In every social setting, there’s always a fine line between order and chaos, and it can be crossed any time if the leaders don’t take appropriate measures to maintain it. In school, the only antidote to chaos is student discipline.
If students are not disciplined, there’s no way order can last in a school. Therefore, as a teacher and/ or school administrator, you have to figure out the best ways to maintain discipline in a school. They include;
1. Enforce school uniform
As a school, the first sign of seriousness and strictness is school uniform. This is because no student is allowed to wear anything else besides it. Here are some strict measures you can impose under this;
- Penalties in case students wear anything else besides the recommended uniform
- Students only have to buy the right uniforms from the school; and are not allowed to make their own using their own material
- Quicken the school process of issuing uniforms to new students
- Set strict laws against wearing uniforms improperly, eg sagging pants, exposing cleavages by untying top buttons
Uniformity in dress code is the first sign of order and discipline in a school. With standard laws in place, you can spot the rebellious students by their immediate transgression.
2. Guidance and counseling
Sometimes, students need help. Common habits like mild violence toward other students, missing classes, lack of enthusiasm etc, arise from psychological problems like;
- Psychological trauma
- Paranoia
- Anxiety
- Depression
Sometimes it isn’t even as bad as that – but whatever it is, students need to be guided and counseled when circumstances deem it necessary.
3. Emphasizing school rules and regulations
More often than not, students get used to the school – and at that moment, forget about strict adherence to school rules. The only way you can remind them is by emphasizing school rules and regulations through;
- Pinning them on all visible places on the school premises
- Handing each student a copy
- Pinning the rules on the classroom notice board
- Holding daily assemblies
- Penalizing even the slightest disobedience
When school leaders and teachers emphasize the rules and regulations, high chances are that students will have no choice but to be disciplined.
4. Knowing students by names
So many students make lots of mistakes because they think the teachers don’t know them. It’s also true that you can’t know every student by name. However, every teacher has the ability to recognize disruptive energy when they see it.
Here are some strategies to know students by name;
- Start with the names of your brightest students
- Try to see the faces of your students as you roll call them
- Call every student by any name, even though it might be the wrong one
- Try remembering them by what they did
When students know that you know them, it’s hard for them to hide their notoriety in a group. This is because they know you’ll identify them.
5. Administering simple punishments
For starters, the only hard punishments I know are corporal punishments, suspensions and expulsions. However, there are other simple punishments that you can give undisciplined students like;
- Slashing the compound
- Cleaning the class/ dormitory
- A few lashes
- Cleaning latrines
Now, administering small punishments, as opposed to the extreme ones has effects like;
- Setting an example to other students
- Mildly embarrassing the offender
- Robbing the undisciplined student of material time they would’ve spent doing something else
- Creating a leeway for you to advise the student. This is because you have their full attention once you’ve administered a punishment
The above advantages don’t render the extreme punishments irrelevant. Corporal punishments are unnecessary and inhuman, but expulsions and suspensions are necessary if students go rogue.
6. Building rapport with the learners
There are so many things that can be done peacefully. Establishing a good rapport with learners is one of the best ways to maintain discipline. Here’s why;
- They follow rules without developing a negative attitude
- Makes communication easier
- Students become afraid of losing the friendship, so it keeps them in check
Of course, this is a slow and tender approach and doesn’t work for every student. This is why many teachers find it easy to resort to forceful and authoritative measures.
7. Engaging parents during counseling
Sometimes, students misbehave at school because their parents (who are their most feared authority), aren’t around to keep them in check. This is why calling parents to school to participate in counseling, is ideal. Here are the effects it has on the student;
- Instills fear in the student, since several students fear their parents
- Creates a sense of shame In the student
- Students tend to listen more to warnings from their parents
Involving parents in counseling usually works best on students that are just returning from suspensions; and it helps give them a fresh start.
8. Teaching CRE & IRE in school
Believe it or not, religion is the one reason we have managed to maintain the order that we have. Teaching Christian Religious Education and Islamic Religious Education helps maintain discipline by;
- Making students more empathetic towards others
- Imparting virtues of respecting adults in the students
- Giving perfect examples of good people in that the students can emulate
- Acting as references/ guides for teachers to base their advice to students
Religion is not the perfect solution to all chaos. In fact, it can bring out the exact opposite in some students if they see martyrs in themselves. However, teaching ethics through these religious subjects is one way to maintain discipline.
9. Keeping an eye on disciplined learners
Disciplined learners exist. However, some are just keeping their monster on a tight leash until they can let it out. This is why you have to watch them, so you can possibly;
- Protect them from bad influence
- Make sure they aren’t just hiding behind soft skin
- Encourage them to influence others to be disciplined
10. Daily roll calling of learners
Roll calling is where you monitor the attendance of your learners by reading their names on a list and indicating whether they are present or absent. Below are the benefits of roll calling students;
- Discourages students from dodging classes or escapism
- Creates a perfect image of order that the students can emulate
- Helps teachers identify the undisciplined students and determine what to do for them
Of course, many students devise clever ways to bypass roll calls, either through their classmates or by having the perfect alibi (sickness). But for the major part, it works.
Conclusion;
As far as dealing with human brains is concerned, there isn’t any perfect measure. However, the list above involves the general measures for all students. Beyond that, some students need to be understood first, so you can find the measure that actually works.
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