Disciplining or Restricting?
By Jessica Punzalan
This school year, the PSHS-MC administration has implemented new rules, certainly changing a lot of things in our school. Some of these rules have done more harm than good for students.
The first major rule is the addition of 0.99 to the higher boundaries of grade equivalents. As this makes it more difficult for the students to get a higher grade, it may discourage them, especially if their grades are borderline the boundary. In a culture where students are very conscious of their grades, this rule causes the students to stress out more. This may also lead them to negotiate with their teachers on the minor components of their grades just to get them to go higher.
The second major rule is the required bringing of personal containers and utensils. This rule requires time and effort students usually don’t have.
Most students buy lunch from the concessionaires and a lot eat their breakfast and/or dinner here in Pisay because it is more convenient for them or they are interns. This would mean that they would have to bring more containers or wash them after every meal. Having to wash their utensils often may cause students to lose time they could use to head to their next class, do their requirements, or rest.
However, this is not where it ends for interns. While externs can go home and take a break from the new rules, the interns can’t, especially since new rules follow them to the dormitories.
The third new rule is that every night, a dormitory volunteer will check the rooms of the interns according to a check list that is uniform to all campuses. The problem with this is that it gives both the interns and the dormitory volunteers inconveniences. Dormitory rooms are checked during study hours, a time where students are busy with requirements and haven’t had the time to fix their rooms. The checking of rooms also disturbs the volunteers as the time they could have used to do their own work or rest is reduced because of this activity.
The fourth major change is that interns are required to be the “dormitory manager” for a night. The “dormitory managers” for the night will be given tasks to do while on duty. While they say that the interns may do their requirements while on duty, how could they focus on them if they were given work to do? This additional activity lessens interns time to do
their requirements, especially since laptops are collected at 10 pm.
These new rules may be given to help students be more responsible and hardworking, but at what expense? These rules may actually cause the opposite of what the school wants, they could discourage students. Teaching students responsibility and hard work does not mean that students have to have more activities to do.
However, these rules could still be changed. For example, instead of 0.99, 0.5 could be added to the upper boundaries. Students may borrow plates and utensils from the concessionaires but they would have to give deposits. Rooms could be checked every other night or every week instead of every night. Interns could be on duty but have little to no desk work.
Rules should have positive aspects for all parties involved. In these aspects, the school and the students should meet halfway, compromise. Rules are made to better the community it affects. They are made to help the society
develop, not hinder it.
Those affected by the rules should also have a say in regards to them and be given time to adjust. The culture and people of the community they affect should also be considered when making and implementing new rules as each community is unique.
With all these said, these new rules were not made for our community. Perhaps with a few adjustments, both to the rule and of the people, they would help us progress and be a better community.
