Being in a position of authority means also being in a position crucial enough to influence another person’s behavior, mindset and principles and soon, we will all come to meet a person whose influence is strong enough to make a complete turnaround in our lives. Meanwhile, as we age, we constantly meet these people who serve as role models to us. They are our teachers. More often than not, we look to them with high regards and even follow their trails.

Teachers are in a position of thrust for our children’s future. They interact and spend barely eight hours a day with students, making their actions critical to one’s formative years, especially for those in elementary and junior high school.

In a survey conducted by The Council for the Welfare of Children in 2009 it was reported that roughly around 70 percent of public school students experience physical and psychological abuse from their teachers. True enough, some teachers really tend to handle hard-headed students wrongly thinking they were correcting them.

In fact, we are not new to stories of students being hit by their teachers.  Worse, some cases show they were even molested or asked to do sexual favors. What worst can we expect bannering our headlines next?

The intentions are commendable but the ways show otherwise. Moreover, the causes remain unresolved. Students only avoid doing same offense for fear of having to undergo the same situation and not because they have understood that what they did was wrong and that they have to be corrected.

This shall not persist.

Thus, the launch of “Positive Discipline in Everyday Teaching”, a primer developed by Department of Education in partnership with Save the Children and E-Net Philippines should be called for mass distribution to teachers across learning institutions. The primer does not simply underscores guidelines on how to effectively carry out positive and non-violent ways to establish discipline among students, this is also a way of protecting the welfare of students and creating a genuine child-friendly institution where parents can largely vest their confidence. 

As quoted by former Education Secretary Armin Luistro, “We should recognize that teachers, administrators and staff, as stewards of learning institutions are responsible for an enabling and supportive environment for effective learning based on the principles of positive discipline.”

Taking it deeper, the situation of disciplining students calls for a resolution that must be borne out of love and genuine concern. After all, schools do not only resemble a learning institution but more importantly, a community — a family. 

By: Lourdes L. Manguiob | Teacher III | Samal National High School