State + Private Schools = The same issues?

People still think that the hardest situations that any teacher could face are possible only in a public school. Drug addiction and delinquency are the main issues for many. It would be sad if some of us are not able to find something wrong in a private school, because nothing is perfect. Most of these schools are very well-organized, structured and controlled. Teachers and students seem to have an almost perfect life. If we think of “posh people” you have that kind of idea, but it is not real. Many of them live with nannies. Unfortunately they are prone to be sexually abused or battered. Other kids try to imitate their parents. Because of that they can become classists, indifferent, manipulative and perfectionists. Now, do you think that someone is saved of having problems?

According to “posh people” I dare to say: “not all that glitters is gold”. For example, I started observing a class in a private school. The problem I had to face was with a student from 4rd grade of elementary school. My first day I met a girl called Catalina. Her strong personality started to freak me out when I realized that she did not have a good relationship with others. She was very nice but vey conflictive at the same time. One day I had to supervise a group activity. They worked doing a beautiful poster. After the teacher put a mark, one boy wanted to keep it. He wanted to give it to his father. He did not get what he wanted because his group agreed that Catalina was going to keep the poster. Both were arguing until he started to cry. Catalina had won the “battle”.

Therefore I talked to Catalina. I asked if she could give the poster to him. She said “no” harshly. The conflict started when she finally hit him. When her classmates stopped her, she came back to her seat, throwing everything that impeded her way. I made the mistake of taking control of the situation. I asked her: “Why did you do that? What is your purpose of hitting your classmates without talking before?” Immediately after she stood up and shouts without controlling herself: “You can’t tell me what I have to do, you can’t!” Personally speaking, I believe that Catalina was trying to imitate her mother’s bad behavior. From her anger she showed me that she is not happy. Something wrong is happening in her life.

One of our missions as educators is to become mediators, trying to make the best decisions for these cases. In Catalina’s case, she become into an aggressive, manipulative and unsympathetic person because of her mother. Generally speaking, “posh people” live in a cold environment, which their kids can have everything, but not happiness. Unfortunately, we see those problems as silly and unimportant. The worst of all, we are not being conscious that nobody can reach happiness with money, you need love too. Poor and rich kids have almost the same problems. The only difference is that wealthy society tends to show off that they have a “perfect life”. I invite you to develop our sensitive side and recognize their problems, in order to help them to live in a healthy community.