Cyber Trek

Many Caribbean migrants have children who have grown up in North America. It is amazing how they all shared the common problem of fitting into a changing social order. For the Young Ones going to school, it was a frightful affair in not being able to speak with a North American accent; their parents generally could not either. These uneasy feelings were encouraged by biased teachers who believed all Black children are unable to learn academic subjects. Then there is the other stereotype--all Black people must be great athletes or entertainers. The teachers just used the United States' "Afro-model" for the Caribbean people, creating disastrous results for the children. Mankin heard horror stories in Canada of teachers turning a blind eye when migrant students were being picked on. In those days, in Canada, the local school bullies were mostly Italian. While the parents were being systematically pigeonholed, their children were fighting wars against unfeeling teachers who tried their best to rid their classes or schools of these strange alien children. Migrant students were then unfairly sent to trade schools by biased teachers, because the students were unable to participate in class discussions. There is a difference in tutoring in the Caribbean and the North American systems. In North America, students participate in the discussion. In the Caribbean there is generally no class discussion; the teacher lectures, and the students remain silent. One must remember that the teacher is not the only one at fault. The parents must bear the brunt of the blame. They generally abnegate their parental responsibility to visit the schools. When a teacher sent messages, parents often ignored them. Some would go to the teacher and act stupidly by suggesting the teacher should do whatever is considered necessary. The "whatever is considered necessary" is a parental suggestion to "go ahead, teacher, beat him or her into submission!" One teacher was heard loudly arguing with a mother who suggested corporal punishment. The teacher shouted, "How terrible! Are you mad?" When she mentioned calling the authorities, the frightened parent cringed with fright. At least give this trying mother credit for trying to solve her child's problem. Many other mothers just ignore these messages. One could hear many of these mothers bellowing in their well-furnished apartments (their only pride and joy) that they are not going to the schools, because if the child did not learn, it was the child's business. The outcome indicates that many times these children silently agreed with this assessment. On the downside of this parenting cycle the men all seem to be absent from the equation--possibly paying lip-service to the situation or listening to loud reggae music in some basement party with another "friend."