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Darrack was very much aware of some of the key instructional problems of Daarie. One of these was the problem of helper teachers, who lacked knowledge in teaching methodology. He deplored the situation but was unable to find a solution. He complained that the lack of teaching methodology by the helper teachers made it

Key finding 7.7

Barrack’s personal teaching capability and efforts to help students’ learning through his English Language extra-tutorials were acknowledged by students and teachers. However, he could not rally teachers to do the same as the teachers remained uncooperative and poorly participated in scheduled extra-tutorials for the core subjects.

148 difficult for the students to comprehend certain lessons and perform better. He

explained that although the helper teachers might have mastered the subject content, they nevertheless had difficulty teaching and imparting that knowledge to students. Above all, the erratic presence of helper teachers at school and the uncertainty of the duration of their absence were responsible for the unusual teaching situation in the School. Different helper teachers would teach the same subject to the same students with different approaches to teaching, thus confusing the students. This situation persisted most especially in teaching of Mathematics. Darrack declared:

We saw that mathematics was a problem… because we’ve not had a substantive (official) mathematics tutor. Like (So), they (the students) pass through these different hands (untrained teachers). Most often they (the untrained teachers) are content perfect, but lack teaching methodology. (Da Principal Interview, 05/02/2010)

Similarly, students also complained of having to grapple and cope with the teaching styles of different helper teachers for the same subject within a month or a school term. A student explained her frustrations:

We don’t have permanent Masters (Teachers). If the person is here today, tomorrow he is gone. They come now to teach each week and go away and another will come. They come (He comes) this week and next week he has run away. (Da Current Students FG Meeting, 29/01/2010)

Another student supported this view and expressed it with a clearer argument.

He said:

I wanted to say that if we can get Government trained teachers, the

permanent ones… so that if this one starts from Form 1 to Form 3 and if it (he) is (the) only one Science master, … (he) may know our problem. The places (areas/concepts) that he didn’t cover (teach) … he will be able to solve later. (Now), this one will come and then teach half and go away. Maybe the topics that this one wanted to start, this one (the other one might) …have already started. (One comes and teaches) one topic and the other come and take another one. (Da Current Students FG Meeting, 29/01/2010)

Other students also lamented the confusion created in the teaching of Mathematics. All past and current students interviewed, denounced the lack of cooperation and collaboration among teachers of Mathematics. The students were baffled with regards to formulae in Mathematics. In fact one student explained: “One (teacher) would come and use one formula and this one (another) would come and use another formula so, we don’t know which to take” (Da Ex-Student FG Meeting, 29/01/2010). Students could not understand why one teacher would begin to teach a

149 concept and would not complete it but would leave it for another to continue or

complete. The other, who came afterwards, would often either change the formula and the method, or abandon that particular concept and topic for a new one. Students attested that this manner of teaching of Mathematics by different teachers at the same time had made their knowledge and performance in Mathematics weak (Da Current Students FG Meeting, 29/01/2010).

Students also complained about the unwillingness of their teachers to teach them as it was done in other schools. Students in the final year, preparing for the BECE, mentioned how teaching had been ineffective since they began the new school term in January 2010. A student remarked: “We Form 3s (final years) since School resumed, they haven’t teach (taught) us. They haven’t teach (taught) us anything …and I don’t know what they (are) doing to help us to pass our BECE” (Da Current Students FG Meeting, 29/01/2010). A few students protested against the practice where some teachers would set examinations on concepts and subject topics which had not been covered in class and as a result, students failed their class tests and practice

examinations.

We normally fail because sometimes our Masters would conduct exams on topics we don’t know. So when we fail they tell you a lot of things you don’t understand (they made critical remarks about your work) but you cannot say something. (Da Current Students FG Meeting, 29/01/2010)

Another student remarked that sometimes their teachers failed to teach all the specific topics that had been indicated in the revision-package for the BECE practice examinations. This was a set of books, booklets and flyers designed by experienced teachers across the country in consultation with some examiners of the BECE. It was meant to assist teachers in verifying how much content they had taught or covered with respect to the BECE. It was also meant to test students’ knowledge and preparedness to sit the BECE (Field Notes, 05/02/2010).

In fact, the unavailability of trained teachers was a special concern of students. A student who was in the final year class and preparing to sit the BECE remarked that: “Our school is not performing well because we don’t have enough masters (sufficient number of teachers)” (Da Current Students FG Meeting, 29/01/2010). According to some students, the problem of inadequate number of qualified teaching-staff was compounded by the inexperience of some of the helper teachers. They explained that some helper teachers could not express themselves well when they taught students. This made it hard for the students to grasp what the teachers were teaching. In relation to

150 this, a student declared: “So, I’ll be happy if you have trained teachers…, better trained teachers who do more than helpers” (Da Current Students FG Meeting, 29/01/2010).

Students were capable of distinguishing between who was a trained teacher and who was not. They all acknowledged Darrack’s mastery of the English Language and his teaching capability. Students would have preferred him spending more time to teach them English rather than carrying out his administrative tasks. Students had complained about his absence during the regular teaching period for English Language and his attempts to catch up through extra-tutorials. Students had wanted to be taught during normal teaching periods and to use extra-tutorials for revisions or studying other concepts not well grasped in class. They did not want normal class hours to be

sacrificed for extra-tutorials because teachers continuously were absent or reported late. This complaint by students was unknown to Darrack, who saw himself as doing his best to improve teaching and learning by combining administrative tasks with his usual teaching load. Students were too afraid to mention this to him and they could also not mention it to their teachers, whom they disliked. So, this illustrated not only a lack of avenues for dialogue between teachers and students and students and their Head, but also a disconnection between the Head and his teachers as far as instruction was concerned.

Notwithstanding the veracity of the complaints about the poor teaching methods of the helper teachers, these helper teachers equally had made a point about their daily socio-economic challenges. These teachers explained that they sometimes came to school late, or were absent from school for a prolonged period, because they were busy with their commercial activities to earn their living, as they received no regular

remuneration at the School. They believed that they would only have the peace of mind to concentrate and teach when their basic needs were guaranteed. A teacher said: “We are not trained teachers but the sort of motivation that we need to teach is absent” (Da Teachers FG Meeting, 05/02/2010)

Another teacher explained that he could be in the classroom yet his mind would be elsewhere, since he had to keep reflecting on what to do to earn enough income to fulfil his responsibilities as an adult or a parent. This means that even if the Head had obliged the teachers to be present at school and to teach regularly, these teachers would still be unable to concentrate and teach effectively without resolving the issue about their support. This was explained at length by a Mathematics helper teacher (Da Teachers FG Meeting, 05/02/2010). Meanwhile, as far as Darrack was concerned, the

151 major cause of poor achievement of students was teachers’ poor teaching methodology, lateness and absence in school.

Arguably, Darrack was unable to identify common ground with his teachers in respect of the Daarie’s teaching and learning challenges, especially with regards to teachers’ role in resolving some of those challenges. Neither the teachers nor the Assistant Principal were able to debate as partners the core issues confronting the School.