Teacher Shares How He Was Warned For Asking A Student To Clean The Blackboard
"There is no more meaning in being a teacher. Merely teaching but not educating."
By Tang Ruxyn — 15 Nov 2016, 07:59 PM
"Times have changed," confess teachers who sense a difference in teaching today's generation of students.
Local teacher, As Syahid, wrote in a recent article about the pampered youth and children who are spoilt by their parents.
He compiled different stories shared by lecturers and teachers who lamented about how things "have changed" with students nowadays.
One particular story was about a teacher who was chastised for asking a student to clean the blackboard in class
"A friend of mine who works in a school told me that he was reprimanded for asking his student to clean the blackboard. He was reprimanded and was told not to order his students to do such things anymore," As Syahid wrote.
"Students are not maids. Students are not servants. Students are our customers."
Since then, the teacher was fed up.
Commenting on the issue, As Syahid said that even developed nations like Japan teach their children to sweep the floor and clean their classrooms.
Parents are also overprotective of their children, like the time when a parent went to "rescue" his child who was out camping
A friend told As Syahid that the incident happened when a group of students and teachers went to the jungle for a school programme.
"Obviously they (the students and teachers) would spend the night sleeping in the tents, and of course, they would feel hot and sweat from the activities."
That evening, a Mercedes car crept into the recreational area. Apparently, it was a student's father who came to pick up his son.
"His child complained that he couldn't stay in the forest any longer. Uneasy and uncomfortable. So, the student called his father to pick him up immediately," As Syahid wrote.
"The teachers were not able to do anything. Apparently, these teachers work in a school where they taught the children of elites and those who are wealthy."
On another occasion, a teacher's car was vandalised by a student after a disciplinary session with the student
As Syahid knew a friend who rebuked a student with a "normal tone" one day after the student got into some disciplinary issues. This teacher did not impose any other punishment on the student but merely rebuked him with words.
However, after that session, the teacher's car was badly vandalised. It doesn't take a genius to figure out who did it.
"If I had known earlier that you wanted to do something to my car, it would have been better for me to just give you the money from my pocket. Here, take my money now," that teacher told the student in question.
One would think that school kids would grow up to be better people. Sadly, it appears that attitude problems are prevalent among university students too.
"I once had a friend who worked as a lecturer at a local university who often complained about the millennials," As Syahid said.
"Some of these students lacked good manners and common courtesy, especially towards their teachers."
These were just some of the stories that As Syahid shared in his post
As someone who is a teacher himself, As Syahid reckons that many teachers and lecturers are now put in a difficult position and are now "slaves" to the system. He believes that they continue to face many challenges but they're not empowered to educate the younger generation.
"There is no more meaning in being a teacher. Merely teaching but not educating," he said.
