The book of Proverbs is to proof that punishment, to some extent, is needed to correct misbehaviour among children. For instance, the verse says : ‘Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol.’
In order to prepare today’s children for a better tomorrow, their misbehaviour must be effectively managed.
Today, in every school setting, the major challenge teachers face, is management of students’ behaviour. The school setting is likened to a rainbow coalition where the teachers are confronted with a variety of students from different backgrounds.
Old Punishment Style in a School Setting
Punishment is the actions taken by a teacher or the school authorities. This is always to correct a student or group of students, when their behavior disrupts the ongoing educational activity. Or breaks a rule, created by the teacher or the school system.
Common punishment styles adopted in the olden days centred on corporal punishment. This is often characterised by hitting, spanking or slapping an offender in the school system. In those days, the existing private schools could be quantified. Teachers in the public school system adopted and even still adopts this punishment style.
It is believed that punishment guides the children’s behaviour or set limits. Which helps them learn to take care of themselves and other people around them. Teachers moved about with canes. Students are subjected to shyllacking.
School systems set rules and students who break them, were punished. These rules defined expected standards of dressing, table manners, social conduct within the school.
Punishment is aimed at restricting certain behaviors or attitudes, considered as harmful or against school policies, educational norms, school traditions.
Modern-day Punishment Style
The focus on punishment has shifted. Alternative approaches to management of students’ misbehaviour are emerging due to fierce legal defenses and legislation against corporal punishment. But the question remains: Is the modern-day punishment a deterrent or not?
Corporal punishment no longer exists in the legal systems of most developed nations, including developing nations such as Nigeria.
Several arguments have ensued as to whether schools should abolish corporal punishment or retain it. Advocates of the alternatives to punishment insist that corporal never corrects misbehaviour. Rather, it causes pain on the students. While the supporters of corporal punishment affirm that, it is the best way of correcting behavioural ills among the school children.
Alternatives to Punishment
One of the alternatives to punishment is detention. This requires the erring student to report to a designated area of the school during a specified time on a school day and remain there for a specified period of time. This kind of punishment is fun to students, especially those who are not interested in the class activities.
Also, a temporary leave, known as suspension, is sometimes assigned to a student as punishment. The student is excluded from the school for days or weeks depending on the severity of the offense. Schools may be reluctant to exclude students from school for fear of losing them.
To punish a student who have committed a grave offense, he or she is expelled from the school. This is permanent termination of students’ education from such school.
Punishment of this nature is frowned upon by some educators, considering the risk associated with sending a student out of the school system. To the critics of expulsion, such students might end up constituting nuisance in their society.
Apart from that, it is believed that the stigma will hunt the affected student later in life.
Counselling is another alternative to punishment. Every school sets up a counseling unit to handle misbehaviour among the students. The role of this unit is to advise the students and organize training in the school.
How have these alternatives reduced misbehaviour in the school? With the introduction of the alternatives to punishment, students’ misbehaviour seems to escalate.
Schools, especially the private ones, are confronted with strange behavioral anomalies. The students display audacity to disregard their teachers. They violate the school rules. They disrupt class activities. Removal of caning in a school setting has given the students some latitude to misbehave.
Then, isn’t it hight time we brought back corporal punishment? Even if just to restore normalcy in the school system?
