Abstract
Unruly learners and disciplinary problems are an intractable part of every teacher’s teaching experience. It appears that, even though most schools have enacted a code of conduct to regulate learner behaviour, this does not always have the desired effect. Disciplinary problems in schools impact negatively on the teaching and learning environment as well as on teachers’ personal and professional well-being and morale. Framed within the context of a biblical worldview, this article narrates the experiences of one teacher who decided to take action towards hope. The situation in her classroom was quite desperate with learners coming to school unprepared and behaving very badly and parents being uninterested in the performance of their children at school. She realised that she could not change the learners or their parents unless she started with herself. In this context, she, as a postgraduate student under the supervision of the co-authors, embarked on an action-research project to promote positive learner behaviour. By collaborating with the learners on a set of classroom rules, engaging in reflective teaching and changing her own behaviour towards the learners, the situation in her classroom improved. Based on her experiences, this article argues that teachers should empower themselves with knowledge and a better understanding of the concept of discipline rather than viewing the classroom as a battlefield. It is important to acknowledge and show respect and appreciation for each learner in his or her own context.
Highlights
Most schools seem to have a code of conduct, at least on paper, research indicates that learner misbehaviour is rife in schools (e.g. Joubert & Serakwane 2009:125; Mestry & Khumalo 2012:105-108)
school governing bodies (SGBs) have a duty to promote the best interests of schools and provide quality education (Republic of South Africa 1996, s. 20[1] {a})
Instead of complaining about the abolition of corporal punishment, schools should review the literature to learn from others
Summary
Most schools seem to have a code of conduct, at least on paper, research indicates that learner misbehaviour is rife in schools (e.g. Joubert & Serakwane 2009:125; Mestry & Khumalo 2012:105-108). Marais and Meier (2010:41) claim that ‘[m]isbehaving learners and disciplinary problems are a disproportionate and intractable part of every teacher’s experience of teaching’. Most schools seem to have a code of conduct, at least on paper, research indicates that learner misbehaviour is rife in schools Joubert & Serakwane 2009:125; Mestry & Khumalo 2012:105-108). After the transition to a democratic dispensation in South Africa, decentralised governance power was given to representative school governing bodies (SGBs) SGBs have a duty to promote the best interests of schools and provide quality education The SGB is, inter alia, responsible for the adoption of a code of conduct for learners at the school as part of their policymaking duties Mestry and Khumalo (2012:102-109), found that SGBs have difficulty in designing and implementing workable codes of conduct. Parent-governors are disconnected from the daily operations of the schools, and teachers appear to have little confidence in the effectiveness of these codes
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