Chapter 12
DISCIPLINE AND
PUNISHMENT
The Chapter at a Glance
Influence of discipline on personality.
The role of punishment.
Balanced attitudes towards discipline
and punishment.
The quality and quantity of discipline
that a child receives at home and school also have considerable influence on
the growth of his personality. In this chapter the problems of
discipline and punishment and their role in the development of a child's
personality will be briefly examined.
Influence of Discipline on Personality
Proper discipline at home and school
promotes the growth of a child's personality. An inadequate discipline or lack
of any discipline whatsoever proves extremely injurious for healthy development
of his personality. The ultimate aim of a healthy and balanced discipline is to
inculcate a sense of self-control, self direction or self-discipline into the
child.
What is Discipline?
In the past the nature and purpose of
discipline have been exceedingly misunderstood by parents and teachers. Originally
the word discipline is derived from the Latin verb 'discere' which has two meanings:—
(1) To learn, and
(2) To flog or beat.
It appears as if both of these notions
have been curiously amalgamated in the old notion of discipline which
traditionally means learning that comes from being flogged into submission.
Such a notion of discipline, however,
is now unanimously considered to be outdated and undesirable. The modem notion
of discipline emphasizes self-direction, self-education, self-control, etc., rather
than the unconditional obedience of the pupil to the authority of the teacher.
Causes of Poor School
Discipline
The standard of discipline at most of
our schools, however, is not very satisfactory. Several causes are responsible
for this. Some of the prominent causes are:—
(1) Uninspiring curricula.
(2) Inadequate teaching methods.
(3) Non-provision of stimulating
activities.
(4) Ruthless punishments.
(5) Miscellaneous factors.
(1) Uninspiring
Curricula: When the syllabi are uninspiring it becomes very
taxing for the child to concentrate in the class. Indiscipline is a natural
outcome.
(2) Inadequate Teaching Methods: A teacher who is untrained
or unaware of the needs and developmental problems of children may adopt such
inadequate teaching methods as promote boredom in the class-room, leading to
indiscipline.
(3) Non-Provision of Stimulating Activities: If the class work provides no fun, no
recreation, no extra-curricular activities, etc., the children are apt to feel
fed up with continuous theoretical and academic instruction.
(4) Ruthless Punishments: The teacher who happens to be
too fond of punishing children ruthlessly either causes indiscipline or
creates an atmosphere of artificial discipline. Such a discipline vanishes as
soon as he leaves the class-room.
Referring to such tyrannical teachers Courtis says: "Hitler, disciplining
a conquered nation, is not more ruthless in spirit than some of the dictators
who rule the nation's class-room."
(5) Miscellaneous Factors: Poor seating arrangements,
overcrowding, fatigue, defective lay-out and locality of the school, etc., may
equally well cause indiscipline.
Essentials of Good School Discipline:
Some of the common characteristics of
good discipline which have been frequently pointed out by a number of contemporary
educationists are as follows:—
(1) Necessity of group morale.
(2) Respect for individuality.
(3) Avoidance of giving extra work.
(4) Usage of positive methods.
(5) Avoidance of referrals to the
Headmaster.
(1) Necessity of Group Morale: Good
discipline necessitates good morale. A class-room wherein happy pupil-pupil
and pupil-teacher relationships exist is indicative of a good morale. In such a
class, discipline is not the concern of the teacher alone. It rather becomes the will of every child.
(2) Respect for Individuality: The
bright and the retarded, the physically normal and the handicapped all have
different personalities. Accordingly, they need different treatment, and
guidance. The teacher should, therefore, recognize and respect their
individualities in his general treatment in the classroom. He should endeavor
his best to treat every child in the light of his total background. Such a
differential treatment is also conducive to first rate discipline.
(3) Avoidance
of Giving Extra Work:
Basing discipline on assigning extra class work or undue home work to the
children is not a sound educational practice. Normal class work should be
planned and conducted in such a manner that every child participates in it
fully and whole-heartedly. On no account should any child be kept in the
class-room during after school hours to do extra work or be made to carry home
lengthy assignments of school work.
(4) Usage of Positive Methods: If
a teacher adopts humiliating, discourteous, disrespectful or hysterical and
violent attitudes in the class he may contribute towards poor discipline. A
teacher should instead use positively encouraging, stimulating and inspiring
methods rather than resorting to threats, restrictions and punishments.
