A New Wave of Teaching: Are Strict Teachers What Students Need?

Strict. A word that strikes fear and utter panic in the minds of teenagers everywhere. Our first instinct when we hear the word is to think back to past experiences that transformed it from just a scramble of random letters to scarring memories that haunt our childhoods. From the soccer coach in elementary school who wouldn’t even consider starting until everyone ran the ten lap warm-up, to the parents who wouldn’t allow their children to watch TV until all homework and studying for the week was finished, those horror stories stuck because of the way they negatively impacted how we felt. Many teens are exposed to stern upbringings before ever reaching middle school, whether from parents, coaches, or instructors, which inevitably leads to a premature dislike for strictness without ever realizing its benefits. Should adolescents have spaces free from the fear of these rigid rules? Many would draw the line at the classrooms and schools.

Strict, as defined by the Cambridge Dictionary, means “strongly limiting someone’s freedom to behave as they wish, or likely to severely punish someone if they do not obey” (Strict). The definition uses powerful diction with words like “strongly limiting” and “severely punish” and those phrases subconsciously trigger a negative response to what strict means. But when did strictness become something inherently bad? One can be stern while being caring, have high expectations while being understanding, and the list goes on! Western teaching methods highlight the exploration of knowledge rather than reciting facts. Strict, meaningful teaching would ensure that no student gets left behind in the acquisition of knowledge as there would be a structured environment that emphasizes goal planning. Western teaching methods also promote teachers’ roles in “supporting students’ autonomy, freedom, and choices” and students’ roles in “demonstrating autonomy and independence in their learning” (Jiang, et al.). A stricter classroom environment allows students to acknowledge how independent, or dependent, they currently are, and eventually learn how to support themselves on their own without needing constant supervision from teachers or parents.

In the classroom, students rely heavily on the attitude and effort teachers bring for their own academic success. Depending on the environment teachers create, students can either feel motivated and excited to get work done or unenthusiastic and a sense of dread. In 2020, a study published by ​​Frontiers in Psychology was conducted to explore the associations between different teaching styles with Western and Eastern students. The results showed that “the more teachers exhibit dominance and cooperation, the more students are motivated to engage in learning” (Jiang, et al.). The source also emphasized that “while teacher strictness is negatively related to Western students’ motivational beliefs, its relations were significantly positive for Eastern students” (Jiang, et al.). The negative impact of strictness on Western students could largely depend on how much strictness they were exposed to in the study. For example, in some schools, like Great Yarmouth Charter Academy, classroom rules and expectations are so harsh, parents rightfully proclaimed that “if we treated our children like that we would be reported to social services” (Richardson). The level of strictness where children feel unsafe, unhappy, and “withdrawn and miserable” in their school environment is when it stops benefiting the student and only harms their wellbeing. Ruthlessness and insensitivity have no place in the classroom. Strict teachers are only justified when their disposition to leniency stems from a place of regard for students’ wellbeing and passion for their success.

Closer to home, many students in the United States go to underfunded or low-performing schools where teachers are “often new and have little training” leading to less access to quality education (Goodnough). If lenient teaching styles were implemented at these schools, students would have to fend for themselves and most likely give up since “in high-poverty schools, kids have fewer sources of rescue if the school screws up” (Goodnough). Students who already suffer at the hands of poor education standards, don’t have access to tutors, counselors, or even parents in some scenarios to get help from. The solution to problems like this across America would be to establish “structure and consistency” as they are just as important for teachers in low-performing schools as they are for students since it “makes it easy for them to be sure they’re including all the elements” that should be going into a high-quality education (Goodnough).

Research published by the University of Chicago Press investigating effective classroom management concluded that “highly rated teachers also dealt more with student feelings, had less off-task behavior, smiled and joked more” and all of those characteristics can just as easily be attributed to strict teachers as they can be stereotypically “nice” teachers (Emmer, et al.). In a classroom setting, while “nice” and “strict” teachers may have many similar traits, strict teachers prioritize an opposition to leniency that creates a classroom culture of hard work, responsibility, and accountability.

As time goes on, children become more independent and are held to higher standards than when they were in their prime of self-discovery. Comparably, education in elementary school is regarded as a time where children “interpret complex ideas, develop critical and social skills, and synthesize information from diverse sources” (Why Is). Younger children depend on teachers and parents to encourage their learning, and the skills they are introduced to at this age will either set them at an advantage or disadvantage at higher levels of schooling. In other words, for children in elementary school, strict teaching is not so much of a necessity than it is for high school and college students, but it is never too early to be aware of what different teaching styles can achieve. Being brought up by a more stern education allows students to establish strong foundations of submitting work on time, participating willingly in discussions, staying on top of assignments, being proactive about studying, and more. These are basic abilities people are expected to have and be confident in by the time they are in college, but many high schoolers lack them, and one contributing factor could be because they were brought up by teaching styles that prioritize leniency.

In the Western world especially, the common misconception that strictness is unjust or an act of cruelty could not be further from the truth. Although this idea can be hard to accept for some, the harsher someone is on you the more they care about you; they are so invested in your wellbeing that they only want to see you succeed. The same can be said for strict teachers. Though they may be scary and intimidating at first, the dedication to their students fosters a mutual relationship of respect and students show their gratitude by maintaining their hard work.

If stricter teaching styles were introduced to high schools across the country, we would see students recognize the role they each have in the course of their education, and we would witness a shift from caving to the few to building an even playing field that uplifts all students. It’s up to students to decide which education style is most beneficial for their academic success, but will they be able to make the right decision?

Works Cited
Emmer, Edmund T., et al. “Effective Classroom Management at the Beginning of the School Year.” The Elementary School Journal, vol. 80, no. 5, 1980, pp. 219–231., https://doi.org/10.1086/461192.

Goodnough, Abby. “Fearing a Class System in the Classroom; a Strict Curriculum, but Only for Failing Schools, Mostly in Poor Areas of New York.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 19 Jan. 2003, https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/19/nyregion/fearing-class-system-classroom-strict-curriculum-but-only-for-failing-schools.html.

Jiang, Yushan, et al. “Stricter Teacher, More Motivated Students? Comparing the Associations between Teacher Behaviors and Motivational Beliefs of Western and East Asian Learners.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 11, 2021, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.564327.

Richardson, Hannah. “School Discipline: How Strict Is Too Strict?” BBC News, BBC, 6 Oct. 2017, https://www.bbc.com/news/education-41441639.

“Strict.” STRICT | Definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/strict.

“Why Is Elementary Education so Important?” Merrimack M.Ed., 25 June 2020, https://online.merrimack.edu/why-is-elementary-education-so-important/.