Manage the students with respect

THE EDITOR, Madam:

ONE OF the solutions posited by Dr Canute Thompson on CVM TV’s panel discussion on Tuesday night resonates quite well with me – that of referring to students as ladies and gentlemen. In an age of undermanagement by parents and a high level of disrespect, indifference, and a cavalier attitude towards almost everything by students, the school is called to be the panacea of youth development.

In another space some time ago, I made the same suggestion at a meeting of upgraded high-school teachers. To my horror, the principal of an upgraded high school totally ridiculed the idea, and, as expected, that was the end of that.

It is interesting how many of these ‘non-traditional’ high schools complain of lack of support from the Ministry of Education and other such bodies but are reluctant to try novel ideas, even if they are not new, or too myopic to realise that they can work.

One of the most debilitating factors stifling the progress of many schools is leadership. The mantra ‘where there is no vision ...’ truly applies to many of our schools and urgently needs fixing. For in today’s e-environment, it has become increasingly impossible to use traditional modus operandi to manage students. All students can be trained and managed, but they need leadership that believes that it’s not only the miracle child that can achieve. What is needed in those schools is a culture of respect, courtesy, and high expectations.

Too often, we tend to think that certain behaviours are expected of certain students and that nothing much can be done about them. Teachers (including principals) need to do as the Optimist Creed suggests: “Think only of the best, work only for the best, and expect only the best” of our students.