Teachers are not children's punching bags_其他

Teachers are not children's punching bags

In recent years, educators have been campaigning for "protecting students' right" against corporal punishment. This is welcome. But things seem to be going to the other extreme. There have been more and more reports of students defiantly quarrelling with, and even insulting, teachers in class.

The most tragic incident took place in a Chongqing vocational school in June 2007.

A 30-year-old woman teacher died of anger-induced heart attack after a student insulted her by calling her names because she had tried to stop him from playing cards in class.

A few days earlier, a case of students humiliating a teacher was reported from Beijing. A student yanked off the hat of a 70-year-old teacher, while another threw an empty bottle at him in class. What hurt us more is the fact that none of the other students protested against the insult to the teacher. Instead, they encouraged the two to go on.

The two incidents are not isolated cases. In thousands of online comments, many netizens have said that teachers now don't dare to criticize students. There have also been reports of parents rushing to schools to beat up teachers after their children complained against them because they tried to instill discipline in class. Such incidents may not be common across the country but the problem seems serious.

Reforming our traditional education philosophy to grant students more freedom in class would help them think independently and become more creative. But that does not mean they should be allowed to do whatever they like, let alone encourage them to confront teachers in hostile manners. Kids have to be taught and guided. Let us not misguide them by teaching them to disrespect teachers and vent their frustration through violence.