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March 20, 2003
Students at work
Student-teacher relationships are tricky and a lot depends on the personalities of the teachers and how effectively they are able to tackle classroom dynamics, writes Neda Mulji
In a grade eight class, a teacher bangs the duster on her desk in frustration, in her literature class, as the students protest against her request to start reading Chapter 4 of My Family and Other Animals. “Give us a free period, you never do,” demands one stubborn voice, “Miss, it’s so boring,” declares another, “Why can’t we do something exciting today?” The teacher inevitably resorts to raising her voice to oppressive levels, or threatening to send the rebellious students down to the principal’s office, as a way of coercing them into submission.
Down the same corridor, another grade eight class can be heard roaring with laughter at Gerald Durrell’s account of smuggling spiders into his house in a matchbox, and scaring the living daylights out of the members of his family. The class is inspired by thoughts of possible pranks that they can play on their own family members, which sparks a lively discussion that can only be cut short by a bell that announces recess time. The discussion has made the teacher’s day. She is duly gratified by her ability to instil enjoyment and love for learning in her students, while another teacher strolls back to the staff room exasperated and demoralized by her students’ lack of cooperation.
It’s true that students in each class possess different abilities which dictate the level and momentum of intellectual discussion, but more often than not, the ability of the teacher defines the pattern and culture of learning in class. When a teacher steps into a new class for the first time, she finds herself preoccupied with the need to maintain class control, and the seemingly simple task of preventing disintegration and chaos can become a living nightmare. Most teachers fear that poor class management will be noticed and questioned by the school administration, and this in turn leads them to use oppressive tactics to exert their authority in the classroom.
One of the most common tactics used is instilling fear in the students by threats of some form of punishment: writing a note of complaint to the parents, detention, or suspension. Using such methods in effect transfers authority to another entity such as the principal or the parents. The former starts treating the student as a ‘problem case’ while the latter brands the teacher as a failure who ‘picks’ on their child. The student panic’s at first, then adopts a defence mechanism that involves various explanations of her or his behaviour, followed by blaming the teacher for prejudice against the targeted student, and finally requests and pleads for forgiveness, promising to be more careful in the future. However, at this point the student starts resisting the teacher’s authority and starts competing against her.
Abbas Hussain, director of the Teacher’s Development Centre, finds this phenomena quite ironic. He recounts an incident when his daughter came back home and spoke of something the teacher had taught that day. Her father gently corrected a ‘statement of fact’ that the teacher had made, and the little girl defended her teacher vehemently saying that “Miss can’t be wrong.” It is quite a wonder that teachers on the one hand possess the immense authority to inspire idol worship (and a cult following at times), and paradoxically create little rebels who harden into desensitized individuals, who will not be moved by any threats or pleas.
Equally ironic is the use of fear as a tool to intimidate the students in a classroom. At the outset it seems that most students fail to develop a rapport with a teacher they fear, yet studies show that the most popular teachers are feared by their students at some level. It is perhaps the fear of disappointing the teacher (as opposed to the fear of oppression) and losing her or his respect that binds the students to a commitment towards their work. However, the fear of some form of violence (harsh punishment) or oppression (humiliating a student in class) mostly serves to self-destruct a teacher’s authority and respect in class.
Warm and friendly teachers encourage an atmosphere of learning free from any threat, compulsion or pressure. “But it is important,” says Crystal Machado, who has been teaching various levels of students for ten years, “For the students to be in awe of their teacher.” No matter how skilled teachers may be at explaining the subject matter, if they do not inspire with their personality they fail to develop a relationship of mutual respect and cooperation with their students. They may succeed at training ‘robots’ accustomed to learning by rote and reproducing the subject matter to the last letter, but their classes will not create fond memories that remain with the students as they grow older.
It seems that the teachers who are cherished and well-remembered, long after the students have left them, are those with a sharp sense of humour. Mariam Shera, principal of a renowned school in Karachi, says that, “A teacher’s quick wit is the single most important ingredient in enhancing the students’ productivity.” Keeping them entertained is the only way of capturing their interest and breaking the monotony of text-book explanations. This is also an aspect of the teacher’s personality that appears ‘human’ to the students, so that they relate to her or him as a person working in their favour, and work with enthusiasm to fulfil the teacher’s expectations.
