Rotan or Verbal Reprimands?

Recently, I have stopped using cans 'rotan' or doing any form of physical punishments on my Year 3 and 4's kids.

I am one teacher who uses can a lot, especially back in the first semester. I would bring a can everywhere I go. And wherever I walked, Ss walking in my direction from miles far would turn around and used another path. I was more like a discipline teacher than an English teacher. And kids' parents there often give us free rotans, ranging from small to huge rotan of half an inche thick diametrically.

But in class, I often resorted to rotan whenever Ss had behaved wrongly, lazy to complete homework, and failed in spelling test. And each time before I canned them, I got so het up and felt my nerve boiling up. Yet, I didn't feel better after that. I felt more guilty canning them. After all, I don't think canning helps solved the situation. Neither did it help improved the Ss' spelling competency.

So, beginning June this year, I decided to stop canning my kids. Simply because I don't want to get too angry with them, or in fact i should get angry with them, but I should manage my anger by using another method. I decided to use verbal reprimands.

And it's time for verbal-reprimand experiment (real case, real experiment)!

Each time I found Ss not paying attention or talking, I would either stop and stare at him, or I would call out his name. This has proved effective so far. And if he is still talking, I asked him to leave the class now if he decides not wanting to learn (Yes, i did that!). This has proved to be very effective too.

If Ss are not having enough interest or engagement in learning, I would tell them stories of the importance of English, and their responsibilies to learning. So, I am integrating motivational elements into the teaching of English language. And so far, this has proven to be effective (at least for few days, before I started nagging again).

Basically, I don't know of which theory I derive this classroom management. But I clearly know I am imparting a sense of responsibility in each of them so that they will always be reminded to be responsible for their own learning and actions (discipline). If they persist to act, think and behave in their old ways, I have no idea. I have yet to think of what to change them.

But i have to say that some Ss are genetically low in IQ or mental maturity. You might mean well, they understand you, but they are still the same. They don't have enough courage and willingness to change. Simply because this is their nature - they are children. So the nagging goes on......

So you see, there is no use to engage rotan here. Because children are still children. They still play, jump, run, crawl and do funny things after you rotan them. So, what's the use of canning them? If it's not too serious, there is no need to rotan them. Save your energy, save your mind for doing better things.

Last week, I have one boy in Year 4 who poured water on electric switch, and forced his friends to touch it. Luckily, nothing bad happened. Yet, me as the class teacher had to punish him. He knew what he did was wrong, yet he did it. When asked why he did it, he said he just wanted to play. I would have easily taken out my half-an-inch rotan, but i didn't. As this is a serious case, the punishment for him would be to do community service. So he is sentenced to clean teacher quarters' compound. I am sure this will be a good lesson for him.

To what extent is verbal reprimands effective in classroom management and behaviour management, I have yet to find out. Probably I can give a better answer at the end of this year when I have enough cases and experiences and real stories to back up its effectiveness.

As for rotan, I am still using it for my Year 1's kids. Without seeing a rotan raised high on air, they will always be little monsters running and jumping in the class. But I am learning to use less of it each time I go in. So, rotan's still effective ey?