Alternative punishments range from the miscreants lending a hand to the school’s gardener or helping the school’s maid wash utensils.
‘Spare the rod and spoil the child’ is no longer a popular adage in city schools. After the National Commission of Protection of Child’s Rights (NCPCR) took a definitive stand on corporal punishment, schools affiliated to the state and central boards are sketching out new and creative methods to discipline children.
Alternative punishments range from the miscreants lending a hand to the school’s gardener or helping the school’s maid wash utensils to deducting house points.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Sunita Pol, a parent said, “A few days ago my son, who is in class VI, got in trouble with his teachers for misbehaving in class.
However, I was pleasantly surprised when instead of berating him in front of the other students, she asked him to go to the school garden and help the gardener plant saplings. This is a really constructive method of punishment.”
Tridha, the city’s new-age school based on Rudolf Steiner’s Waldorf education method of teaching, has adopted several time-tested methods to bring students on the right path.
“We use several creative ways to discipline our students. A serious offence would lead to the student helping the maids wash utensils or clothes.
If a student misbehaves or disturbs the class, we ask him to step outside and help the gardener or carpenter. It is better to use meaningful punishments instead of rebuking the students. These methods work better too,” said Ruth Mehta, the school’s teacher and co-founder.
At Byculla’s Christ Church School, teachers are advised to counsel students. “Several of our teachers have been trained to counsel and help students.
Instead of resorting to corporal punishment, we talk to the students and get to the root of the problem. Only in case of extreme disobedience do we issue them a pink or blue note. These notes signify the gravity of the mistake, a pink note means the student could be expelled from school,” said Carl Laurie, principal.
The school also has a system of deducting points from the student’s house. “Any mistake could lead to deduction in house points. This way a student is held responsible by his housemates; peer-pressure also brings better results,” Laurie said.
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