Square peg in a round hole

Written 13 June 2013

I’ve been feeling strange, recently. The phrase, “square peg in a round hole” keeps popping into my head, as I find myself dealing with some of the oddest things, things that really frustrate my spirit!

On the plus side, I’ve just had my contract renewed for a second 6-month period, which gives me the kind of security I didn’t have this time last year. So, in that way – a very important way - life has moved in the right direction for me (and my little family). I am deeply thankful to be employed, especially after having been unemployed for a few months and more so because of our country’s growing unemployment crisis. 

It’s still strange, though, to fit into the rules and regulations of an educational institution, being the free spirit that I am. I’m a singer-songwriter, I create music on my guitar and I perform to audiences. I view the world like most creative people do, standing in awe of nature’s wonders, the glorious sunrises and sunsets, the gentle sound of the rain, and the many other stimuli that keep one’s senses awake and alert, wide open to inspiration. Having said as much, I’m mature enough to do what’s expected of me at work, and to find, in the middle of all the prescriptions, my ‘groove’. Nothing can change the fact that I am a qualified, experienced educator and that I love teaching. I enjoy my time with my students, and the team I’ve been part of since January has evolved in interesting ways. I can safely say I enjoy going to work, because I feel I’m making a contribution to the new South Africa – one of my long-term goals.    

At the campus where I work, the staff are required to wear uniforms, something I’ve managed to evade, as I form part of a relatively new department, where this issue has not been finalised (yet). I have very strong views on this matter, and when the topic surfaced recently, it rekindled a strong desire to put those views in writing.

When I’m trying to understand something, I always go back to the source, to try to get a sense of the context, because everything has a context – everything is relative. The decision to wear uniforms was made by staff in departments which train students for industries related to aspects of one’s appearance. The staff voted to have uniforms made, and they all seem happy to be dressed in that manner, with the rationale being that they were industry-specific.

So everyone was issued with certain uniform items, in the corporate colours, and this is what those staff members wear every day. The uniform is also the required dress code for Admin staff and Management.

I can appreciate all of the above, I’ve heard the rationale many times, and I can see why people were attracted to it. For some, the convenience of a uniform was the deciding factor – it takes away the need to decide, on a daily basis, what to wear.

However, for me, personally, this issue is problematic.

In my place of work, I am an educator.  In my current job, I teach English to students, most of whom speak isiXhosa as a first language and who struggle with English. For many, the only time they ever speak English is at college. And even then, it’s when they’re forced to respond to a lecturer’s questions. For some, there is an ideological resistance to English as “the white man’s language”, which further clouds their inclination to speak it. For others, there’s huge embarrassment around making mistakes in public, so they prefer not to speak it in class, for fear of being ridiculed.

My point? I have my work cut out for me, and I’m up for the challenge. My students have expectations of me, and I am there to fulfil a certain role, as set out formally in my employment contract, but also as determined by the particular needs of my students. While I do lecture in a particular department, I form part of another department, which means I could be sent to any of the seven campuses. As such, I don’t identify specifically with a particular industry – I am strictly a language/communication lecturer.

 My general point, basically, is that the role of an educator is to EDUCATE, and, unless there is a pertinent reason to do so, wearing a uniform is not going to make you a better educator. And if there is a broad appeal for uniforms, people’s individual rights to differ should be respected. It’s as simple as that.

But my really strong views on this matter, unapologetically subjective, are linked to my personal value system. This, for me, is where the dichotomy lies. My value system entails a strong focus on being one’s authentic self, of discovering and living one’s truth. I consciously challenge and encourage my students to be proud individuals, to stand up for their beliefs, and not to be afraid to stand out from the crowd. In other words, the value system I espouse and propagate, which I believe is extremely important for the youth of post-apartheid South Africa, is to be the best person you can be, that each person is unique, and that that uniqueness will set you apart and bring you the satisfaction of contributing to society in a real way; I teach that no two people are alike, and that our differences enrich our lives and make for an exciting society. I focus on personal attributes, I speak positively and in an uplifting way, to constantly pour into their psyches that they ARE good enough, and that they need NEVER feel they are inferior in any way. I teach it and I live it.

With all this focus on the individual, it would be stupid for me to stand in front of my students wearing a uniform, a predetermined set of clothing that ensures I do not stand out from the rest, that I blend in, merge, tone down, fade, and become a shadow, an amorphous, obsequious, compliant spectre, an opinion-less cog in a wheel, a wheel going nowhere but round and round and round.   

What I suspected all along has been confirmed: it does not end with the clothing items. The accessories can’t be your own choice of item, even in the corporate colours – that is not allowed. More than that, you are expected to have a “mainstream” hairstyle and to wear make-up. You can be called one side and spoken to about your eyebrows, if they don’t meet with certain standards.  J

This past week, I saw one brave individual, who chooses not to adhere to the dress code, being publicly humiliated - named and shamed. It’s unbelievable, disgusting and totally unacceptable. The whole ethos is awash with old-South African, police-state, authoritarian, top-down, undemocratic values and practices. I see no trace of our new, so-called “enlightened” society there. How very, very sad.

With the state of affairs in our country’s education system being such cause for alarm, how do people heading educational institutions justify this kind of insular thinking? What a wasted opportunity to lead with vision and innovation, at such an exciting time in our country’s history!

If leaders of schools/colleges are worthy of their positions, then these things should be uppermost in their minds:

• Are the educators EDUCATING?
• Are they operating with INTEGRITY?
• Are they fostering healthy VALUES in their students?
• Are they teaching GENDER sensitivity?
• Are they promoting ENVIRONMENTAL awareness?
• Are they making sure students learn a sense of COMPASSION?
• Are they encouraging ACCEPTANCE and CELEBRATION of diversity?
• Are they stimulating debate, developing a sense of QUESTIONING (of outdated systems) and igniting curiosity and a SOLUTION-ORIENTATED mindset in their students? 

If I were to wrap up with a one-liner, it would be this: If you continue to focus on what’s on the outside, you’ll miss out hopelessly on all the wonderful things that people have on the inside.