May 31, 2020
Do we need rules to discipline?
For years, leadership and management were mistakenly deemed as equivalent terms. However, today it is recognized that while there is a huge overlap between the two, they are distinct with specialized roles, functions and purposes. The role of a manager is restricted to maintaining order based on positional power and structural authority through the use of a rigid and tested approach. On the other hand, leaders employ flexibility in their personal power and relational influence to pursue changes with the goal of empowering people.
Given that we are focused on fostering a generation of leaders that can embody the skills of perseverance, curiosity and flexibility to shoulder the accelerated pace of the 21st century, it will no longer be worthy to stay rooted in a managerial approach to education. So we need to assess if our steps towards restructuring schools and educational institutes are aligned to the higher purpose of generating trailblazers.
Today with the spurt of international schools in the big metros, one observes the alteration in certain school systems. The earlier image of a uniformed child with neat pigtails and polished shoes in a school is being replaced with a more self-advocated dressing style that embodies the student’s personal stance and mood. Similarly, the stacked up chairs in designated rows and columns that could be likened to a factory line are now substituted with adaptable seating arrangements such as bean bags, mattresses, round tables, swings, and more so as to accommodate the needs of various learners. Moreover, the chalk and talk method in teaching is being refuted and replaced with a more collaborative approach with increased student participation. Furthermore, the digital revolution has transformed the tools and methods used in assessment and pedagogy.
While these modifications are increasingly accepted and celebrated among some, there is another group of people who doubt and debate the same. Then, of course, you have the critical mass of people who continue to resist any shifts, without acknowledging that change is the only constant! They justify their perspective on the basis of discipline and create a state of panic and fear, as they believe their kids are getting out of hand!
The Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran stated, “You can give them (your children) your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts. You can house their bodies but not their souls, For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow”. The real question for parents and educators is — do we need to keep our young caged in, providing instructions, and controlling them like herds of sheep, or alternatively, do we regard ourselves as facilitators who exist to nurture the full hidden potential of our children in ways that are unique and distinct to each?
A mother bird trusts that when nurtured and ready, the baby bird will use its inherent capacity to fly independently. The parent watches from a distance while the baby flaps its wings vigorously, repetitively descends and battles to discover its own power. Yet, it is laborious for humans to restrain their urge to jump in and hand hold. We believe that the age gap necessitates the need for our children to be informed, notified, advised and briefed. Even though the capacity for language and speech has paved the path for great accomplishments, it has impeded our ability to trust in the power of instincts and innate capacity for growth but instead, rely heavily on the power of dictation.
Humans tend to choose predictability and control as the unknown creates anxiety and fear. In order to provide a sense of fairness, security and harmony, we create rules. This allows us to ensure that we are in power and hence we can demonstrate our expertise through myriad management tools. Since there are rules, there must be rewards and punishments. We continue to employ the behaviourist techniques of classical and operant conditioning widely to manage our children, much like the rats used in the experiments. We tend to negate that humans are endowed with not only the capacity of thought but also emotions.
Do we want to raise a group of trained animals that need to be led or self-reliant and self-motivated individuals who can access their own wisdom and display their unique style? Do we deem diversity as reasons for division and strife or value differences as manifestations of the richness of our shared creativity? Wouldn’t it be a pity if we expected all cherries, peaches and plums to taste alike just because they are all fruits, without allowing their distinctness to define them?
It is unnecessary to make a choice for or against rules because the principle of yin and yang demonstrates the beauty in contradictory opposites. Instead, it is preferable to embrace the value in both and seek to dig deeper, questioning the ‘why’ behind the rule. For instance, how does a rule as compulsory uniform support learning in my school? Does it support or restrict children’s opportunity for experimentation? Do I regard instances of unsuitable dressing as a hindrance to learning or as an opportunity to ignite a conversation regarding the appropriateness and its impact on relationships and confidence? Do I prefer students to look like a line of factory workers or do I see merit in encouraging them to develop their own personal sophistication?
Let us redefine our roles as nurturers rather than providers, willing to adopt a more tolerant and cooperative attitude. Instead of dictating from a space of authority, let us collaboratively include all the stakeholders in creating guidelines so as to build a culture of harmonious co-existence and respect. We need to make wiser choices by replacing time-outs, punishment and consequences with encouragement, stimulation, and influence. Ultimately the goal is to create a culture of continual self-improvement and compassionately draw out the best in each other. Mahatma Gandhi stated, “Education is the basic tool for the development of consciousness and reconstruction of society”. These amendments at the micro-school setting will eventually ripple out into the macro level in society and the nation.