However, there are teachers who exert their authority in ways that send subliminal messages, that the teacher is working ‘against’ the students. One of the most common causes of such messages is inflexibility on the teacher’s part, for example, setting rigid deadlines for assignments, or test dates, without consideration of the students’ workload. Mrs. Taher, a teacher with almost a decade’s experience feels that “It is essential to listen to the students, and get voluntary acceptance from them, without letting it seem as if they’re ‘calling the shots’.” She feels it is important to give individual attention to each student’s opinion in class, even though this may seem like a Herculean task because the balance between flexibility and rigidity is a tough one to maintain. “Students have a constant need to be heard, and they must feel that they are understood.”
This is especially true of teenaged students. Sarah Anees, a student in grade XI, says that “Teachers who don’t listen to our opinions come across as harsh and intolerant.” Mahwish Mehmood, a Grade IX student, agrees with Sarah, “Teachers often make harsh remarks and talk down at their students. This gives the teacher an ‘air of superiority’ that the students absolutely hate. No matter how good a teacher is, she can’t know everything. And if she doesn’t, she should admit it.” Mahwish’s defiant remarks smack of blatant truth. Students observe teachers keenly, and are quick to notice when the teacher’s knowledge of her subject matter falters, and she starts ‘making up’ information. When this happens, students will question her incessantly, and the teacher loses respect if she doesn’t admit to the gaps in her knowledge.
“If a teacher is not competent in imparting her knowledge, with honesty and confidence, students see through the fraud, and any [consequent] pretence that she puts up governs the students’ reaction to her,” asserts Mrs. Maqsood, who has been in the teaching profession for 36 years. Students have a tendency to make rude remarks, which often puts the teacher on the defensive, and she may lash out inciting more rebellion in class. How does Mrs. Maqsood deal with rude behaviour in class? “I ask the student to write a letter of explanation to me,” she says, “Not a letter of apology — I would never demand an apology,” she adds.
A letter of explanation teaches responsibility and accountability for the consequences of one’s actions, as opposed to punishment which demoralizes students as they feel humiliated. Most rampant forms of punishment such as asking a badly behaved student to leave the class, scolding, detention etc. serve to ‘single out’ students who feel ‘targeted’ by the teacher, and often stop responding positively in her class. Mrs. Neelum Hussain, principal of a well-known school, has successfully implemented a system of rewards as an alternative to punishment. Students are given certain privileges (treats, fun activities in class etc.) that they realize will be taken away if their behaviour comes into question. She believes that gentleness and kindness is an integral part of education, and most forms of punishment detract from a culture of stimulating and productive learning. Often, teachers fail to realize how deep an impact their remarks make on the students’ level of motivation. When a teacher criticizes indiscriminately, she affects her students’ self-esteem negatively, making them insecure and unsure of themselves.
Mahnaz Mehmood, of the Teachers’ Resource Centre, feels that a teacher’s success stems from her ability to empower her students in ways that make them “self-critical individuals, who can look within themselves for guidance, and decide what [kind of behaviour] is acceptable to the teacher and what is not,” she goes on to say, “The teacher establishes a strong rapport with her students through confidence, communicating the principles by which she operates, and negotiating classroom rules (rather than imposing them).”
It seems that most awe-inspiring teachers aim at developing minds that are able to analyze their subject matter, and discuss and debate their views. Their classroom dynamics are geared towards empowering their students to develop their own values, form their own opinions, and demonstrate the self-assurance necessary to critically discuss their perspective. Most teachers who keep their students enraptured manage to do so by telling humorous stories, mostly fictitious ones that are made up along the way, or making funny and snappy comments to sustain a pleasant atmosphere, during a potentially boring class.
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Q. What, do you think are some of the essential ingredients in promoting a productive and enjoyable culture of learning?
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