It is Sunday!

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This school has a routine in which in every two weeks, there will be an informal assembly; basically, a formal whole school meeting where teachers can bash students. Though assemblies are the most useless school agendas for me, I find no harm in it yet there is something that really bothers me. It is the routine of calling a 'misbehaved' student on the stage and bash him/her in front of the students and teachers.

Last two week, I saw a girl student standing on the stage and was scolded for wearing a slack insteaf of a tracksuit. Though I consider it as a public humiliation, I take it positively. I make myself agree to call it an act of reminding students on what they should wear.

However, today's story hit me. A 13 years old boy was bashed for his hairstyle. It was not that bad. It was an everyday boy hairstyle that one sees in their everyday life. I wont mind if the boy standing there is a 17 years old boy with scars everywhere on his body as that kind of boy might be strong enough to be publicly humiliated. Yet the boy who was standing before hundreds of students was a chubby boy that by looking at him, many can tell that he is a type of mommy's boy.

A teacher took him to the stage and later said mean things about his hair pretending that he was the only one with the style. He was bashed publicly and laughed by schoolmates. At a point, the teacher tried to address his name but the teacher got it wrong (he did not even know the student's name whatelse his life background and what made him to have that kind of hairstyle). He laughed then the students laughed. The boy had his faced down for long but this time with tears in his eyes. He cried and wiped his eyes with his tie and again, the teacher bashed him for crying saying that he shouldnt cry for his bravery to have that hairstyle and let him walked down the stage. His steps were celebrated with laughter from schoolmates. Every one can tell that from that very moment, he will be labelled by the whole school as a cry baby. Then, the scene of name calling will begin and who is to be blamed for the downfall and depression of a 13 years old student? The answer is his teacher; the one who actually should work at motivating, helping and, in Malaysian term, moulding him to be a better man. Funny isnt it?

And the assembly continued with a praising excellent students and school prefects ceremony. Isnt it nice? In an education world in which students should be treated equally, low-achieving students are bashed to tears and high-achieving students are praised to tears. Well, both got tears there so it explains teachers equal treatment to all. HAHA.

I went to classes for lessons and asked students on the appropriacy of their teacher's action and probable impacts of the action. Many underline that it may demotivate the boy to go to school, lead to suicide and name calling, grudges and many more. Whilst there is a long list of the negative impacts of public humiliation, its only underlying and obvious reason is to be a lesson. Oh well, a lesson can be taught and delivered in so many ways.


Dear teachers,
In future, never simply blame students if they misbehave, if they refuse to school and if they treat you poorly as you've taught them very well on how human should treat human. Holt and many expand that school is a miniature of a society and today's tragedy explains on what a wonderful society we have today.


Welcome to the reality of today's school.

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