Discipline today is not the same as in the past, says retired secondary school teacher, Nemica Jacobs.
Jacobs’ comments followed the viral TikTok video showing Huonville Primary School students in Lae using vulgar language to attack their peers in Port Moresby.
65-year-old Jacobs, who has retired in January this year after 44 years of teaching, said in the past, students were more focused.
“Discipline in the home was also good,” she said. “Parents knew how to discipline their children, and when the children came to school, they adhered to the disciplinary measures that their parents had taught them.
“So when they came into the classroom, it was easy for the teacher and the school administration.
“Today, however, many parents have ignored discipline in their homes because of a lot of things like social media, the use of mobile phones and television – these are distracting them.”
Jacobs, who is the former director of Morobe’s flexible, open and distance education (FODE) centre, stressed on the need for parents and guardians to sit with their children and do their homework with them.
“What they need to be doing is checking their children’s work,” she said.
“As soon as my child comes into the house, I should ask ‘what kind of homework do you have, what did you do today?’ This lets the child or student know that the parent is concerned. And then, they will focus.”
She further pointed out that old teachers are now retiring, like her.
“Disciplinary measures that are taken by teachers today are not as effective as in the past. In the past, sometimes, we would use sticks to discipline students.
“Discipline is a very big problem; starts in the home, to the classroom, and to the outside.”