As I have stated before,
teaching has been one of the most challenging, yet rewarding experiences of my
life so far. Through this journey I have learned a lot. I have also developed
an ever deeper appreciation and respect for many of my previous teachers.
Coming up with not one, but multiple lessons on a daily basis that are not only
engaging and entertaining, but promote critical learning and teach something is
a skill that I am still in the process of developing.
There are many differences in
the system here and the system that I grew
up with, from infrastructure to class sizes to teaching for the test only. But
the difference that I have grappled with the most and will never get used to,
is corporal punishment.
I have heard contradicting
statements on how the government views the act of beating children but whatever
their official statement may be it still is a common occurrence in school. I have a co-teacher who, until I asked him to
cease would regularly slap a student on the back or smack their hand with the
wooden board eraser if a student was talking while he was or the student didn't complete the homework. I have also
witnessed on several occasions lines of students who are regularly late or
absent or failing head to the teachers’ lounge each to get ridiculed and then
hit on the hand with a stick.
It makes me feel incredibly
uncomfortable. And angry. The
justification for it is that the students won’t show respect or learn if they
are not beaten. But many teachers here
do not beat their students and still able to maintain order in the class and
have students learn.
It is something that I struggle
with regularly. There are students that know that I will not hit them no matter
what they do and they take advantage of that and do not show me respect and
talk over me and do not do the work. But they are a minority. From my
experience, I have found nothing gains more respect from the students than an
engaging and sometimes fun, lesson plan.
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