Classroom Chaos

Yesterday, Son No 3 came back with another story about his "naughty" classmate. Wayan, a diminutive angelic-looking 5-year-old, was asked to stand in a corner by Teacher as punishment for a misdeed. Wayan took one step and then returned to his seat, claiming that he was tired!

I was curious how Teacher reacted and prompted Son No 3 to continue with his story. My unusual interest was stemmed from the fact that Son No 3 has declared that he will never want to be a teacher when he grows up. I sense that his classroom experience is not too good and this has affected him somewhat.

So what did Teacher do when Wayan was defiant? According to Son No 3, Teacher threatened to leave the classroom if Wayan did not obey her. Was Wayan moved by the threat? No, sirree! In the end, Teacher had no choice but to carry out her threat and left the class.

Without any teacher in the class, Wayan reigned terror and told his friends that if Teacher returned, he would throw her down the stairs. It's probably bravado speaking. When Teacher did return, he did not repeat what he had said to Teacher's face... BUT one of his classmates did so. Teacher was truly facing a massive loss of face.

There are many angles to this story (eg questions on home upbringing and parental role) but I am focusing on the teacher here. Children can be terrors, I admit, but pre-school teachers need to use some child psychology here. Put yourself in Teacher's shoes. What would you have done? Remember, these children are all fee-paying children and many have parents who are important so-and-so. The teachers cannot do what Chinese school teachers do and wield a cane.

To me, it is important to remember that the child loves attention and will probably play up the situation. When the child refused to stand in the corner, I would have removed him from the classroom. Talk to him, scold him, or whatever... out of sight of his classmates. Make sure he is contrite before he returns. Alternatively, if Teacher knows that the child fears his parents, threaten to call the parents.

Son No 3 once misbehaved in his Chinese class. His teacher did not do anything then, but after the class, his teacher told me about it. I did my part and told Son No 3 in no uncertain terms that his behaviour was not acceptable. The next lesson, I followed up with the teacher and received a glowing report of his behaviour. I am glad. A good parent-teacher partnership works positively for the upbringing of a child.