The acts of aggression by students aren’t only confined to fellow students. Teachers are bearing the brunt of it too. Screaming, punching and even swear words is what some teachers are subjected to. Recently, a Class 8 student from a Delhi school allegedly held his teacher by her hair, and then kicked and punched her. He then allegedly slashed her face with a sharp object. All this, just because she had tried to stop him from cheating. Teachers say that students turning aggressive in schools is not surprising. They blame inadequate policies for the lack of discipline in students.
Shumaila Khan says, “I always wanted to teach not because it’s a noble profession, but also as it’s a less hectic job. I chose to teach at a local school immediately after I completed my Masters degree.” The 29-year-old couldn’t sustain for more than a year, and ended up as a banker. “Some students were a nuisance,” she explains.
“They would often turn violent, beat other students, destroy school property and most importantly bully me,” she says. “I couldn’t punish them, nor could I control them. I ended up frustrated and depressed,” she adds.
But is aggression in kids only an outcome of changing lifestyle? Dr Geetanjali Kumar, psychologist and CBSE counsellor, informs that the tolerance level in children has certainly gone down. “Kids are unable to digest being corrected by elders, or their teachers,” she says.
Parents have to play role models for children. “We must not forget that home is a child’s first school. How does one react when a child tells you ‘kuch rafa dafa kar kay kaam chala lo’? Yes, these were the words of wisdom we got from a student as we confiscated his cellphone, and told him that he will only get it back at the end of the semester, and that too after he pays a fine. I found out that his father was a local businessman and this is what he did for entertainment,” says Geetanjali.
Also, teachers have to deal with arrogant students who are boastful about political connections and are forever throwing their weight around. “Kids are growing too fast. ‘You don’t know who my dad is’ is something even sixth graders are heard saying often,” says Fozia Mubarak, associate professor, Lady Sriram College. Dr Usha Ram, principal, Lakshman Public School, points out that a student-teacher relationship should evolve and become friendlier. “Discipline should be inculcated in students in an indirect way,” she says. “Parents have a lot of money but no time for kids. Kids end up thinking that they can get away with anything. This mindset has to change,” she adds.