by Jennifer Pritchett
Northern News Services
NNSL (OCT 28/96) - Teaching isn't always a picnic for Don Clark: "Some days I go home and I feel more like a policeman for students," says the Rankin Inlet high school teacher.
Clark's situation isn't unusual.
A recent report conducted by the NWT Teachers' Association and the NWT Department of Education indicates that abusive language, insults, obscene gestures and physical attacks are common to some schools.
It also reveals that the problems occur more often at the junior and senior high levels.
Jim Gilbert, past-president of the NWT Teacher's Association, says he initiated the study because of a growing concern for the safety of both teachers and students.
"We were aware of a growing concern amongst teachers for the escalating level of abuse that they have to deal with," he says.
Half of all incidents that occurred between students, or between students and teachers that were detailed in the 1995 study were verbal assaults.
One-third of the incidents involved physical assault, eight per cent of which were directed at teachers.
While he says it's only a minority of students causing the problems, Clark wasn't surprised by the results.
"I'm not so naive as to say everything is hunky dory," he says. "All you have to do is look at the high number of break-ins and other crimes."
He says the problems originate outside the school and he faults a lack of respect youths have for themselves and others. Low self-esteem causes academic problems and that in turn leads to more problems at school.
"Frustration with school work when students aren't meeting with the level of success they would like is a problem," he says.
Ron Vaive, a high school teacher in Deline, agrees. He says it's usually a handful of students who cause problems for teachers and other students at each school.
Like Clark, he blames bad grades and truancy for many of the troubles.
"Poor attendance is a problem, and this contributes to other problems here," he says. "Often a student doesn't understand the work because they haven't been in school."
Vaive says at least four or five students in each class miss a week of classes every month.
"The good kids far outweigh the bad ones, but disciplining them does take time away from teaching," he says.
Charles Dent, the minister of education, admits there is a discipline problem in NWT schools, but insists it's only in some schools.
"We're not trying to gloss over the problem," he says. "But the boards have the ultimate responsibility to deliver these programs."
He says the new territorial school legislation requires all schools to have a discipline plan in place.
Most schools do have a discipline plan, but the reality is many of them aren't working.
Then there's the strain of cutbacks in school funding. Everyone from teachers and their assistants to students themselves are feeling the pinch.
And with one of the highest student-teacher ratios in the country - second only to Alberta's - the situation spans the North.
"When you've got one class of 32 students, one teacher, and six grade levels, it makes for a difficult situation," says Vaive.
Dent says he expects it will only get worse as cuts over the next three years put even more pressure on boards.
"Unless we have a windfall of funds - and my expectation is that this won't happen - I don't see it (the ratio) going down," he says. On the other hand, he adds, it probably won't increase.
The NWT ratio is 17.4 students for every teacher. Alberta's is 17.9.
Some NWT educators suspect the real ratio may be even higher because principals, librarians and support staff are included in the calculations.
In addition, with government threatening to cut salaries and increase housing costs for teachers, Vaive says many might reconsider coming to the North.
"Education won't stop no matter what, but there might be less people getting into the business," he says.
"It's tough sometimes, but you have to keep going somehow."