ALBERTON – Today teachers and principals are fearful about the escalation in violence and other forms of anti-social behavior in children at school. There’s an increasing need for everyday guidance and cooperation between parents and teachers with regards to rearing children, a total mindset change is appropriate going forward.
Discipline and controlling rules are vital to effective schooling. All teachers are responsible, as educators, for managing and maintaining discipline in schools which can no longer be achieved without the support and cooperation of parents.
Defining discipline and good behavior is a challenge. Discipline, good behavior, or good manners are words used by teachers, members of the school community and society in general.
Whether there is a shared application of these words is proving to be doubtful, as the scope of behaviors and attitudes regarded as disruptive and requiring discipline is continuously challenged by parents and members of society.
It is apparent that any practice and interpretation of discipline, will reveal the beliefs and values of all the persons involved with a school community. Where there is no shared understanding, conflict will exist and possibly encourage wrongful activity and or even violence between learners and learners and even learners against teachers.
There is a need for all persons of the school community to identify unacceptable learner behavior, and for parents to agree to the list and to come to an understanding and acceptable punishment for transgressions.
Education starts at home. Without the cooperation and support from parents, teachers and principals are finding it increasingly difficult to establish and environment in which learners can concentrate on learning instead of surviving.
Parents are urged to make contact with their schools to motivate and encourage the establishment of committees to govern discipline and punishment and to set and promote between all parents acceptable behavior standards for learners at schools.
Marina van Wyk, Ward 37 committee member, the sector for Education
