Educator laments spread of violence in society
Educator laments spread of violence in society
JAKARTA (JP): A noted educator lamented that rampant violence
in society has forced parents and teachers not to teach children
virtues, but how to mind their own business instead.
Toenggoel Siagian, chairman of a foundation which runs 32
Christian schools across the country, said that the apparent rule
of thumb to survive in the city nowadays is to cultivate "the
culture of avoidance".
"Violence, unfortunately, has become a daily occurrence for
city dwellers," he told The Jakarta Post. "Let's not pretend. We
can no longer teach our students about virtue. We simply teach
them to survive.
"Are we not teaching our children to avoid looking into
strangers' eyes, to flee from bad situations, and mind their own
business?" he remarked.
He pointed out that educators in increasingly violent urban
centers are placed in a difficult position. They want to teach
their students the virtue of courage, for instance, but they also
want them safe, he said.
He believed that schools run by foundations implement this
"realistic approach" in, for instance, their policy of
immediately expelling students involved in brawls.
"It is not easy to instill the philosophy of living to survive
in adolescents who are searching for identities," he said.
Toenggoel said persistent persuasion mixed with threats from
teachers have proven to be effective in eventually convincing
students to stay out of trouble. Rather than responding in kind,
many of the foundation's school students now simply laugh when
their schools are attacked by students from other schools.
"Perhaps they realize the futility (of brawling). Many other
youths consider it heroic," Tunggul added.
He pointed out that students are not encouraged to stand up
for their beliefs, especially when violence becomes the only way
to do so. Toenggoel said that he usually tells his students that
"a live dog is better than a dead lion".
"It is so unfortunate that we cannot afford the price of
teaching our students to fight for what they believe in any
longer," he added.
Another prominent educator, Sandiah Suryono, took a more
optimistic view. Better known as Bu (Mother) Kasur, Sandiah said
parents still play a crucial role in their children's upbringing,
especially in an era where children encounter all sorts of
information and influences.
"It is best to encourage children to learn to discern good
from bad by themselves, but parents still need to help by
supervising them," Sandiah told the Post.
"Children tend to emulate what their peers perceive as cool,"
she added.
Sandiah acknowledged the dwindling control parents have over
their children. Sometimes, however, less control is needed in
order to encourage children to have critical minds and to
maintain open and continuous communication, Sandiah said. (14)