From Mentoring To Disciplining

Mentoring might be  described as the activities conducted by a person (the mentor) for another person (the mentee) in order to help that other person to do a job more effectively and/or to progress in their career.

Mentoring as a modern  educational concept  have always fascinated me. The scope for passing the burden of teaching the basics to my smarter students have often  helped me save plenty of time.

 But what I am about to narrate have never crossed my mind or the minds of disciplinarians!

Very few people know that in the Republic of Maldives  even parents are forbidden to resort to corporal punishment. But having grown up in  a country where parents and teachers alike, avidly follow the dictum ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’, my teaching spell in the Republic of Maldives had been at times  conflict ridden!

For a community whose school going children turn to fishing or working in local tourist resorts after completion of Higher Secondary education, learning  for the Cambridge A- Level examination was a meaningless exercise. This naturally resulted in lack of interest, inattentiveness during class hours  and disciplinary problems.

But  as it always happens there will be a few who are deeply interested in academics and  have the wish to excel in studies.  It  so happened that there was a particular ‘back bencher’ whom most teachers found difficult to handle. He was restless, talkative and addicted to  disrupting teaching through his pranks. To top it all, he was a repeater.

A little bit of mischief any teacher is bound to swallow… but when it is continuous and hinders class room transaction, one is bound  to lose one’s temper and turn to the rod.  But, I was helpless  and some of my smart  front row students  could indeed  sense my frustration.

One day, no sooner did I begin explaining  a difficult concept than the ‘back bencher’ began distracting the attention of  fellow learners. I paused helplessly. Suddenly a fairly well built chap sitting in  the front bench, rose from his seat, moved towards the  back bench and gave the mischief monger a resounding slap on the face. He also uttered something in the local language  which I couldn’t comprehend.

I stood agape. The ‘front bencher’ said “Carry on Sir” , and I feebly continued from where I stopped. Later that day I wondered whether I ought to have reprimanded the ‘front bencher’?  But to my relief, I never had any  disciplinary problem from the ‘back bencher’.

Back in India, during discussions with my teacher trainees, I have referred to this incident and inquired whether they could see this as an example of ‘mentoring discipline’. I am yet to receive a satisfactory answer…! Have you one,  dear reader?