To Spank or Not to Smack: What Has Discipline Got To Do with it? Pt 2

In any gathering there is the need for some prescribed control measures to help ensure harmony and lawfulness. With the huge numbers of pupils in our schools, where classes can be larger than twice the recommended class size of 35 (President's Committee on Review of Education Reforms in Ghana- October 2002) putting systems in place to maintain order is very important. That is where discipline comes in. Discipline is defined as the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior. Usually behaviors that are contrary to the set code are met with unpleasant corrective measures which are punitive. But must the punishment be so harsh as to cause undue pain or harm the child?

Many are advocating for the use of positive ways to enforce the obedience of the agreed code or rules. Recently, the Director of the National Council for Curriculum Assessment admonished teachers to stop using cruel and unacceptable means in disciplining children (Daily Graphic, March 4, 2015). We need Positive Discipline. Positive Discipline guides children to take responsibility to stay within established reasonable limits and even learn how to remedy the situation when they find themselves breaking the boundary. This form of discipline emphasises the positive points of the children's behaviour and encourages them to learn how to handle situations, to foster cooperation and problem-solving skills and also build skills for mutual respect.

There are people who think that using positive discipline is an excuse to ignore the management of children and allow them the space to behave anyhow without control or direction. On the contrary, it means a lot more work as it takes more time, active involvement and commitment on the part of the teacher or any guardian to ensure good behavior from the child. If teachers and parents consider spanking the quickest and most effective form of discipline because they were spanked when they misbehaved as children and have still turned out good, they should consider how much better things would have been if they understood the reason for the spanking.

Unfortunately, a lot of such people instinctively react in the same manner when children around them exhibit bad behavior. But let's face it - when adults are offended by children and they respond violently with caning or verbal insults that hurt psychologically, who benefits? Is it the child who sometimes does not even know what his or her offence is or the adult who feels relief from the anger felt? Are we not better off agreeing to rules, building children's reasoning skills in positive discipline than to build in them the negative traits that punishment usually carries? The story is told of the father who found his little boy scratching on his brand new car. In his anger he picked a hammer lying around and pounded the little fingers with which he had 'committed the grievous offence' into a bloody pulp. He then went to try and see how he could 'redeem the beauty' of his precious car only to read what the boy wrote: 'Daddy, I love you'. A teacher may see a child talking, give him a knock only to find out later that he or she was only telling the other to keep quiet to enable him concentrate and listen to what the teacher was saying!

In practicing Positive Discipline in school, teachers will have to talk to the children, get them to understand the reason for the agreed codes of behavior as well as the sanctions that go with breaching the codes. Interestingly, it has been observed that children seem more willing to listen when they are listened to. In a non-threatening environment they are more willing to be accountable for their actions and this is necessary to keep the cane out of the classroom. Children will feel less threatened and be more cooperative in enforcing set rules in the classroom and indeed in the school. This may seem difficult considering our large classes but teachers will have to make this time for the children to know clearly the behavior acceptable in the classroom and the positive or negative consequences for their actions.

We should note that the time 'lost' with this will be regained in the more quality learning that this environment will produce. Teachers will also have to be consistent with their expectations where children's behavior is concerned and in the application of sanctions. Overlooking behaviour by a pupil which has attracted some sanction where another child was concerned will soon break the order and that is where only harsh punishment and the fear it carries will bring some superficial obedience. However, in a situation where children constantly overstep the set bounds, it is necessary to have individual time with them to find out the reason behind such behavior. That is why we should ensure that our Guidance and Counselling Units in schools have trained personnel and are working effectively.

The importance of Parent-Teacher Associations seems lost on many parents but this is a good forum to discuss some of the codes for the school to be adopted in their classrooms. These will also inform what is done at home so that we do not have conflicting forms of discipline at school and at home. The confusion and inconsistency this will bring to the children will completely destroy any ability they might have built to abide by the code of any group they might belong to.

Discipline is very important for the development of children and for preparing their future. However, in implementing it, let us ensure that it is not done negatively to leave negative lessons for life. Let us not forget that yelling begets yelling, hitting begets hitting and respect begets respect. When children are treated with respect, they learn to treat others with respect. We all stand to gain from this as a country.

Dorothy Konadu
Programme Manager, Greater Accra and Volta Region,
ActionAid Ghana