(5) Avoidance of Referrals to the Headmaster:
A teacher who is too fond of sending the 'unmanageable' pupils to the
headmaster is impliedly admitting his incompetence to deal independently with
the disciplinary situations arising in his class-room. Furthermore, a class
discipline which is based on a headmaster's continuous support in the teacher's
petty disciplinary affairs can never be regarded as a healthy or a creative
form of discipline for obvious reasons. A teacher should, therefore, endeavor
not to depend too much on the authority of the headmaster in solving the
problems of class discipline.
Headmaster and Class Discipline
This, however, should not be
understood to mean that the headmaster has nothing to do with the discipline of
a school. A teacher must rather consult
him on disciplinary problems whenever he needs his guidance. Too much referral
of "naughty" and "unruly" children to him, however, wastes
most of his precious time in tackling such petty cases. Only very serious disciplinary
matters should be referred to him and that too in such exceptional cases when
the class teacher feels utterly unable to deal with them effectively.
A school which promotes a healthy
sense of discipline amongst the students paves the way for the development of
cheerful, creative and adjusted personalities. On the other hand, a school
where discipline is either ignored or is artificially imposed affects
development of personality very adversely.
Development of Self-Discipline
in Home
School is not the only place for the
teaching and learning of discipline. Parents have to fulfill equally important
obligations in this direction.
The type of home discipline that is
most suited for a child is one that corresponds with the age and the level of
his physical, intellectual, social and emotional development. These various
aspects of discipline have been discussed in the relevant preceding chapters.
Parents should teach their children in an appropriate, effective and acceptable
manner that it is much more satisfying to learn and grow than to remain in a
state of nature.
A balanced parental attitude towards
home discipline should aim at a gradual development of self-control and
self-discipline in the child as he grows older. A home which succeeds in
providing the child with a creative form of discipline promotes the development
of healthy personalities. Such children grow into self-reliant, confident and cheerful
adults. On the contrary, a home which neglects the problem of discipline
totally or adopts defective attitudes towards them mars the entire growth of a
child’s personality.
The Role of Punishment
The subject of punishment is an
important educational issue. It is vitally connected with the problems of
discipline and personality development.
The Role
of Punishment
Punishment consists of certain
specific and definite measures usually adopted by an adult authority to
correct or ameliorate the undesirable activity of a child. Its direct aim is
modification of child behavior in a certain prescribed direction. There are
many forms of punishment. Corporal punishment is the commonest form used in
our homes and schools.
Criteria of Punishment
Punishment, administered from
educational point of view, must fulfill the following criteria:—
(1) Purpose: The person giving the punishment must have
some specific purpose to fulfill through it.
(2) Cause: The action which necessitates
punishment must be one which evokes disapproval.
(3) Pain:
The person punished must experience painful emotions resulting from
the punishment.
(4) Realization: He must also realize fully why he is being punished.
A punishment in an educational
institution which fails to come up to the foregoing criteria proves
inefficient and, in some cases, harmful.
Effect of Punishment in School and Home
Most of the psychological studies of
the effect of punishment reveal that severe bodily punishment is definitely
injurious for healthy development of child's personality. Occasional but mild punishments
are not so dangerous.
On the whole, punishments should be
avoided. An extraordinary situation, however, may arise which calls for
corporal punishment. But if resorted
to at all, such punishment should be properly planned and effectively administered
to achieve the desired results.
The same principles apply more or less
in home situations. Parents should he liberal in extending warmth of affection
and love to their children. But if an occasional home situation necessitates
punishment it should not be ignored.
However,
parents who punish their children too often affect growth of their
personalities very adversely. Over-punished children are liable to develop into
aggressive, hostile and callous adults who believe that to be a victim and
victimize is the main pattern of life.
Balanced Attitudes towards Discipline
and Punishment
A child's personality, as we have
seen, is immensely influenced by the attitudes that the home and the school
authorities adopt towards problems of discipline and punishment. If the
parents and teachers adopt a balanced attitude towards these problems children
have every chance to grow up into adjusted, integrated and effective
personalities. Conversely, a defective attitude towards these problems affects
the growth of a child's personality very adversely.
Preparing for Self-Discipline
A balanced and healthy home and school
discipline aims at preparing children for self-control, self-direction and
self- government. It enables them to develop the ability to manage their own
affairs independently without necessitating the constant supervision of an
adult authority.
Severe corporal punishment should be avoided as it
has an undesirable
effect on the personality of the child. In rare cases, however, mild punishment may be
administered if a necessary occasion arises and if it promises to do any real
good to the child.
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