And with almost two years of online classes, it's not surprising to see frustrated teachers and fatigued students. But the outburst from the teacher at San Pedro High School has left many wondering, who's at fault?
Some say the teacher should not have let her emotions get the better of her, while others have said they have faced much worse in their days at school.
And while that last sentiment is frightening, the Minister of Education says that no form of abuse should be tolerated at schools. He told us that he was disappointed when he saw the video, but that it says a lot about the mental state of those in the education sector and the dire need for mental health professionals.
Hon. Francis Fonseca - Minister of Education
"I think the fundamental message we want to send is listen, we understand the stress that teachers are faced with but there can be no excuse for any form of verbal abuse, any physical abuse, that was not the case here, physical abuse, obviously because it's online, but there can be no excuses for verbal abuse. Our teachers are trained, they are to be held at a higher standard so teachers can never, as difficult as it is, can never allow that frustration to boil over into the classroom setting, they have to demonstrate to their students how important it is despite the challenges of life that we remain focused, that we remain compassionate, and that we are at all times professional in the execution of our duties so it was a very difficult video to watch and we should never use those words when we're referring to our students and children in general whether we are parents, whether we're teachers or individuals, we should never refer to young people in that way so I was disappointed to see that but it's not about judging or condemning the teacher, it's about finding a way to support her and to make sure we take a lesson from this example. The whole issue of mental support for our teachers and students, counselors in our education system, that's a big priority for me, I think it's critically important, it's something that' lacking, our education system, we need a lot more trained, certified counselors, to support not only our students but also our teachers so we're absolutely committed to that and that was one of the issues I discussed as well last Friday with the president of the BNTU, how we can work together to address that issue."
