|
Theresa's Tidbits: Lethebe’s lapse egregious
Theresa Seraphim
for Spotlight
The recent guilty pleas of former Mistassiniy School principal Leonard Lethebe sent shock waves (understandably) through the community of Wabasca and, indeed, throughout the province.
People were horrified to discover that someone in a position not only of authority, but also of trust, had abused all that by becoming involved in a sexual relationship with a student and then, to cap it off, impregnating her.
Lethebe has been suspended and now faces the possibility of losing his teaching licence, which would scupper any chance of him teaching in any Alberta school.
Interestingly, in reading news reports about the situation, one thing came up again and again: People in the community strongly suspected, or even knew, something inappropriate was going on between Lethebe and the student.
The pair was seen driving around in Lethebe’s car and attending hockey games. School staff said Lethebe continually called the student into his office, giving the reason of wanting to help her with her schoolwork; when asked by some of them (who felt uncomfortable with the situation) if anything was going on, Lethebe denied it.
One can ask why, with the evidence piling up, nobody said anything, and why it took so long for the Northland School Division board of directors to suspend Lethebe from the school.
The answer could be as simple as this: nobody wanted to believe that someone in Lethebe’s position, someone who was trusted and seemed like a nice person, could be involved in something like this.
That is entirely understandable, because people like Lethebe shouldn’t cross that ethical line. People had every right to expect him to behave in a professional manner.
For some, the situation will reawaken (if they ever slept) the ghosts of residential school days. People who were abused under that system are leery to begin with, of sending their children to school, for fear their offspring, too, will suffer. The Lethebe situation will probably not do anything to assuage those concerns.
This is a pity. Many hard-working teachers dedicate themselves to helping their students become the best they can be, intellectually, psychologically, and physically.
Lethebe, thank God, is only one blot on this, but he still deserves whatever punishment he gets. He has let down the community and the teaching profession.
Most of all, as the Edmonton Journal’s Paula Simons pointed out in a recent column, he has let down himself.
< Previous
Home
Next >
|
