By: Prince Siaw Mensah (A teacher)
As educators, we are on the front lines, committed to nurturing not just academic excellence, but also the character and discipline essential for students to thrive as responsible citizens. It is with growing concern that I observe a fundamental shift in the relationship between home and school, a shift that often undermines the very foundation of a child’s proper upbringing.
The Erosion of Authority and Respect
The wisdom of the past, often rooted in the understanding that the teacher is an extension of parental authority, recognized the vital role of discipline in shaping young minds. In those days, a correction in the classroom was met with reinforcement at home. Parents understood that the school’s framework, be it a dress code, a behavioral standard, or an academic requirement, was designed for the collective good and their child’s ultimate benefit.
Today, the landscape is dramatically different. While the evolution of human rights and student welfare is a positive and necessary development, its current interpretation often leads to a challenging of all authority. We see parents immediately taking an adversarial stance, rushing to support a child’s transgression rather than pausing to support the disciplinary process.
- The case of the student whose non-compliant hair was trimmed with scissors by a teacher, leading to a lawsuit, is a chilling example. While the method of discipline may be debatable, the act of defiance against a clear school rule, and the parent’s subsequent legal action, sends a clear message: School rules are optional.
- The recent legal challenge against a mission school’s long-standing religious identity, demanding the introduction of different worship asides, crosses a critical line. It’s an attempt to force a school to abandon its founding principles and context, ignoring the freedom of choice parents exercise when enrolling a child in such an institution. Respect for an institution’s ethos is paramount.
The unintended consequences of undermining the School when a parent consistently shields a child from the consequences of poor choices or challenges every disciplinary measure, several damaging outcomes emerge:
- Impaired Moral Development: Students fail to learn the crucial life lesson that actions have consequences. They grow up believing that rules are for others, not for them, fostering a sense of entitlement.
- Lack of Resilience: The child misses the opportunity to experience discomfort, reflect on their mistake, apologize, and commit to behavioral change, all essential components of resilience and self-correction.
- Teacher Demoralization: Educators are increasingly afraid to intervene or correct students for fear of litigation, insults, or public shaming. This results in a less structured, less disciplined environment that ultimately harms all students.
- A Divided Front: The most effective education occurs when the Home and School present a unified front. When this partnership breaks down, the student exploits the division, learning how to manipulate the system rather than how to be accountable within it.
A Call for a Renewed Partnership
To secure a better future for our students, we must urgently reset the dynamics between parents and schools. This is not a call to return to punitive excesses, but a plea for a return to mutual respect and partnership.
I urge parents to consider the following:
- Trust the System: Understand that teachers are professionals whose primary goal is your child’s success and well-being. Assume positive intent before jumping to conclusions or legal action.
- Support Accountability: Before automatically defending your child, take the time to hear the school’s perspective. Use the disciplinary moment as a powerful teaching tool at home to reinforce the value of rules, respect, and compliance.
- Respect Institutional Identity: When choosing a school, be it a mission school, a private academy, or a public institution, you accept its established ethos, rules, and culture. Enroll in a school that aligns with your values, rather than attempting to fundamentally change the one you’ve chosen.
Let us move away from a culture of perpetual conflict and adversarial relationships. Let us work together to raise a generation that respects authority, values discipline, and understands that true freedom comes not from ignoring rules, but from mastering the ability to live responsibly within a community.
The school is not the enemy; it is your child’s most vital partner. Let us honour that partnership.
