Q Are students' complaints against teachers taken seriously enough?
As a mother of three I read with interest and amazement the articles regarding teachers using verbal discipline and the case of the 11-year-old kept forced to sit alone at recess as punishment.
In order to protect children against excessive use of discipline and child abuse we seem to have created a problem about what to do when children are naughty. In some cases, punishment is necessary as it reinforces accepted codes of behaviour. If children are disruptive and violent in school, teachers now have very few courses of action open to them, hence resorting to verbal abuse. While not wishing to comment specifically on the case of the 11-year-old mentioned in the papers, in general, is making a child sit alone at recess excessive punishment? Personally, I think not.
To prevent any misunderstanding on the part of the student and the parents, the reasons for any punishment should be given to the student and a note clearly stating the facts given to the parents to be signed and returned to the school.
In today's society, smacking children is frowned upon and some countries have even tried to get laws passed to ban it completely. Instead of smacking, I am supposed to explain and reason with my children. But has anyone tried to reason with an hysterical three-year-old? Believe me it is not easy.
Disciplining children is a difficult issue. To determine when we have crossed the line between punishment and child abuse is never going to be an easy issue as people's opinions will always vary. Children learn acceptable behaviour from their parents and schools. If we cannot reprimand them we are heading towards a society where they are not given any clear boundaries.