By Jake Rogers
Disciplining students without violating their civil rights has become trickier these days, but educators say that it is far from being a lost cause.
Public schools have traditionally had some trouble balancing discipline with civil rights. For this reason, private schooling is becoming a more popular alternative.
Rory Adams is a South African who recently moved to Utah and opened the Mount Hyrum Academy, a Mormon-themed private school in South Jordan. Adams said he believes in teaching students the importance of discipline, not just so they will behave in school, but also because they will learn to conduct their lives in a manner pleasing to Heavenly Father. But he knows that discipline will only work if students know they are loved.
?With our LDS slant, we try to discipline with love, not by beating them up verbally or ostracizing them,? Adams said. ?We?re trying to create an atmosphere where the spirit can dwell, and it?s important to realize that each child is a child of Heavenly Father, even though they all come from different backgrounds. You can?t ostracize children for being naughty, you?ve got to love them.?
But loving students doesn?t mean letting them do whatever they want.
?Somebody once said that the best discipline program is just good instruction,? said Katie Blunt, a BYU alumna and teacher at Herriman Elementary School in Herriman. ?If you?re engaging students in learning, they aren?t going to have time to create discipline problems. Students don?t want a friend, they want a teacher.?
Students say they respect teachers who are organized and prepared. John Rogers, an eighth-grade student at Oquirhh Hills Middle School in West Jordan said he and his friends can tell how much they will get away with by judging how professional the teacher is.
?It?s fun when teachers are nice and casual,? he said. ?But the students will just take advantage of nice teachers, and they don?t get anything done.?
Of course, many teachers say good behavior and a respectful attitude should begin in the home.
?Eighty percent of discipline problems would disappear if parents were involved in their students? lives,? said Joyanne Goodfellow, a BYU graduate and teacher at El Toro High School in El Toro, Calif. ?The most schools can do is kick kids out. But if you take them out of that societal structure, you?ll have more problems down the road.?
Adams said the discipline his children received in South Africa resulted in schools that were more organized and students that were more respectful.
But the discipline in South Africa is mild in comparison to Zambia, according to Musoka Kazanene, a Zambian student who recently moved to Utah. She said she couldn?t believe what students get away with here.
?I think there is such a thing as too many rights,? she said. ?In Zambia, going to school is a privilege, and you do whatever you have to do to stay out of trouble. Discipline is very strict, too. When I was going to school, getting caned or digging ditches were possible punishments.?
Ultimately, though, engaging a student?s mind in a great lecture is probably a better teaching strategy than caning.