Whipping of Children in Schools

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.