When tears don't matter

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By Melody Gwenyambira

TEN YEARS ago this time i was left a traumatised soul after my grade four teacher has whipped me on my backside because I had not covered my homework book.

The physical pain was unbearable but it could not be matched with the emotional fear that was instilled in me by the beatings.

Back in the day when I was in primary school, my teacher whom I cannot name because of professional reasons used her favourite disciplinary method, a 50cm thick rubber from a tyre to whip my backside onmy backside on a cold winter morning. She gave me five hard whips that left dark marks and I could not sit down for one good week.

I cried the whole day in class despite my teachers rants that she would give it to me once again.

I told my mother who was very protective of me (God bless her soul) and she blew the top.I understood my mothers anger because I was very dear to her.

Drwaing you back a little, I was born prematurely weighing 960 grammes and at six months.

I was in the incubator at Mbuya Nehanda Hospital for three good months and was discharged but later came back into the hospital for an operation.

I was born after my mother had experienced six miscarriages and two still births.

And you think I would not be dear to her?

Well to cut the long story short, the senior teacher told my mother to come to school the next day and she did.

My headmistress who for reasons known to herself hated people, everyone told my mother that I was supposed to have covered my book.

Well it was not my fault that I had not covered the ook.

You see, I was asmathic then and I had had two attacks in two consecutive days.

When I recovered I went back to school and I was given that notebook and was told to covr it.

My mother who was a civil servant only received her paycheck and of month and this was on the 19^th.

Ashe wrote a letter to thee teacher to explaining that she would but the covers in a week’s time.

My teacher failed to understand it and she gave me the beting.

The headmistress asked me to show her the marks and I took off my panties and showed her.

She told my mother that she was going to look into the matter.

The matter was not dealth and my mother remained bitter.

She even tried to transfer me because of the experiences I wasnow exposed to in that school.

One experience that blew everything out of proportion was when I was called to the staff room and five senior teachers including the headmistress held a meeting.

I was ordered to strip so that I could show them the beating, Imagine they were malke teachers present, (that woman was the devil’s sister) I often tolfd myself.

I told my mother and she had a breakdown.

She took me out of the school and looked around for  a place for me.

For a good month I was a home defender but I went back after the teacher was suspended and my mother took me for counselling.

Yes the counselling helped but now as an adultI have a serious fear of bing beaten up and both my parents have never beaten me up.

When someone iss talking to me and they raise their voice I  tend to cover my face in fear of being beaten up.

Now my heart bleeds for a young girl who was whipped on her backside by her teacher for a trivial matter.

When the little girl showed me her backside my heart  almost skipped a beat.

Her buttocks were swollen and the brown color was black.

They looked like a hot iron had been placed on them.

The little girl’s voice was choked by her tears as she narrated her sad ordeal.

“I know longer want to go to school because I am afraid she will bet me up again. I am in so much pain and I cannot sit down,” the nine year old told me.

The teacher gave her 25 whips, imagine 25 whips!

I wonder of she has any children and if she does does she have a heart? I doubt.

I might sound very judgementanl but Heaven have mercy on this woman.

The corporal punishment inflicted on the child is not just physical but emotional.

The little girl has begun a very difficult and traumatizing journey.

She needs some serious counselling and she has to under go treatment for her physical scars.

And for the teacher justice has to prevail.

Stern punishments have  to be put in place for these teachers who apply corporal punishment.

Last year I met another ypung boy from Mrewa who was beaten up by his teacher witha drywooden stick and a splint was lodged in the boy’s hand.

He went under the knife for it to be removed.

Lets all have a human heart and put a human face to situatioms!!

melody.gwenyambira@zimpapers.co.zw