When visiting schools
and interacting with teachers, one of the questions that keep coming is
regarding disciplining of students inside the school. Looking at the need for
disciplining of students (whatever the reason might be) and the aims of
education especially in the creation of a better citizens, one of the question
that arises is: Does disciplining (a
strict one) will create a better citizens out of the students by conforming
them all to a desired ways?
One of
my views is that, strict disciplining will lead to conformation, which the
parents also expected the teacher to do out of their children, will lead to a
better citizen who would cast their vote every election, follow traffic rules,
and conform to the law everywhere without ever questioning.
On the other hand, the creative children that we want to
raise are taught to be a free thinker, questions everything, and act
accordingly. Free thinker will not blindly follow the rule, free thinker will have the audacity to question the rule...
One of my experiences is
that people who are more highly educated and more aware of their rights are more likely to not cast their vote on election days
with the excuse that there is little or no choices, or that they break and then
questions the law itself.
Another way to
view is that we can say such people are contributing to the nation building
though their criticism and actions, which are not always desirable. But then
again we can argue that, each rules and laws are enforced only after a proper, if not thorough, thought with a certain goal of common good.
But in the end, we have to have trust on our children and hope that they will, through their free thinking, think of the common and greater good, and contribute to the nation building through their free will.
