Punishment

[kwchang]

I believe that kids are not really 'bad' in their natural state, especially primary school kids. They are just hyperactive. Generally, those that make a lot of noise in school are not 'empty vessals' - thay have such high levels of curiousity and stuff to share, that's why they become uncontrollable.

We were in the 'A' class in Std 6 and once our class teacher asked us, out of frustration, why we can't be quiet like those in the 'D' class. A few smart alecs answered almost unanimously that it is because those in the 'D' class had nothing to talk about (meaning, that they were so blurr about everything that they preferred to keep quiet).

The solution to hyperactive kids is to keep their inquisitive minds busy with educational pursuits. In a class of 40+, and a curriculum deadline to meet, I do salute the teachers for their patience and tolerance. Unfortunately for our kids, our educational system may not be able to keep up with them, thus disciplinary problems may be perceived by bystanders like us now discussing the 'problem' in this thread.

[chookyan]

It would be good to let us know the name of the school concerned- be transparent - we support you all the way!

[eleez]

Ahtal 68,

sorry to hear about the horrible incident..

Going through childhood memory lane.. I was 8 years old then when the same thing happened to me.. it was my Math teacher.. it was all because I answered 6x6=12... I got the most painful 'pinch + twist' on my stomach because of that.. and I cried in front of the whole class.. it doesn't stop there.. I felt further humiliated when the teacher teased me in front of everybody saying I was crying like a baby and somebody to give me a 'botol susu'.. I can't stop sobbing till school ends.. but I dare not tell my parents about it.

But know what? because of that incident, I was more alert and I tried my best to answer questions correctly... (though I was scared to death with the teacher) and at the final exam I did Superb..

Well.. the morale of the story is.. sometimes bad experience teach us to be a better person..

Good luck..

[empress_julz]

either way, i think spurring kids to think better via humiliation and cruelty is not going to get them to love learning - it's only going to get them to fear punishment. they will never grow to enjoy what they study or what they do.

///Ej

[ahtal68]

Thank you all for your concerns and suggestions and mostly for sharing bad experiences. I have been contact with parties involved and one PIBG member assures me investigations are on going.

[empress_julz]

a few years ago my cousin had a bad experience like that in sultan abdul samad high school, pj. got the teacher transferred out. it seems he was also a bit "funny in the head", how exactly i'm not so sure.

but i'm confident you can get it done. make sure this goes on the woman's record as an example for the rest of the school.

///ej

[ganfami]

I believe the school in question is the Chinese school in SJ. This type of punishment is nothing new in that particular school. A quick check with the parents waiting for their kids outside the school in the afternoon will tell you that most of their children have similar bad incidents with over zealous teachers. Students are punished and caned for very small mistakes and some teachers have the tendency to punish the prefects or class monitors for a small mischievous act from their classmate. Several parents have brought it up with the teachers and even the head mistress but always end up their kids being victimised by the teachers. I know one student was totally ignored by his teacher in class after his mother went to complaint after the unfair punishment. I have questioned the school once whether the teachers have the right to cane students, but I did not get a satisfactory answer from the school.

[Joecool]

Are you referring to Lick Hung? I was in the school on day to pre-register my daughter. I saw a particular teacher waving a large cane around in class. He is teaching Bahasa Malaysia. But one thing for certain - everyone in class was paying careful attention.

[tupai]

Ahtal68: i sympathised with u. Now that u hv opened the can, u hv to keep looking into it. U must make sure that the investigations by the school do not take months or years! Get a time line or else take your next course of action.

this is to prevent yr kiddo from being penalised when things hv gotten quiet down (typical malaysian lah...short memory). don't 4get that yr kiddo will be there for a few more years...

NOW, i support chookyan 100%. NAME the school! don't pussy foot around this matter...the investigations might take forever and public/parents pressure must be maintained.
With such teacher-bully misbehaviour exposed, u can prevent other kids from going thru the same abuse.

if u r afraid to name ther school, then u only become part of the problem. think about it.

tupai.

[yablato]

yakitiyak,yakitiyak...so now what?

Name the school...else shut up and don't complain anymore.

1 up to bully-teacher
1 down to NATO parents!

NAME the school

Yang Akan Berusaha Lato

[ahtal68]

As I have said earlier, inquiry into this matter is on going.

I shall not name the school since I believe the NAME of SCHOOL is not the issue but the THE PUNISHMENT METED OUT BY THE TEACHER is.

To all who have sympathized or otherwise, thank you, will keep you posted.

[empress_julz]

totally agree with you ahtal, naming the school and defaming them is the wrong way to go about it, though if you did wnt to let us know, you're welcomed - but that is your choice and no one should have the prerogative or audascity to push you to compliance.

i hope above all, your son has not suffered too much psychologically from this incident. children will be children, they will slip up once in a while- but even so, push them positively, not beat them to agreement!

//Ej

[kwchang]

Just to balance a equation a bit...

In all such matters involving kids, we as parents should resort to thorough investigations. Kids tend to distort the story when they tell it.

I was in Std.1 when I fell from my becha (trishaw) that took me to school. The reason I fell was I jumped up to get off before the becha was ready to stop. It was entirely my fault. However, when my father questioned me later that evening, I blamed it on the trishaw man and accused him of being negligent, causing me to fall. I was only 7 then and was afraid of being reprimanded by my father for being careless, hence I blamed the poor trishaw man. The next day my father confronted the trishaw man ... Well, I got punished for telling a lie.

Hence we see an incident of apparent teacher agression. Was it true? Was the kid naughty, being punished and later blew the story out of proportion so as to save his own skin?

To be fair, in a court of law, no one is guilty until proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

[empress_julz]

yes, that is true.... kids can be real naughty, and real liars too.

i used to tutor this brat of a 7 year old who had no discipline whatsoever. when he did not do his homework, he blamed the maid and said she misplaced his book! i sent him to his room to look for it again, and the maid came to me and said "buku dia dalam beg" which i found sure enough. but when he sat back down, with the bag on the table, and i asked him to check the bag, the book was "not there"! this went on several times till i got fed up and pulled the book out.

needless to say i told the parents, and i think he got punished for it.

but i think that in certain cases like this one, the kid is not lying. even if the kid was naughty, to be subjected to such treatment is appalling! i will never allow my children to study and learn out of fear... they will not love nor crave knowledge.

///Ej

[sinleong]

how times have changed.

nobody used to question the teachers. Teaching was then a very superior profession. Teachers used to get all the respect they deserve.

today, few want to be teachers. result is, we get a whole bunch of people who look like they are being forced to do something they don't like.

at the same time, it doesn't help when we have these new age parents who pamper their children so much. i agree that harsh punishments are too much for a child to bear. sometimes, some degree of punishment is required to shape a child. if parents have so much tendency to march up to the school every time their children come crying home, it will erode the authority of the teachers. this will have a much more negative effect on the children.

i like to use the examples of britain, merely because i was educated there. government schools (or "comprehensive schools" as they are called) have long banned corporal punishments. many of them have a huge problem to maintain discipline. the private schools who still maintain their autonomy have a much better record in terms of discipline mainly because they have a very strict (although traditional) regime.