Disciplining students by 'reading and pondering', a humane approach that needs to be replicated

Singapore promotes training of excellent students - Photo: STRAIT TIMES

As Tuoi Tre Online reported: Binh Khanh Secondary School (Can Gio District, Ho Chi Minh City) set up a "Reading and Reflection" room so that students who violate the rules have time to recognize their mistakes, which has been highly appreciated by many readers.

Dr. Nguyen Van Cong believes that this is a good model that needs to be replicated. Here is his sharing.

Great educational value if handled properly

As a teacher, I was very interested in reading the information "Let students read and think instead of discipline" from Binh Khanh Secondary School (Can Gio district, Ho Chi Minh City).

Nowadays, student discipline violations in schools occur quite commonly in many different forms.

From swearing, cursing, smoking, fighting, cheating on exams..., depending on the nature and severity, the school will apply appropriate disciplinary measures.

Instead of applying other harsh disciplinary measures and forms, Binh Khanh Secondary School's approach is to require students to "read and reflect" to realize their mistakes.

This is an educational model and method that, if organized skillfully and scientifically, will have great educational value and be supported by all sectors, all levels as well as parents.

With the motto of friendly school, active students, applying educational methods towards humanistic values ​​is very important.

However, when applying this form, teachers must always be flexible and artistic in coming up with gentle and appropriate ways of behaving.

There is no single, all-powerful educational method. What is important is knowing how to skillfully combine educational methods to be truly effective.

Harsh discipline can be counterproductive.

According to regulations, students who violate school rules are often disciplined in one of three ways:

1. Remind, support, and directly help students overcome their shortcomings.

2. Reprimand and notify parents to coordinate and help students overcome shortcomings.

3. Temporarily suspend school for a period of time and implement other educational measures as prescribed by the Ministry of Education and Training .

The third form of discipline is temporary suspension from school, although it is a severe form for students who violate the law, from an educational perspective, applying this form may bring low efficiency.

As a psychology teacher, I have often witnessed or heard students with special needs express their excitement when they are "allowed" to take a break from school. For some, it is even a way to "relax" and "de-stress".

The psychology of a part of students wanting to take a day off from school is also normal in high schools, including good and excellent students.

The problem is that after the children return to school, very few of them show any remorse, even become depressed, self-conscious, or defiant, develop a "boss" mentality... That is something we, as parents, absolutely do not want.

Thus, applying the strongest measures does not solve the root problem but only solves the surface, which is difficult to sustain.

Therefore, understanding the root cause will be an important basis for us to apply appropriate educational methods.

Some students, who are used to a free lifestyle, but have not been educated or trained much, often develop a "curious" mentality, or because they are "forbidden", they develop a reaction to what is "forbidden", wanting to do the opposite.

There are also cases where some students develop a mentality of "disdain for small things" in daily life, or in implementing school regulations such as time, hours, travel, and behavior, which gradually leads to more serious habits of freedom and arbitrariness such as insulting friends and teachers.

There are also reasons due to the "letting go" mentality or the lack of solidarity among the group, the school not setting high requirements... all of which are causes leading to student violations, including causes originating from awareness.

When students violate, forcing them to "read and ponder" and then reap the "results" is a very good solution to impact students' awareness.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ky-luat-hoc-sinh-bang-cach-doc-va-suy-ngam-cach-lam-nhan-van-can-nhan-rong-20241012140112594.htm