Children
sometimes and most times can be really naughty, even as parent, we sometimes smack
them or are tempted to, this comes from frustration when we want to get them to
do things properly or stop bothering us.
But like
the scriptures say "two cannot work together unless they agree", this
scripture connotes that we have to learn to understand one another so that we
can have a cordial and respectful, fulfilled relationship with one another. This
plays out at our places of work, marriage and YES, even the relationship
between parents, children and teachers.
There is
always a way to study someone to know how to engage them and bring out the best
in them. Every individual and age group have a unique way they think and the
way they expect or hope others pass their message across to them.
For
children, it is patience and love
The norm of
teachers beating up children and sometimes to the extent of putting marks on
them in other to get them to improve in their studies have shown in greater
percentage. This does not work; children have interest or show interest only things
that give them joy rather than things that sadden them. When the teacher is too
harsh and obviously not trained in ways to engage a child, he/she loses the child
and it eventually affects his/her studies and sadly affects other areas of life
for a long time. We must know that after going for teachers training courses we
still need to study emotional intelligence to equip ourselves as teachers on
how to handle each individual child that God brings our way. Children will be
children and though we sometimes feel frustrated, we need to learn self control
and not engage wrong and inhumane method of beating and abuse thinking it will
produce a result of positivity and productivity.
Some
teachers have been seen to overdo this, creating fear and anxiety in the hearts
of the children they preside over. There is no way that child can excel at
his/her pursuits.
Children
hating to go to school signify an underlying problem of fear or dislike for particular
teacher(s) or a bully. It will be most unfortunate if the bully ends up being
the teacher.
We are the
adults and have the full responsibility of self restraints when it comes to
physically inflicting injuries on children in anger, all in the name of
teaching them or putting them straight. One does not want to create a negative
emotional imbalance in a child that is supposed to be in ones care and ones to
impact positively.
Because of
this issue schools have devised other forms of punishments, disciplinary measures
for children who are stubborn or otherwise. As for children who are lacking behind
academically, beating and punishing them is unproductive and should be
discouraged, because this will create a mindset of failure in them and might
end up been a stronghold as we segregate and ridicule them (with actions and
words) from others, thinking this will gear them to improve on their academics.
For
academically challenged children, it is the responsibility of the school and the
teachers to innovate and find other ways of getting through to them. We can't all
just be one way. Some schools engage play to break through to the minds and
interest of children If some schools can teach and succeed with special
children, I think we can do much better with children that have no physical and
mental challenges. Thinking outside the box is the answer and not physical
assault to the point of inflicting gruesome injuries.
Unfortunately
when this happens, what follows oftentimes is that the parents or guardians of
the child come to the school premises to cause commotion and sometime
physically assault the said teachers and even other teachers This is most
unfortunate, because the job of raising children really rest on all, parents, schools
and the society at large. Certainly, the teacher’s brutal actions should be
discouraged, punished or a form of restitution demanded, but setting an ugly
example of bringing thugs or security agents to physically assault a teacher is
a bad example which will definitely affect the child in future and in an immoral way.
Raising a
child to think they can always call thugs to fight their battle is what we see
today in our political arena and society. Don't prove your point in a wrong way.
Wisdom, the scriptures say is profitable to direct us in our ways and decisions
in life. Anger uncontrolled makes one look and act foolishly.
(But we must not take away the right of the
parents to be upset or even angry about how in-humane their child/wards were
treated by the very people that are supposed to be their custodians when in
school.)
The child
gains nothing positive neither from his /her teacher’s assault nor from the
parent’s rash reaction to the assault. Rather the parents have taught her/ him violence,
immaturity and an unproductive way of handling issues in life and not too far
in the future the child might get into serious trouble trying to imitate what
he/she has seen years ago while trying to get closure from someone who might
have crossed them.
We must
learn to take a deep breath and see how to go about issues when they come. For
instance, the parents should have impacted positive virtues in the child by visiting
the head of school or the individual teacher first to dialogue after which if dialogue
and correspondence might have yielded no results, legal action can then be
taking, or at best Forgiveness and Love.
The Lagos State
government through the Ministry of Education has since signed a law prohibiting
the beating of students. Physically assaulting a child is an ineffective and
lazy method of teaching. Actually, any teacher that still engages in this is breaking
the law of the state.
Our schools
especially the ones in the inner cities should equally make sure that all laws
concerning teaching and schooling are adhered to. They should constantly train
their especially in emotional intelligence. These trainings really show that
the schools are really interested in what we claim they stand for: educating a
child and not just business as usual.
In most
organised schools, the teacher knows to report the child to a group head who
will deal with the issue or if too complicated will refer it to the highest
authority who can now engage the parents on a one on one chat on how to sort
out the issues concerning the child.
All parties
are to work together to raise these little ones. They will always make mistakes
and be naughty. They are not adults so the level of responsibility and
expectations on them cannot and should not level up in anger to the level of
pain, fear and scars.
All our
hands should be on deck for this honourable herculean assignment.
God bless
our efforts on our children.
