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RASTA, SCHOOL BATTLE
Woman says she was fired for teaching patois poem
"We don't discriminate ...," school administrator says
A verbal battle is brewing between the administrators of a Corporate Area prep school and a Rastafarian woman, who is accusing them of not only dismissing her because she taught patois, but also forcing her daughter to leave because she started growing locks.
Zandriann Maye says that she was dismissed from her job as a drama teacher at King's Gate Prep in St. Andrew, after she taught a student a culture piece in patios. She said because of her dismissal her daughter has been asked to leave.
"The school said that they believed in grooming and that the hair of their students should be combed. They also said I was dismissed with immediate effect and that students should not use patois nor listen to dancehall as it was not a part of their style," said Maye.
When THE STAR contacted the school, however, they painted a different picture. The principal, who only gave her name as Mrs. Laird, said Maye was dismissed because she smoked ganja on the school grounds.
"We had a meeting and she was asked to leave. She was called into the meeting and told that we have rules and restrictions. We've had Christmas plays with dialect so there is no such law. What she did was the low, raw vulgar thing. It was not patois," she said.
Laird said she did not know the child wore locks and there was no form of discrimination. Laird added that Maye had performed the piece previously and was instructed to change it but showed her something different. She said the school did not encourage dancehall nor its culture. It was not until later that she found out that Maye intended to use the same piece in the upcoming Jamaica Cultural Development Commission festival.
Maye, however, said the piece, which spoke to criminals, sparked everything and her decision to let the student speak patois prompted the dismissal. She contends she was a victim of discrimination because the culture piece was said in patois and King's Gate Prep, which is registered with the Ministry of Education, did not agree.
"They called me into the office, and just dismissed me verbally nothing was written and I was not told why. When I mentioned it to the parents they were shocked. They also went as far as saying if any of the children worked with me they would be asked to leave the school. They later retracted it and said they were not encouraging such thing," said Maye.
But, the school administration said that neither Maye nor her eight-year-old daughter was a victim of discrimination.
"We don't discriminate against anybody. Maye is a dreadlock and we employed her as a part-time drama teacher. She was not dismissed because she was speaking patois, nor was her child asked to find another school. Based on what came out of the meeting with parents, they were in agreement with the school and its standards," said the vice-principal, who refused to give his name.
Meanwhile, Maye, while denying the school's accusation that she smoked ganja, still believes she was discriminated against. She said, though, that the school later retracted their arguments after parents disagreed with its actions.
Woman says she was fired for teaching patois poem
"We don't discriminate ...," school administrator says
A verbal battle is brewing between the administrators of a Corporate Area prep school and a Rastafarian woman, who is accusing them of not only dismissing her because she taught patois, but also forcing her daughter to leave because she started growing locks.
Zandriann Maye says that she was dismissed from her job as a drama teacher at King's Gate Prep in St. Andrew, after she taught a student a culture piece in patios. She said because of her dismissal her daughter has been asked to leave.
"The school said that they believed in grooming and that the hair of their students should be combed. They also said I was dismissed with immediate effect and that students should not use patois nor listen to dancehall as it was not a part of their style," said Maye.
When THE STAR contacted the school, however, they painted a different picture. The principal, who only gave her name as Mrs. Laird, said Maye was dismissed because she smoked ganja on the school grounds.
"We had a meeting and she was asked to leave. She was called into the meeting and told that we have rules and restrictions. We've had Christmas plays with dialect so there is no such law. What she did was the low, raw vulgar thing. It was not patois," she said.
Laird said she did not know the child wore locks and there was no form of discrimination. Laird added that Maye had performed the piece previously and was instructed to change it but showed her something different. She said the school did not encourage dancehall nor its culture. It was not until later that she found out that Maye intended to use the same piece in the upcoming Jamaica Cultural Development Commission festival.
Maye, however, said the piece, which spoke to criminals, sparked everything and her decision to let the student speak patois prompted the dismissal. She contends she was a victim of discrimination because the culture piece was said in patois and King's Gate Prep, which is registered with the Ministry of Education, did not agree.
"They called me into the office, and just dismissed me verbally nothing was written and I was not told why. When I mentioned it to the parents they were shocked. They also went as far as saying if any of the children worked with me they would be asked to leave the school. They later retracted it and said they were not encouraging such thing," said Maye.
But, the school administration said that neither Maye nor her eight-year-old daughter was a victim of discrimination.
"We don't discriminate against anybody. Maye is a dreadlock and we employed her as a part-time drama teacher. She was not dismissed because she was speaking patois, nor was her child asked to find another school. Based on what came out of the meeting with parents, they were in agreement with the school and its standards," said the vice-principal, who refused to give his name.
Meanwhile, Maye, while denying the school's accusation that she smoked ganja, still believes she was discriminated against. She said, though, that the school later retracted their arguments after parents disagreed with its actions.
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