Schools and colleges must make it a point to communicate as regularly as possible with students and pass on the message about the need for students to report any case of ‘mistreatment’ on the part of the educator to parents with as much clarity and accuracy as possible.
Scolding
What exactly is scolding? What exactly is reprimanding? When are students scolded? What are punishments for? What is permissible as punishment and what is not? What constitutes violence and what doesn’t? In what tone and in which context has a reprimand been made? A better understanding of these things will help students not only to grow in maturity but also to reflect on the danger of distorting the truth in the course of reporting the matter to parents.
Established procedures
How we report a matter is of great importance. Students just cannot go home and report whatever they want. We need to teach students to be responsible and use words with utmost care. It is because we do not communicate with students over these matters that we find ourselves with surprise attacks from impulsive parents on educators. So, let’s teach our students to think twice about what to report home and how to report it.
We must also teach our students about the necessity of following established procedures. Any conflict with an educator must be raised with the Headmaster or the Rector. The latter will probe into the issue and take the necessary measures. It is not always necessary to take home every single conflict with the educator.
What happens when a case of punishment is misreported? Let’s give the opportunity to students to think over basic and significant words like reaction, overreaction, impulsive nature of certain people, lack of judgement etc. We must talk frankly to students in classes and during the morning assembly about the tendency of certain students of bearing old grudges against particular teachers and waiting for the right moment to settle scores with them.
Better management of emotions must be a regular part of our education. This applies to teachers as well. But how often is this sensitization done? How often are the ways to cope with crisis evaluated and redefined or brought up to date? The solutions that were relevant a year ago may not be relevant today. Discipline is an evolving process.
Communicating involves reporting accurately, faithfully and thoughtfully. The aim of imparting good communication strategies to students is to make them more responsible. They must learn to think in terms of consequences. There is nothing more tragic for a teacher than being assaulted for something he never did or for something he never intended.
A lie, a wrong interpretation of a punishment may cause immense harm to another human being and to his family.
