The rights of every individual is dependent on the provisions made available by the constitution of their country. While some countries might have additional rights attributed to some professions, the same does not apply to others. There are numerous professions out there, with each having their distinctive roles but there is one in particular that oversees the conduct of pupils, teenagers. Judging by the rate of degradation in the values of our youths and children, it makes you wonder what exactly teachers are during to curb the spread of this nomadic attitude.
When it comes to a teacher's roles and duties, it is mostly attributed to the class room and nothing more. This is not just because of the provisions made available by the constitution but most teachers are not willing to get themselves involved in matters that can put them through serious legal issues. The society is no longer what it used to be, gone are those days when teachers are respected and are seen as idols in our society. These days, with the rate at which people are willing to use their authority, wealth and power to oppress others, teachers are not excluded in this game of oppression.
I remember when I was serving in a public school at Oyo State, though the community is a rural community but they try their best to encourage students to cultivate good habits and also encourage teachers to do everything within their power to assist the students through discipline and counseling. There were not enough teachers in the school I served, majority of teachers teaching in the school I served were corp members. We were respected and treated like men and women with superpowers.
With the way the community supported us, it made it a lot easier for us to perform our duties within and outside the classrooms. Whenever we walk through the community and we see a child doing something inappropriate, we feel obligated to do something about it without fear of being scolded by their parents or the school. In fact, the king of this town named Owotoro, asked the local vigilantes called Amotekun, to always be ready to offer us support in case we encounter any issue why enforcing our authority.
We were able to perform duties outside school premises because the community, school and parents supported it but it would have been a different case if this support systems is not available, which is the issue most teachers are facing. Who would want to face getting sued or scolded just because you are trying to do something good and perform your duties outside the school premises? Even within the school premises, one wrong move could put a teacher in a serious trouble, why risk it? because if things were to go wrong, there is no working support system that would stand by the teacher, especially if those involved are influential people.
Probably in a country with a good structure, it is definitely possible. There is nothing wrong in a teacher trying to correct a child outside the school, especially if they are found committing atrocities. It will reduce the rate of atrocities committed by children and teenagers but in the current system we are, I wouldn't advice any teacher to risk it. Best case scenario, if a teacher should find a child doing something inappropriate, report to the school management with evidence to support your claim. Let the school management handle the situation as they see fit.
This write-up was inspired by weekly featured content titled The perfect world in hive learners community.
Cover image - 𝖣𝖾𝗌𝗂𝗀𝗇𝖾𝖽 𝗎𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖼𝖺𝗇𝗏𝖺
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