A MICROCOSM OF SOCIETY

Mar 23, 2017 Editorial, Features / Columnists

In Guyana as in other countries, schools are considered a microcosm of the wider society, in that they reflect what is going on in the various communities.
Schools are important for imparting knowledge to children and to teach them the values of society. Schools are where the formal education of children takes place. Informal education of children takes place in their environment, which is reflected in their behaviour, mannerisms and language at school.
At school, children cannot be expected to divorce themselves from their environment and from their social and the cultural influences of their upbringing. It has been an accepted fact that children learn what they live.
Across the country, obscene language has become a normal component of conversation by adults, sometimes in the presence of children. At a very tender age, some children are exposed to adults engaging in conversation in the home that is flowered with obscenities. This type of indecent behaviour unfortunately seems to be normal. A society that cannot protect its children from abusive and vulgar behaviour is doomed to fail.
Children tend to reflect the behaviour they learn at home in their conversations at school, because they have been informally educated into thinking that it is the custom. This aspect of their acculturation is socially unacceptable.
While some may argue that this is not a new social norm, it has grown in magnitude with the advent of social media, with its anonymity and absence of standards as a communication medium. It has made children the innocent victims of a dysfunctional social order.
Children can learn a wider range of words to express themselves if their exposure to social media is restricted and if parents refrain from using expletives in their presence. Parents owe their children a responsibility to set and maintain high standards of socially acceptable behaviour.
The level of moral decay that currently permeates the society makes it extremely important for schools to address it. Schools should not accept such lewdness by children. It runs counter to the overall objective of producing respectable citizens. And even though many believe that it is the responsibility of schools to undo such unacceptable social behaviour, there are limitations. Studies show that it is difficult for schools to change such behaviour, especially when parents, guardians, extended family members and neighbours continue to use foul expressions in their everyday vernacular in the presence of children.
Further, interactions between teachers and parents reveal that children are merely reflecting a behaviour that is practiced around them in the outer environs.
In the past, children used obscenities to express their anger and frustration at each other, but recently this has become casual conversation among peers. At times, children unconsciously will use foul language when they are speaking to teachers, for the simple reason that they have become accustomed to its use in their informal conversation. Even more disturbing is the extent to which the problem exists at the primary level.
Parents, guardians and community leaders must do more to elevate the standard of social dialogue. The vocabulary of children can only be widened by listening to edifying conversation and not obscene language in their home environment. It is important for parents to model good behaviour for children to learn and emulate. Society cannot continue to remain silent on such an important issue.
And while many religious leaders have not voiced their concerns in the public domain about the behaviour of children, there is an urgent need for them to be more proactive and help students strive towards developing a culture of righteousness. This will create a positive environment for students and put them on the right path.

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