Are they teachers or monsters?

Teachers beating students is old news. But of late, disturbing reports of brutality committed by teachers in some parts of India (this may be elsewhere in the world but since i live in India, I get to hear only Indian news on this subject) have started to come to light like here, here and here, and many more such instances.

These developments are very discouraging and shocking. What is wrong with our teachers? Teachers, our gurus, who are supposed to impart education to children, to teach the m to distinguish between good and bad, and to help them with the necessary tools to make it 'big' in life, are today assuming the role of monsters and harming them more than doing good. It makes me wonder whether the teachers who mercilessly beat young and innocent children are themselves good and capable teachers or do they commit atrocities merely to make up for the lack of their skills.

Something more disturbing in this is the attitude of the authorities of the school or education institutions where these atrocities happen. The school or education authorities turn a blind eye. I have come across a few instances in the media where it's shown that the principal of schools protect these monsters and make lame excuses like "it was best for the child". And those that promise to take any action, i really wonder whether they really do. Why aren't they punished?

I did my schooling from Hindi Vidya Bhavan school. Although most of my teachers were very nice and sweet, there were some teachers who used to hit their students very hard and unjustifiably so. Their names were Mr Saluja Singh, Mrs Surabhi Sharma, Mr Telore, Mrs Chowdhary, Mrs Gupta. There may have been other names, but the ones above used to be the worst in this matter, especially Singh, who used to think no end to himself. The rest, though used to smash students very hard, were - and I hate to admit this - quite good at their subjects. Singh, with all due respect, wasn't. Very average.

If you are a parent and are reading this blog, I urge you to not to take your child's complaint likely if he/she tells you that a teacher hit him hard. What could be a once-in-a-while smack on the face may become a habit and before you know it, might get out of hand. Stop this menace at once and confront the monsters to teach and not to hit.

If you are a school authority, take action against teachers, or at least earnestly investigate the matter and take some action. Children, who leave their homes to come to study in your school, are your responsibility till the time they are in the premises. And they pay you fees to study.

If you are teacher who likes to hit your students, get back on track and start teaching for a change. If you feel students are getting out hand, hitting is not the answer. There are alternatives. Moreover you have been trained on how to tackle students; use some of your own learnings. If you want your students to respect you even afetr they've graduated and moved on with your lives, start teaching them in the right fashion and stop hammering them. If you believe in karma, then your hitting spree will come to haunt you, whether in this or your next life. No matter what, you shall sow what you reap.