngoyi Primary School).
Schools are really unique and have different calibres of teachers and learners. Some school contexts are relatively durable and have generally a quality atmosphere that is prevalent among the learners and teachers. Such schools have internal stakeholders who are pulling together. Mrs Nodlula, the principal of Toyi Primary School put it passionately and stated:
The relationships throughout the school are more of loving and caring, I always tell teachers and learners that we are the autobiography, the community out there is reading us
(Mrs Nodlula, principal of Toyi Primary School).
Similarly, Mrs Pillay, the post level 1 teacher of Toyi Primary School explained:
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In this school we are like one family, as teachers we are good role models and learners have built so much trust in us. There is a spirit of respect in the whole school
(Mrs Pillay, post level 1 teacher of Toyi Primary School).
Likewise, Mrs Smit, the post level 1 teacher of Mshini Secondary School stated:
The relationships in our school are so incredible, it is embodied by the spirit of Ubuntu, unity, respect, loving and caring from both teachers and learners
(Mrs Smit, post level 1 teacher of Mshini Secondary School).
Corroborating the response of the principal of Lokishini Secondary School concerning the toxic relationships in his school, during my visit at the school after the staff briefing in the morning, there were heated exchanges of words between two staff members. The two teachers had a heated argument and there was use of vulgar language in the foyer of the school. This suggests that there is lack of professionalism among some teachers in the school, if they fail to resolve their differences amicable. Furthermore, when perusing the school log book, there was an entry dated 03 February 2015, wherein there was a disciplinary hearing of a learner and a teacher which was attended by a Departmental official. The school has a register for disciplinary hearings. When reading that register most of the offenders were for smoking of dagga in school, extortion of money from learners and for fighting in school.
Despite what is taking place at Lokishini Secondary School, I further came across two documents the Code of Conduct for Learners and another for Teachers which stipulate that learners and teachers should behave in the manner that does not put the school into disrepute and they should uphold the values and the culture of the school. From what I witnessed at Lokishini Secondary School concerning what I have described above, there seems to be an atmosphere of disrespect and some teachers and learners do not uphold the school as place of learning values, clearly human dignity was missing.
The response about the relationships amongst teachers by Mrs Thobeka, the post level 1 teacher at Hloba Primary School, refute what her principal, Mrs Sibonga said. During my two days’ visit at the school the sour relationship of teachers surfaced when the principal sent a learner to ask one particular teacher to go to the gate and do the duty because the teacher that was supposed to be on duty was not present. The learner returned with a reply that the teacher said she was busy and therefore could not do that duty. During the two days that I was at Hloba Primary School, I witnessed three fights amongst learners during break time.
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Throughout break time there was no teacher doing ground duty. The causes of those fights were the arguments over gambling and bullying on the school grounds. This seems to suggest that teachers at Hloba Primary School do not fulfil their roles completely as they leave a vacuum on the grounds. The negative relationships at Hloba Primary School suggest a negative light about the ethos of the school where teachers and learners quarrel at the drop of a hat.
Although I was at Ngoyi Primary School for two days as well I did not witness the incidents of bullying in school as it was mentioned by the principal and post level 1 teacher. I spent most of the time during break time observing how the learners were interacting with one another, how they behaved well on the playgrounds. I could not witness any sort of bullying amongst them. Perusing the documents there were letters sent to parents for incidents of assaults and bullying amongst learners on 8 August 2014, 12 November 2014 and 20 March 2015. Furthermore, I examined the minutes of the staff meeting dated 14 May 2015 where the principal thanked the teachers for professionalism in dealing with learners and also for identifying learners that need special attention. In the school log book there was an entry dated 29 July 2014 of the visit by South African Police to address learners that were caught in teachers’ classrooms during break time interfering with teachers’ bags. Such incidents found in the school documents suggest that some learners of Ngoyi Primary School come to school with elements of criminality which ends up diminishing the positive school ethos that is needed in school. Rossouw (2012) posits that South African schools regularly witness incidents where fundamental rights of educators are infringed by learner ill-discipline in the form of psychological or physical violence and such hostilities have detrimental effects on school environment and educational activities. School ethos that is conducive in Swedish Schooling system is mentioned by Alloid (2010) as interpersonal relationships between teachers and learners, teachers’ behaviours and moral beliefs, peer relationships and communication style and all these are essential in a social climate of the learning environment.
The evidence of loving and pastoral care was displayed during my visit at Mshini Secondary School when one teacher came to the principal’s office and handed him a cell- phone. The principal narrated a story behind the new cell phone that the teacher handed him. He said he was approached by one of the learners who told him that her parents have taken her cell phone to pawn it to get money for liquor and he shared that with his staff. The teachers were so touched that the teacher bought her a new cell phone. Walking through the corridors of
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Toyi Primary School there were posters on the walls by the learners praising their teachers for being good to them, naming other teachers as their Mother Teresa. Looking at the teacher at Toyi Primary School and Mshini Secondary School they were always smiling communicating to one another and to learners with respect. What I have noticed in Toyi Primary School when the teacher was calling a learner, he or she would say my son or my daughter.
In another study by Hatton (2013), she found that respect, teamwork and collaboration by learners and teachers in school nurture the school ethos and make the schools prosper. In the two schools I have mentioned above there was so much ambiance and the schools were alive, and you could see that even learners enjoyed being at school. The core of social identity theory sets out the basis to explain individuals’ role-related behaviours which further mediate the relationships between individual behaviour and social structure (Tajfel & Turner, 1979).
These authors further state that the individuals in an organisation will then emphasise their characteristics to associate themselves with the particular group that have the same identity.
The theory thus suggests that there is interaction between structures of the organisation, social context and group identity where the individuals associate which can influence the organisation in a negative or positive way.
The findings on the relationships between teachers and learners in the study school varied.
The majority of the schools are experiencing the toxic and awful kind of relationships which makes teaching and learning impossible in those schools. Some of the schools are experiencing positive relationships which make the atmosphere conducive to teaching and learning.
The following theme discusses the relationships between the schools and the parents.