Aha! Finally! I fully agree with most of your paragraphs, Rico. What is termed "Abuse" today was known as "Discipline" yesterday or yesteryears!!! Scenario of our time - which means we were all "abused" then, whether at home or in school... and I am none the worse for that, ....dont know about the rest of you. Like Rico, I dont hold any grudges either & being "disciplined" we benefitted from that but we are now able to empathize with today's "abused" kids & want to change things for the better. Would a clout on the head or a box on the ears, or the pegging of lips together with a clothes peg (to prevent us from talking & disrupting the class) or rubbing chilly powder on the lips come under the heading of "abuse"? Then we had "abuse" 50 years ago & it continues in other ways too. I guess the "abused" adults are now striving to change all this & help the kids ...more power to us all!
"The spare the rod & spoil the child" logic is no longer that.......we now live in a different world Rico! & Saligao is part of that world. I believe that the one characteristic of a good teacher doesnt change or shouldnt change, whether he/she is young or old....Patience. By the way, Rico - the five rounds around the football ground! ....was it at a "run" pace or a "walk" pace??? At that time both would be punishment, discipline...call it what you will. I am sure some of us do more rounds than that everyday or at least 5 times a week & take it in our stride - today the rounds would be considered a very important form of exercise leading to healthy living......wouldnt it? ....the logic behind it being - a healthy mind lives in a healthy body, or vice versa ... a healthy body makes for a healthy mind. We have reached our weekend quite quickly & am I glad! Have a good day! Annette > Date: Thu, 6 May 2010 03:19:14 +0530 > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [SALIGAONET] Saligao-related issues > > MnM wrote: > > > As part of the Mapusa based, Child Rights Group, > > Roland Martins persuaded Gerard to file a simple complaint > > with the Mapusa police. Gerard did and the complaint was used > > as a basis to take the matter up with the school. > > Mario represented the Delaneys in the official enquiry > > that followed with regular hearings that lasted a few months. > > Result: the master was suspended and has not set foot in St. > > Britto's again, thus saving generations of students expensive > > dental treatment for life! > > As far as this goes,I think it has a lot to do with our ideas of what is > the "right" and "wrong" approach to bring up children. > > These days, it's fashionable to be liberal and give in a lot to > children. In our times, we grew up with a lot of strictness, > particularly in a Jesuit institution like Brittos. Yet, I bear > absolutely no grudge against the institution and our teachers, and in > fact feel grateful that it taught me a great many things in life. > > A lot of parents speak out against "corporal" punishment in schools > today, and would term it abuse. Personally, I feel the teachers need to > have some leeway to operate, even as we parents appreciate how difficult > it can be to get across a point across to a child in these times -- when > the kids get bombarded with all kinds of messages. > > Is a rap on the knuckles more harmful than a remark in the calendar > which scars a child in emotional ways? Is it better to correct a child > on time, rather than fail him in Std VIII and have a suicide before you > know it? (One such case was reported in the neighbouring village of > Parra last month-end.) > > Whatever happened to the spare-the-rod ... logic :-) Or do we have > fashions-of-the-day in child rearing too? (Apparently Benjamin Spock is > not treated with much respect nowadays, someone who knows better could > clarify.) > > The teacher mentioned in the above case was my teacher too. He was a > good scoutmaster and PT teacher, if a bit on the strict side. (Those of > us who were pushed out from Lourdes Convent at Std VI/VII for a > compulsory migration to some place like Britto's know of how > 'indiscipline' on the ground was treated -- five rounds around the > football ground!) > > I think teachers are much more patient when they're younger, but perhaps > the school-routine results in burnout and cycnicism over the years! > Something needs to be done to make their work less soul-killing! FN > > -- > This message comes via the Google Groups "Saligao-Net" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/saligao-net?hl=en > Please post regularly to keep the e-village active! _________________________________________________________________ Hotmail: Free, trusted and rich email service. https://signup.live.com/signup.aspx?id=60969 -- This message comes via the Google Groups "Saligao-Net" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/saligao-net?hl=en Please post regularly to keep the e-village active!
