Are Top Students Being Short-Changed?

Parents and teachers had to rethink their strategy in the late 80’s to deal with evolving discipline philosophies. Regardless of any adjustment when behavior is corrected, it should be a learning experience for the child and provide the opportunity to learn, grow and improve behavior. Prior to adjustment, a child should understand why the behavior was inappropriate and what is needed to improve.

Many changes have been made in education in recent years. Educational reform has given us vocational schools, proficiency tests, special needs requirements, grade level reorganization, new teacher guidelines, less state funding/more mandates, partnerships with business leaders and self-improvement guidelines. None of these things have had a greater impact on schools beyond the concern about student attitude. Public education’s image has declined because of perceived student misbehavior.

An undisciplined mind has trouble achieving anything. The unruly, disengaged student has become the biggest challenge in schools today. It appears top students don’t work as hard as they once did. The elimination of corporal punishment is not really the issue.  The issue is that we have not found alternative discipline measures to bring about similar, corresponding results. An effective deterrent has not been found to replace the woodshed theory.

It was stylish during this period to view aggressive discipline in schools as “barbaric” and “inhumane.” “Other approaches can be just as effective,” said the yuppies. “We can correct behavior with detentions and Saturday schools,” they said. Well, those of us from the “old school” are still waiting for that effectiveness to “kick in.”  Students who were cautious about misbehavior were emboldened by lesser consequences and crossed the line. Some who were never a problem became a challenge.

Young people who don’t respond to corrective discipline or cooperate with the teacher disrupt the school and learning process. Students working hard and wanting to learn are “short changed,” when time is spent correcting “unruly” students.  Principals “spin their wheels,” trying to save the disenchanted sent to the office time and time again. The difficult have become more difficult and it’s becoming more difficult to find solutions to correct their behavior.

Don’t get me wrong. We still have many fine students come to school every day, do homework, respect the rights of others, value education and make us proud. They take advantage of opportunities offered because they and their parents know about the “pay-off.” How much more successful could they become if more time was devoted to them and not spent correcting the misguided?  

  To be continued.