chrisk.art.blog

Have you ever been told once as a student that you do not know anything, either by your teacher(s) or peers in school? How did you feel, worthless and dispirited, right? That is a psychological abuse that most students suffer during school days. There one too many forms of abuses borne by students. I Wish to dwell on this specific declaration teachers often make, “ you don’t know anything,” either deliberately and or unconsciously about their students. By a mere guess, six out of ten students have had their teachers or peers say they “ don’t know anything”.

It is an abusive clichés are trite in Ghanaian schools. This singular demeaning proclamation often professed by teachers is energy draining—and has for long denied a bunch of people from unleashing their potentials nature bequeathed to them. It should never be made by educators or guardians of children, as it is a detour from the formers core mandate which is, to serve as an inspiration, and a model to children and most necessarily, as tools equipped to catalyse the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains of the child.

These derogatory pronouncements, of calling students dunce is not just mind-boggling, or ludicrous but unprofessional which is a serious indictment to the teacher. As professionals, any teacher fond of passing this comment to his or her students falls short of the Ghana Education Service’s Codes of Conduct for Teachers as stipulated in section 3.8.(a.i) that “no act of a staff shall have a negative psychological effect on a school
child. Therefore, no staff in the course of duty shall intimidate, insult, tease, harass, threaten, snub or
discriminate against any child.” And section 3.8.(a.ix), “ The staff will control his/her
utterances in order not to threaten
with cruel and degrading punishment
or hurt the pupil/student.” It even enjoins us to intervene when a student is undergoing these emotional torture in the hands of colleague teachers or the peers of the student.

As a teacher, finding out that your students do not know probably through a diagnostic assessment or a student expresses the lack of knowledge in his or her attitude, it is a revelation of a certain void or weaknesses that needs a remediation, not an insult as it rest within the purview of the teacher to rid the child of that ignorance. The exhibition of ignorance is the first step for education. Therefore, an expression of lack of knowledge by students does not warrant condemnation.
I know for sure the attitudes of some students irritate so much. The unsatisfactory nature of the profession coupled with malice of some parents are fertile enough to tempt one to say this —obviously in displacement of your emotions. What we do not know, really, is the grave consequences it portends to the life and future of students. It dims their self-esteem. They feel worthless—always in doubt of their abilities. It certain cannot be a good soil for a growing child.
Victims (students) of these demeaning statements often by their teachers, have their energy drained, and diminishes their morale. Aside this, they withdraw from you (the teacher) and shy away anytime you have an encounter with them. The trust and rapport that should exist between the two of you are broken. The most damning of the consequences, is an indictment to you the teacher— a sort of vote of no confidence in yourself, should you accuse your students of being dullards. Whose duty is it to “sharpen” the children, not you (the teacher)?
As educators, in whose care lies a whole human generations, teachers should not be seen undermining, knowingly or unknowingly the very people they want to develop.
In order to avoid these forms verbal and emotional abuses, on students, teachers should deliberately hold themselves to high professional standards. It is this way they can do away with these things in schools.
Only if teachers acknowledge that students are children, who are yet growing, they will exercise patience, and show maturity when reacting to students’ attitudes. Another way to do this, is to lower one’s expectations about your students. Sometimes you expect them to perform so well and the opposite happens. If care is not taken, you will lose the gear, and any remarks can come out, palatable or not. As teachers, you are the in locos parentis, the “stand in parents” of children when they get to school. Therefore, be merciful, exercise patience when handling them. Let me end by saying that smile is the sole medicine for teachers to cure offences by students. I know you love your students. Be the lighthouse around them.

Gramercy to every teacher who despite the hurdles of the job tries hard to educate ethical, patriotic and useful citizens for the next generation for Ghana.