Leaving no stone unturned

Tshwarelo Hosia | Monday April 8, 2024 06:00

The purpose is to build awareness on an array of issues that can conspire to prevent a school from running at its optimal best. Schools by nature are anchored on hope and a creation of endless possibilities for all students. To achieve this noble end, all schools should never cease to endeavour to accommodate all students and guide them towards the fulfilment of their dreams and aspirations.

Yet the stumbling block could be the prevalence of a toxic environment, which may be quiet and subtle and therefore difficult to uproot. In a toxic environment negativity and reckless conduct may prevail, giving birth to the undesirable culture of low expectations and low student morale .

A toxic situation is a turn off making it difficult for students to freely express their talents. In a worst case scenario, some may quit out of frustration while others could carry on with school business albeit reluctantly. This is the opposite of an enabling and all embracing school climate which pushes all students to persevere and strive for excellence. When accorded decent, humane treatment and subjected to an engaging instructional regimen students will always look forward to their next day in school. Today there is a high premium paid on the creation of child friendly schools. Advocating for child friendly schools is in itself an affirmation of the fact that the school environment is capable of turning off its own students, carrying the risk of becoming its own worst enemy by frustrating the very purpose of its existence. Teachers are employed and deployed because there is no doubt about their game changing prowess. Their principal duties are first to teach well and secondly to identify student achievement gaps and design appropriate interventions to close the gaps.

The commitment of the teachers to this process is what makes a school tick and distinct from its peers. What teachers do or do not do affect the way students see or perceive their school. This means that teachers have a responsibility to be conscious of their actions at all times with the knowledge that learners take notes at every turn. When all else has failed a school is the only source of hope and inspiration for students especially those emerging from depressing broken homes and poverty stricken backgrounds. The hopes of students otherwise frustrated by forces outside the school can be fulfilled in a school environment. Every one who has gone through a school system might point to one or two lows or disruptive moments which nearly made them have second thoughts about their school. I have my own recollection. This was in 1977 while doing standard 3.

It was a normal classroom affair and there were no signs that something out of the ordinary would occur. Everyone including the teacher did not see what was to unfold. We were too young and innocent to have any issues with the teacher and equally she had no issues with her students. After the usual start with her leading classroom instruction, she diverted her attention to the chalkboard to write notes. While many concentrated on taking notes, a couple of boys struggled to find the right exercise book. In their struggle they made noise which disturbed the tranquility and serenity of the class. This justifiably irritated the teacher and her response was swift and immediate. Unable to manage her emotions she hurled a duster at the group to restore some semblance of order. The intended target was missed but one student, the wrong one was unfortunately hurt, badly so. That student was me. The duster landed on my head causing blood to gush out.

But the victim did not immediately feel the impact until another attention student drew his attention to the injury. I realised something was amiss when blood spilled all over my book and I asked a student sitting next to me where this blood could be coming from and to my shock and surprise he pointed at my head. My panic stricken teacher‘s efforts to stop the bleeding failed until the injured student was rushed to a clinic located a stone’ s throw away.

The incident was scary and that I continued with school was nothing short of a miracle. The lesson here is that even when provoked teachers should learn to calm down, calm the waters and act with restraint. Through this experience it is clearly evident corporal punishment has always proved to be a double edged sword capable of bringing both good and bad consequences. If administered with fury it has the potential to cause permanent and irreversible damage while also having the potential to destroy the reputation of a school and putting jobs of teachers on the line. Luckily my teacher kept her job, evading escaped the wrath of the school principal and the full might of the law because she managed to keep the matter a closely guarded secret.

While corporal punishment works wonders in terms of maintenance of order and creating a sense of urgency, it is also intimidating. Minds work well at ease. Forces advocating its total ban are therefore not without justification. Some students in the past quit school out of fear. The present generation is receiving better and humane treatment as our schools are more civilized. Apart from corporal punishment there are other things which may stifle the potential of students.

Teachers make deliberate efforts in a classroom setting to get every student engaged in activities. And they mean well because that is what inclusivity demands. Some students are always ready to participate while others require some probing or soliciting. A typical approach by teachers is to pounce on those who do not appear ready to solicit answers. In most cases the strategy works wonders as answers do come from the unexpected quarter. But putting on the spotlight a student who is not ready can be embarrassing. My mathematics teacher enjoyed pouncing on quiet and less prepared or less gifted students.

The maths lesson was therefore a nightmare for the less talented and they did not really look forward to the next lesson because it appeared they were turned into objects of ridicule. But what can work better for students is a much more humane treatment. Students too must reciprocate the efforts of their teachers. Students are served better when they too take responsibility in the classroom.