‘The issue with TTUTA is rather than provide solutions to help the teachers they represent, they hem and haw and complain and behave like petulant teenagers going through a hormone surge.’
OVER the past 18 months it has become abundantly clear to me that I do not have what it takes to be a teacher, especially a primary school teacher.
There is something about the chorus of screechy, tiny voices that belong to a group of mini humans with limited self-control that drives me insane.
I have said it before and I will say it again; teachers should be paid more than any high ranking politician!
Our nation’s teachers play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our country through the education and support of our younger generations.
That being said, please know my issue today is not with teachers, but rather the union that represents them.
The Trinidad & Tobago Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) has gotten on everyone single one of my last nerves.
Unfortunately their tomfoolery has tarnished the reputation of the teachers they serve.
You know how they say one rotten apple spoils the whole bunch? Well think of it like this; there is a big bunch of apples, some apples are better than others, but they all serve a purpose.
These apples, as delicious as they are, are sitting in a basket made out of rusty barbed wire, just full of tetanus and possibly hepatitis.
So even though they may be super delicious, no one wants to deal with them, because they are wrapped in a malicious web of razor sharp, self-serving, mangled metal thorns.
TTUTA is that barbed wire basket and slowly they are poisoning the reputation of those apples.
TTUTA held a “blackout” on Thursday to protest “disrespect” shown to them by the Ministry of Education and the Government on a whole.
And they are right. Teachers have been faced with disrespect. Their salaries should have long been adjusted, they should have been given proper training and tools to adapt to online schooling, they should have been involved in more consultations regarding the closure and reopening of schools.
Teachers should have equipped classrooms, properly maintained schools and the support they need to teach efficiently and effectively.
The issue with TTUTA is rather than provide solutions to help the teachers they represent, they hem and haw and complain and behave like petulant teenagers going through a hormone surge.
The result of their behavior is they malign the reputation of the teachers they represent and the relevant ministries just don’t want to deal with them.
On Wednesday, TTUTA President Antonia Tekah-De Fretias pulled out all the stops on her extremely dramatic video production of unplugging her devices in silence to signal Thursday’s “blackout.”
I wondered if TTUTA really thought about who they were hurting. Yes they were hurting the innocent students, who let’s be real are not their responsibility, but who they really hurt were the teachers.
The actions of TTUTA, from fighting down when students should sit exams to the refusal to support vaccinations, to fighting against the reopening of schools, continues to paint teachers in a bad light and frankly teachers don’t deserve that.
TTUTA has failed to offer any solutions to the pickle we are in. Any initiative or suggestion as to move forward has been aggressively attacked by them and one must wonder if it’s all a power move or if they really do have the interests of teachers in mind.
Our nation’s teachers deserve the absolute best. They are the rock stars of the pandemic. They were thrown into a new world of teaching and many have risen to the occasion. We should never forget this and never let their reputation be stained.
But please, let’s open schools soon. I am one step away from duct taping my son to his seat and spiking my daughter with Kalms.
So to anyone in power listening, the Government and TTUTA, let’s work together for the true betterment of our nation and the teachers, our true heroes.
Pleasant good day Ms. Chamely,
It is refreshing to read that there are persons who are aware of teacher’s plight. Thank you for highlighting it.
I am also grateful that u brought to the forefront the issue of the association’s percieved lack of solutions. This says to me that they have failed to adequately publicize such. I know for a fact TTUTA has presented the MoE with numerous recommendations which have fallen on deaf ears. I would suggest you contact TTUTA for info on their solutions.
Your arcticle was quite positive and I thank you for all that you have highlighted.