As someone who has been in the profession of teaching for almost a decade now, I am often saddened by the news of young kids being thrashed by their teachers. I feel sorry for such students and hope that they recover from the trauma, both physically and mentally, and are able to go back to school soon.  Physical punishment is still very common in Nepali classrooms but only a few such incidents make the headlines. Most times, such incidents never really catch anyone’s attention because students, parents and teachers still consider it to be a simple matter and resolve the problem at school.

Misguided action

Such stories remind me of a time when I used to be a secondary level English teacher at a private school in Kathmandu. I used to be a cruel teacher and was notorious for yanking and caning students, which makes me feel guilty now. Thinking back, I now realise that it was because of my lack of awareness, knowledge and skills at handling children that I used to punish them physically.  It took me some time to realise that I was mishandling students. For a number of years in my teaching career, I felt that I was doing a justifiable job because I cared for my students and wanted them to  behave well and progress academically. However, in retrospect, I realise that my way of doing things were wrong though my intentions were not. I didn’t realise then that it was not the stick that I should have used but a carrot on the stick. All those years, like many of my colleagues, I failed to realise that caring for students does not imply thrashing or humiliating them. It is rather about motivating learners to rise up to their potentials.

There are multiple alternatives to corporal punishment; all that is needed is the realisation that learners are normal human beings. So it’s sad to see a lot of teachers failing, and failing constantly at realising that learners have their own issues—social, economic and cultural—to deal with because of which they fall short of teachers’ expectations, for which they are punished.

Solving problems

Teachers need to make an attempt at understanding what makes students behave the way they do and seek the help of their colleagues, school management, parents and others to find ways to treat them psychologically.  

Secondly, teacher preparation courses, such as Masters in Education or Bachelors in Education need to be more intensive. As of now, these teacher preparatory courses are highly theoretical. The concerned stakeholders need to find ways of making it more practical so that future-teachers get better opportunities to learn about classroom management and handling difficult children and many other things that teachers face every day in their classes. Also, such practice-oriented courses could help them be better teachers by make their teaching more child-friendly and interactive.

Thirdly, it is necessary to understand that sugar is better than vinegar. If teachers are unable to make children perform as well as they would like to, they need to find ways to motivate their students. For instance, if you reward or praise a student for her success, you will see other students also putting in their best effort. Likewise, teachers need to appreciate every little positive thing  that  students do so that they feel that their teacher values them. Teachers and school can also discuss the consequences for any kind of misbehaviour. This can minimise classroom management problems and lessen the chances of corporal punishment in the school.

Empathise with kids

Lastly, teachers and parents need to be patient and use their common sense. They should put themselves in the shoes of their kids and ponder on how they would feel if they were to be rebuked and chastised in public. This could help them understand what a child feels when she is thrashed in front of her classmates. We also need to understand what is important and what is not. For example, teachers are seen making a fuss about handwriting and hitting students for bad handwriting.While a readable and neatly done work deserves praise, teachers and parents needlessly punish students for such trivialities.

Lastly, I would like to reiterate that corporal punishment is not the optimal option. Teachers, parents and schools must look for alternative ways to handle students. If necessary, they should consult a psychiatrist but refrain from using the stick.

Laudari is a lecturer at Ace Institute of Management