All the Little Hoodlum Understudies

"The student voice was all that mattered, and basically they silenced the teachers' voices. We were always questioned, we were always undermined, we were always told [the bad behaviour] must be our bias, or our classroom management, or it must be because we're not listening to the students."

"We were telling the kids, 'Go into the class, this is a secure school. And [they said] 'No, we don't have to."

"They had so much control, the kids then wouldn't listen to the vice-principal and principal, that's how bad it was."

"Some of our neediest kids who we were working with and we were keeping them in the class. But then they started being oppositional with us and started hanging out in the hall, too."

"Our students thrive on rules and routines, structure and clear guidelines. And they had none of that."

"The board's stated mission is 'creating a culture of innovation, sharing and social responsibility/. Our school did not uphold any of those pillars. It's outrageous that there was so much chaos, that the school was totally unsafe and that the kids were not learning."

Michael Sterrberg, Grade 5 and 6 teacher, Pinecrest Public School, Ottawa

Teacher Michael Sternberg stands outside Pinecrest Public School with a homemade sign in September 2022.  Photo by ERROL MCGIHON /POSTMEDIA

"[There] appears to be a poisoned working and learning environment at Pinecrest. [We are examining] interactions and conduct throughout Pinecrest amongst and between staff, students and families."

"[Staff were invited to speak confidentially to investigators and directed to] refrain from yelling or raising voices at students and each other [and to] continue to stop, interrupt and appropriately address the use of slurs and hate-related incidents."

"[There will be] communication with the school community [when the investigation is completed]."

"As that investigation is active, it is not appropriate to comment on specific details."

Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, Office of the Human Rights and Equity Advisor

"[Investigation-solicited comments were] red flags that something is seriously wrong and it's not being dealt with."

"[Some of the older students] would just wander the school all day. We're talking about defiant: 'I'm not going to class, I'm going to sit here on my phone, I'm going to do whatever I want, and I don't have to listen to any adult in this building'."

"[We stopped imposing much discipline for fear of] being accused by administrators of targeting [a child and being sent home to be investigated]. It's self-preservation."

Pinecrest teacher, unauthorized to speak

Disruptions in elementary school classes of a type and duration never before experienced in Canada. A country which historically built its population on a tradition of immigration. Where immigrants stemmed mostly from Europe and those coming into the country made an effort to understand the prevailing culture, the nation's laws and its values, to commit themselves to following them to successfully integrate into the prevailing social system.

On average, Canada's intake of immigrants and refugees are well over 350,000 a year. People coming into the country whose heritage, languages, ethnicities, religions and cultural values do not always mesh with that of native Canadians or Canadians from immigrant backgrounds who have adjusted to Canadian society. And they make no effort to integrate. Along with the fact that many bring cultural baggage inimical to Canadian values of equality and human rights with them. Inclusive of tribal and religious animosities.

This elementary school is a living laboratory of what can gp wrong in a growing atmosphere of cosmopolitan liberal progressivism that has been labelled 'woke'. This 'relaxed' attitude of non-judgemental conditioning views the still, but barely majority 'white' population as guilty of privileged and colonialist attitudes, while people of colour, Blacks and Indigenous and LGBTQ-2 communities now have rights denied to the white-privileged who must expiate the sins of their ancestors committed against the culturally and societally 'underprivileged'.

Teacher Michael Sternberg sent an email to all staff at the school he was teaching in; Pinecrest Public School; the subject line read: "Students reporting they don't feel safe!" In the email he explained that a number of students informed him they felt unsafe at the school. "I am not making this up! Please help! Someone!", he wrote.  Other teaching staff, taking care to withhold their names, validated the statements made by Mr. Sternberg.

Some older students at the school had taken to roaming the halls at class time, bullying other students, intimidating staff and ignoring requests to follow basic rules such as not using cellphones. At the same time, teachers found themselves thwarted in efforts to deal with the situation under an administration that insisted on giving students a voice. What was born out of that sentiment, carried too far, was disruptive, disrespectful and dangerous behaviour.

Physical violence broke out among students. There was a "swarming" attack. Several students brought knives to school with them, and some made racial and antisemitic slurs against both other students and teaching staff. A number of teachers at the school were taken out of their classrooms and ordered to remain at home while they were being 'investigated'. A succession of replacement teachers were brought in to take their place. Which led to several staff teachers suddenly leaving, others replacing them.

Students were increasingly unruly, speaking loudly in class, arguing with teachers, throwing around food and paper, and playing with balls in their classrooms. When journalists heard of the problems, they sought answers from the school board which refused to comment on any of the issues claiming it must protect the privacy of staff and students, along with the confidentiality of an internal investigation into the school's problems. 

