Why Student Voice is Critical for Managing Discipline When Schools Reopen
The imparting of education in schools under the current circumstances has undergone a radical change. The ongoing global pandemic has made it incredibly
A semblance of normality has returned with the help of their combined effort to conduct daily classes using online means. Every possible endeavor is being made to see that no student faces a loss in their elementary and secondary school education. For it is the formative years of every school-going child that is at stake right now, and there should be no stone left unturned to make the best out of these trying times.Teachers and school authorities ought to brace themselves for the time, hopefully soon, when schools reopen. Getting back to the old, familiar routine would not be as easy as it might seem. Managing discipline and punctuality right from day one would be no piece of cake. Teachers would be as much responsible for maintaining propriety as students. It would take just a bit of time to get readjusted to life in school as it used to be.Following is a list of the reasons and brief descriptions thereof elaborating why student voice is critical in managing discipline when schools reopen:Before the corona crisis had begun, students were accustomed to the age-old practice of going to school and then attending morning assemblies, learning in classrooms, playing in the school playground, etc. Having ample opportunities to explore themselves in the school premises gave students an institution to identify with. Suddenly, with the invasion of the pandemic in their lives, school, which is the physical embodiment of their educational identity, was taken away from them. Now, however indefinite or temporary this absence of school is, it has created a hollow in their lives. Although schoolchildren, not being adults, are unaware of such terminologies, they are actually encountering an identity crisis of sorts.The continued lack of access to the school campus has psychological as well as physical consequences. At first, it is all fun and games when it feels like a prolonged holiday. But gradually, the gravity of the situation starts making its presence felt. The necessity of school dawns on every student with increasing urgency. They start yearning for the punctuality and the disciplined way of life that school provides and inculcates in them from a very young age. At home for days, students find themselves restive and irritable, making their parents anxious as well. Reaction to Reintroduction: The Co-existence of Enthusiasm and Order Repeated Readjustments: Primary Pupil PriorityTeachers would feel more in control once they are able to teach in classrooms again. They should use this to their advantage by directly asking students about the problems they are facing and helping them if and when needed.Changing from one system to another, and then getting used to the original system of learning and teaching again cannot be done overnight. As much as students are made to obey the orders and instructions of their teachers, schools should also provide sufficient space to students to express themselves in order to cope with the renewed normal circumstances.
