DISCIPLINE: Building Up not Breaking Down
Jasmin A. Maniago
Teachers are the foremost part of the delivery of instruction and education services to millions of learners every day. It is in their shoulders lay the burden of students learning. You cannot illustrate the hardships experienced by teachers in their everyday encounter with diverse leaners of having different needs and ways of acquiring skills and knowledge.
Teachers are best known for the role of educating the students that are steward under their care. Beyond that, teachers serve many roles in the classroom. Today teaching is multifaceted profession; a teacher often carries the roles of second parent, mentor, counselor, role model and most importantly a disciplinarian. They play an important role in the development of students.
In this time and age, with the kind of learners we have, discipline is part and parcel of the learning process. As Dr. Dan Siegel pointed out in his book, The Whole Brain Child, “too often we forget that discipline really means to teach, not to punish. A disciple is a student, not a recipient of behavioral consequences”. We cannot take a way discipline into learning because without discipline it is difficult to achieve learning and develop professionalism.
More often than not, they incorporated discipline into punishment, child abuse, cruelty, a form of exploitation and discrimination. We are not against the DepEd Child Protection Policy, as diligent father of the family in the school; we are one with the protection of children violence, exploitation, abuse, bullying and neglect. While child protection is all important, teacher protection is a must.
There must be an equal support on the side of the teacher to fight for his right. There should also be an institution that support in the form of standards and the permissible and effective methods of instilling discipline; guidance counsellors to act as a support personnel and legal assistance and representation. More importantly, a law that protects the welfare of the teachers in the risky profession. As L.R Knost said, Discipline is helping a child solve a problem. Punishment is making child suffer for having a problem. The role of the teacher is to raise problem solvers, focus on solution not retribution.
The author is Teacher
--oOo-
III at Mexico Elementary School