Discipline

Some people or, should I say, teachers have developed this habit of establishing a wall or pedestal in order for students to respect (or worship) them as if they are gods from who-knows-where.  However, they should be reminded that one doesn't have to be scary to become an excellent teacher.  Discipline requires a little fear on the part of the one being disciplined but that shouldn't impede the teaching-learning process so that instead of getting excited to attend their class, students develop fear or worse, hate against the teacher and/or the subject.

In my six years of teaching, I have met teachers of varied personalities as there are students of varied characters and levels of intelligence.  There are teachers who have, after many years of teaching, decided that they can only do much as what the subject allows them to.  There are those who are always dynamic and want change and yet very poor in implementing the change they want to happen for they themselves unknowingly resist it.  There are those whose passion for teaching is unquestionable.  Those who go the extra mile by providing help to students despite the limited resources.  And, yes, there are also those who love to TORMENT the students, so instead of being a mentor, they become TORmentors.  The sad thing is they claim this form of tormenting as "discipline" so that students will learn that life is not a joyride.

First, I have nothing against disciplining a student.  Second, yes students should learn that life is not a joyride.  However, there is a thin line that separates discipline from overuse of power.  When you tell your students that deadline is deadline, that's disciplining.  When you tell your students to be on time in coming to class, that too, is a form of discipline.  When you give students a failing mark for a copied work, that's disciplining as well.  But when you give students projects and written work not discussed or taught in class, that is another thing.  If you tell your students to do push up one-hundred times for sleeping in class without bothering to ask the cause of the student's sloppiness, that's purely insensitivity. If you tell your students to attend to your tutorial for a pay after they have failed in your own class, that's corruption.  If you insult your students every time they effort to answer your questions calling them morons or idiots, that's verbal and psychological abuse.

While teachers have the freedom to impose rules and to discipline their students, they too, ought to be disciplined or if not, manifest a form of self-discipline.  Teachers ought to walk their talk.  How can you tell your students to come on time when you yourself come to class 30 minutes after the time?  How can you demand from your students to study when you yourself come to class unprepared?  Some teachers may have not known this but students know when their teacher is unprepared.  Students are, after all, our audience in the classroom, and yes, they have that eye for mistakes.  

So next time,. when you think of "disciplining" your students, how about a bottle of soda to chill out?  It is better being loved than being shunned or hated, right?