The neighbourhood surrounding Pinecrest School is home to many new immigrants. Students are bused in from two community housing developments. 40 languages are spoken at the homes of these students, many of whom are 'racialized'. "They are beautiful kids and they want to learn", said Mr. Sternberg. Among a handful of students, teachers try to deal with behaviour problems while the majority are anxious to be taught. Yet th edisruptive students were essentially permitted to control the school teaching environment.

Students in grades 5 to 8 are where the problematical behaviour is erupting. The school principal asked teaching staff to submit comments to a digital message board: "Jamboard". Resulting posts made mention of students congregating in hallways using cellphones, bullying, intimidation, attacks and weapons were also issues raised by commenting teachers:

• "I am worried about my safety and the safety of students I teach when a student brings in a weapon and there is no consequence [this is a repeat offender]";
• "Students are verbally abusive to staff and students daily. These students do whatever they want with no repercussion to their actions. How is this a safe learning and working environment?";
• "Students are being physically assaulted and sexually harassed in the bathroom. Students report that they don't feel safe going to the bathroom at school.";
• Student safety is at risk, because students are gathering in the bathrooms, recording fights and posting videos of other children online without permission from those children's parents.";
• "Students in my class are getting into physical fights and aren't having consequences. How is anyone supposed to feel safe?"

According to one teacher, what was occurring was patently unfair to the majority of the students who wanted to be in school and felt that the teaching staff were concerned about their welfare. The children, like their teachers, were left feeling frustrated, watching this kind of commotion to their school days happen continually, leaving them feeling unhappy and insecure. 

 

Several teachers said they had never experienced situations like this at any other school. "You could send them to the office, nothing was done. Last year, the kids were running the school. When kids don't have a structure and guidelines to follow that's how they're going to behave. I'm not blaming the kids."

 

And then the teachers stopped trying to impose punishment for misbehaviour, fearing they would be accused and 'investigated' and sent home to stew. The school board issued a statement that Pinecrest has "made changes both big and small". Staff now stand in hallways to "greet students warmly", and teachers engage in connection-building activities, celebrating the diversity of students' backgrounds listening to name histories and pronunciations.

Community 'partners' are now being brought in to the school to speak with students; representatives from the Somali Centre and a Black male mentor group, for example. "We want kids to see excellence in the community they can relate to", said the school principal. After a student brought a knife to school Pinecrest was locked down while police investigated. Some teachers reacting to a directive to act out a "Third Path" by not asserting power and authority in the classroom, responded it was unclear to them how the principles translated to life in the classroom.

Misbehaviour, they pointed out, escalated as students understood there would be no consequences for acting out. Some of the students picked up the educational terminology in The Third Path: "They would actually use the term, 'Are you policing us'?", pointed out Mr. Sternberg. One teacher, referring to the sudden disappearance from class of a teacher sent home remarked: "How do we squash the shock and concern for our colleague, put on a brave smile and do our best with our students coming to us in a few minutes? How do we respond when the students ask where their teacher has gone?"

As for teacher Sternberg, the superintendent responsible for the school, after reading his original emailed message, concluded he had contributed to a poisoned work environment. Sternberg was told to leave and not inform anyone why it was that he was leaving. He was on "home assignment", he was told, but was given no work to do except complete his report cards. 23 years in the classroom as a teacher, his experience at this school led  him to retire from teaching.

 

"We're dealing with human beings who come to school with many experiences, and trauma, that impact how they're going to be showing themselves at school."

"Kids are kids. And I think the way we speak to them, and we respond to them, is very important to de-escalate students and how they're responding back to us. What we  do, too, if kids don't feel heard, or seen with their actions, and if they feel triggered, they'll show them with their actions and their words."

"They're telling us something then they're walking out of the room [to roam the school hallways]. Are they engaged? Are they looking for something? Is the work too hard? Is the work too easy? Did they have breakfast this morning? Was there a huge fight in their home this morning or last night? Did their sibling run away?"

"Or were there gunshots in the night before? I hear kids talk about, 'Did you hear the gunshots?' when they're getting on the bus, right? They live in communities where kids carry a lot with them when they come to school. And they show us that with their actions."

"We are in service of children. We are not in this work to police children or to approach situations from a place of distrust and assumptions."

"If students feel that we do not trust them, they will show us that through escalated dysregulated behaviours."

Naya Markanastasakis, principal, Pinecrest School, Ottawa, Canada's Capital City