However, a team of dedicated teachers in Sarawak took a radical approach to address indiscipline among students by choosing instead to build closer ties with the baddest of them.
FMT spoke to a team of educators at SMK Sg Tapang here, who by gently inspiring unruly students to re-focus on their studies and settle their disputes in a cordial manner, helped reform a school once feared as a “gangster” school that was beyond redemption.
The school’s head counsellor Law Sie Khiang explained that although reaching out to problematic students required patience, the results were more than worth the effort.
“When you approach naughty students and get close to them, you will realise that they are good ‘inside’. It’s not as bad as what they portray themselves to be.
“They can be friends with you and share their thoughts and experiences. From then on, I enter their ‘world’,” she said.
Law said she took it upon herself to approach the “worst” group in school, and advise them kindly, hoping that in that way, full-blown brawls among the students could be avoided.
“They always fight to solve problems. These students think by fighting and raising their voices, they can solve problems.
“So we use the ‘early warning system’ that enables students who want to settle scores to come to the counsellors and talk about their problems.
“Then, we will try to stop the fight by asking both sides to sit down and sort out their disputes,” she said, adding that her team of counsellors also visited the homes of “problematic” students to help their parents identify their child’s strengths and areas for improvement.
Such measures have helped to drastically reduce the number of disciplinary issues and fights in the school, Law said.
“I’ve seen many changes. Last time the school was a mess and students were never in their classes.
“Fights were breaking out every hour and even the teachers were afraid to approach these students,” she remarked, adding however that effective counselling had helped students change for the better.
The school also revamped its teaching style to the International Baccalaureate (IB) methodology, a move that saw students becoming more proactive in classes, the school’s mathematics teacher Jennifer Sian said.
“Instead of being passive like before, now they ask many questions and start to think by themselves when prompted.
“Now students do a lot of research and find their own answers,” she said.
The school’s physical education coordinator Lim Eng Hui said he regarded the students’ change in behaviour as the biggest achievement in his career as an educator.
“It has been a busy three years. It’s been difficult but I’m glad that we’ve done it.
“Students are so much more involved now and they are too busy to be naughty.”