‘A teacher gives electric shock to 22 of his students’, proclaimed a news it em sometime ago in newspapers. The teacher used an exposed wire connected to batteries, to administer shocks to class VI students in a school in Maharashtra. The teacher found them to be unruly in the Physics laboratory and so indulged in such criminal intimidation. 

Rakhi, a seven year old student of a Delhi Public School talked about the shameful punishment meted out to her by her teacher.

“First she made me take off my clothes, made me stand on the chair and made the class clap. Then she tied me with a rope and attempted to drag me around. But I held on to the chair,” said a traumatised Rakhi. She was insulted and mocked by her classmates all through the day. What values and morals are being set by these teachers — the so called role models?

The impact of such traumatic incidents can leave great scars on the psyche of the young students with long-term negative effects. Punishment should be a corrective measure — not a condemnation of the child. Handling situations patiently and with discretionary sense, makes teaching an enjoyable, educative experience. To develop patience and composure in the classroom, it is said that the teachers should not bring their personal problems to the class. Disciplined education is a must, but, discipline should never reach a state of harassment and physical injury.

Sometime back in a gruesome incident, Nutan Kumari, an eleven year old school student, died after being allegedly assaulted by her teacher in a Government School in Samasthipur of Bihar. According to the FIR lodged by the girl’s father, the teacher of Sahpur Basuna Secondary School got angry with the student over a trivial issue of classroom quarrel, threw her down to the ground, beat her with a stick, and made her sit under the blazing sun for the entire day. In the evening her relatives found her unconscious on the school ground and hospitalised her. She died the next day. What technological advancement can bring back the life of that child who had fallen prey to the diabolical mood of her teacher?

The contribution of parents and teachers towards the all-round development of a child is very valuable. The role of a teacher is very important because, the students find in their teacher an example and a great stimulus to emulate.

Sometimes with some stubborn students, the general rule of  ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’ comes into the picture, but a teacher must take care not to injure them as to cause physical and psychological damage. Some sensitive students can become psychological wrecks and may develop serious ‘school phobia’.

Educating teachers on the positive and negative principles of discipline is a must. They should be ‘taught’ to make a clear connection between offence and punishment to avoid bad name calling and injuring to understand the child’s level of intelligence and development before expecting rapid progressto adopt methods of trying to get the students’ willing co-operation and concurrence

Teachers should be ‘taught’ not to use ‘humiliation’, ‘anger’, ‘abuse’, and ‘severe penalties’ while trying to discipline.  

They are to be held responsible when they apply the concept of ‘discipline’ in a harmful way. The Delhi High Court banned physical punishment of students in schools.

Ancient books quote four qualities among students which the teacher should be aware of — the qualities of, a sponge, a funnel, a strainer and a sieve. A sponge which sucks up everything; a funnel which lets in everything at one end and lets out at the other; a strainer, which lets the liquid pass out and retains the dregs; and a sieve, which lets out the bran and retains the flour. All students will never be the same. A teacher should treat them with genuine concern and care and behave in a responsible way, keeping their welfare in view. By explaining, rationalising, understanding in an atmosphere of respect, love, concern and trust in the classroom, a teacher can bring in ‘discipline’.

Disciplined education is a must, but, discipline should never reach a state of harassment and physical injury. Sometimes, such ‘discipline’ can spark off a violent reaction or a state of insecurity and diffidence in students, affecting them very negatively. Self-esteem is not a ready product, it is a long process by which children grow into good adults and the school is a place where they are nurtured and blossomed. The schooling years are very important for their academic as well as personal growth.

Many of us know that our Constitution guarantees Right to Life (Article 21) but we should also know that under Sections 310-325 of the IPC, the punishment for voluntarily causing physical hurt is one year imprisonment or fine of up to Rs 1,000. Despite knowledge of this fact, parents hesitate to lodge a complaint against teachers keeping the long academic years of their children in view, and fearing that complaints can bring in more harassment and anger. It is a teacher’s duty to avoid all this unpleasantness.

Parents too should know their immense responsibility in moulding their children’s character and should correct their behaviour before blaming the teacher.

There are many maladjustment problems which a pupil may display and which the teachers should learn to recognise and help, because teachers are ‘workers in the field of not only education but in social betterment too’. This can be achieved not by any elaborate schemes but through good personal relations between the teacher and the taught. The teacher should be an epitome of patience and understanding. If a child is found to be maladjusted, the teacher should first try simple measures and common sense expedients.

“The greatest single cause of  maladjustment in a child is the withdrawal of affection and security by the parents, teachers and associates.” When those who mean most to the child give him a feeling of being unwanted and rejected, the child will go into a state of insecurity and feel lost and may begin  doing anti-social acts.

Some of the maladjustment problems which represent conduct and personality problems are: stealing, aggression, excessive shyness, backwardness in the class, stubbornness and truancy.

A student who is unable to gain recognition, success and approval, who is unable to accomplish activities satisfactorily at home or in school, tends to steal and thereby feels he has achieved something. Sometimes it may be to make friends and gain popularity, that a child steals and gives away money and other articles. This is a common maladjustment problem.

When a student displays listlessness and inhibited behaviour when assigned some activity, when a student never volunteers to take part in any scholastic competitions or shirks from even simple responsibilities, behaves in an inferior or inadequate way, expends the creative energy on useless ways, is always tense and withdrawn — the teacher should suspect that the student has an adjustment problem and that he/she may be under the grip of  excessive shyness, which impairs progress drastically. Sometimes these children are viewed as ‘good children’ because of their quiet and trouble free nature. But these children need more attention from the teacher, as because of their withdrawn nature they can succumb to emotional and psychological pressures.

By helping a student handle his/her aggression, closed negative behaviour through counselling and empathy, most of the problems arising in school campuses and the teacher-student conflict can be controlled effectively.