from: Beston Tan Yon Chin, via email
Should schoolchildren in general be punished stringently? Some parents can’t tolerate the fact that their lovely children are subjected to corporal punishment or reprimand in school. They will go directly to the headmaster to lodge a complaint about the teacher who punished their children, even though the punishment is light.
This attitude is ever present in any society, which makes teachers vacillate on whether to rebuke the pupils or not. Nowadays, teachers are exposed to stress from their principal and parents of children who take a dim view of any form of corporal punishment.
A situation happened in my hometown last year, if I am not mistaken, when a school pupil was subjected to corporal punishment, leaving bruises and scars on his hands.
The news spread like wildfire a few days later on social networking websites and in the newspapers too. The student’s parents lodged a complaint. Thus, when the news report appeared, it got the attention of the public, especially those parents who have children in school. The teacher concerned promptly made an apology to pacify the student’s parents.
However, was the teacher the only one to blame? The misdemeanour committed by the child was overlooked but the mistake of the teacher was magnified.
With the emergence of social media, many of us have plunged into a tendency to pass shallow judgement on matters and by instant intuition, instead of analysing and understanding the facts.
Knowing the truth before jumping to a conclusion is an exemplary attitude to build a society with civil consciousness. To speak plainly, in many cases, Malaysians need to do more analytical thinking before criticising unilaterally.
Education involves children, teachers and parents. I sympathise with teachers who always cast their pearls to swine, and having to resort to corporal punishment to correct rebellious pupils. At the same time, I also sympathise with the children and their tons of homework. They become lackadaisical in learning after they are burdened with stress.
Do not be dumbfounded if you see your children unexpectedly “explode”. They are under stress to cope with homework and produce academic excellence. In this competitive world, parents should show them the right path in life by giving them correct counsel and constructive encouragement. Parents should not lay blame on school teachers every time. Lest we forget, some of them are only abiding by the system established by government.
Parents should be composed and not overreact when their children are scolded or reprimanded. If the punishment is not excessive, the teacher should be let off. Too much tension and overreaction might lead the children to having serious problems, restraining them while growing up into adulthood.
So, tell me, are you helping your children or mollycoddling them?
Beston Tan Yon Chin is an FMT reader.
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