Misperception about school discipline

Misperception about school discipline

Simon Marcus Gower, Executive Principal, High/Scope Indonesia, Jakarta

The issue of discipline in schools in Indonesia is often
contentious and it seems discipline is often misconceived and
misperceptions exist to the point where, what some would construe
as discipline in fact ends up being destructive and damaging
towards students' willpower and ability to achieve independence
of thought and action.

Take the example of a noted, long established and apparently
respected school in Jakarta. This school, it seems, has built its
reputation on having strict policies regarding disciplinary
matters. So strict, in fact, that even parents of students within
the school can fall victim to its excesses. Parents are quite
literally treated with disdain by the school. Should a parent
wish to see the principal of the school such a request is flatly
rejected. The parent will simply be told that the Principal will
only see parents when he feels it is necessary; that is -- when
he summons them.

At another apparently respected school the new students
arriving for their new academic year face a barrage of speeches
from teachers all designed to emphatically establish that the
school has strict rules and there are severe punishments for any
rule-breakers. The conclusion of these speeches came from the
Headmistress who warned that if any of the new students did not
like the rules and punishments outlined to them, they should
"leave now and never come back." It seems that none of the
students left the hall at that time, doubtless they were cowering
in fear in the face of the harsh presentations before them.

It is understandable that new students would be passive and
submissive, but one may well question why adult parents would see
fit to accept the excessive demands of an overly bureaucratic and
dictatorial school administration. However, the answer to this
question may lie within the parents' own perceptions of the
school. For many of these parents a school that literally bosses
them around is, in effect, symbolizing for them the strength of
discipline that the school will apply. In this way, parents will
quite meagerly and meekly accept heavy handed conduct that
borders on disdain and contempt.

The meek acceptance is, though, unfortunate because of the way
in which they are being treated. This treatment represents an
arrogant, ignorant and even unprofessional disregard for one of
the potential key ingredients in any child's education -- namely
their parents or guardians. Treating either parents or child with
this degree of contempt is not representative of discipline. In
fact, it represents a complete misconception of discipline. Sadly
many parents and their children would believe it to be a form of
discipline. Parents might think that they are exposing their
children to good examples of disciplined people, however quite
the contrary may be seen to be true.

A society, or community, is likely to be most at ease with
itself when it treats each member of the society with respect.
Respect for individuals as human beings; not just treating them
as numbers or objects that have to be dealt with and
accommodated. Where there is a lack of mutual respect, friction
and conflict may easily arise; something sadly that Indonesia is
all too familiar with recently.

Schools, then, have a duty to teach and educate about such
respect and regard for others but where schools treat their
pupils, and parents, with contempt they are guilty of a kind of
organizational tyranny that is counterproductive. It is the
opposite of respect, regard and, importantly, true discipline.

Discipline to be effective has to be internalized. It cannot
be something that is constantly imposed and forced from outside.
When discipline is truly learnt it has become self-discipline.
The child or student has come to internalize discipline so that
he or she recognizes that there is a shared duty of care, respect
and trust towards others.

True discipline is about constraint but a constraint that is
chosen by the self rather than being forced by another. In this
sense it becomes a personal trait, a virtue that allows the
individual and the group/society to remain free.

But too many schools misconstrue discipline as a demand or
command that they must make of their students. They see
discipline not as a virtue but as a form of control and power
that they are able to claim and force upon their subjected
students. Students, then, come to see discipline not as a virtue
and something positive for them to possess but as a painful,
often harsh force that denies them freedom and creates highly
negative sentiments.

Schools have a duty of care to ensure that students are
treated as people not as an animal, machine or thing that must be
ruthlessly controlled and become the victim of discipline. Sadly,
though, misperception about discipline is widespread.

Take the example of parents of an apparently very naughty
Jakarta junior high student. After sending him to three different
schools they arrived at a fourth requesting that this "more
strict" school impose its "strong discipline". They had
apparently given up on their own parental efforts to "control"
the boy and so were willing to hand-over the duty entirely to the
school; which runs rather more of a tyrannical than disciplined
system.

Consequently this student has remained unruly. He continues to
rebel against the notion of discipline because it remains a
foreign concept to him. It remains something that others impose
and demand obedience for, rather than something that he can see
is best for him and for those around him. Indeed the moral
concept of discipline as something for the "greater good", (the
shared benefit), is something that many schools fail to
comprehend and teach.

Education has to acknowledge the dignity and rights of each
person and develop them within the schooling community; so that
common and individual characteristics are allowed to grow and
blossom. But schools are partners in this process. The formative
experience of school life should go hand-in-hand with family
life. Discipline that is internalized and so becomes self-
discipline comes from both learning experiences in the home as
well as the school.

Schools in Indonesia need to grow to foster a sense of
inclusion in the concept of discipline. Inclusion that appeals to
the students' sense of self-worth. Trust is part of this process;
students need to trust themselves and others. But other
significant factors include initiative, integrity and a sense of
security.

Discipline in Indonesian schools cannot go on being thought of
simplistically as a process of forcing "subordinates" to obey and
conform. Greater parity and respect for the person will allow
self-discipline to emerge that is true and lasting discipline.
With such internalized discipline students may go on to adulthood
with greater self-control which would, in turn, eliminate the
kinds of anti-social and destructive behavior that has so
blighted recent Indonesian times.