It must really come with age because for me, I am already starting to compare my childhood to my students now. The 90’s was a time that as early as 7 am on a Saturday morning, I would be out on the streets with my neighbours already. Under the head of the sun, I would bring out my bicycle and roam the entire neighbourhood with my “squad”. That, for me, was already how I learned how to communicate and be a social being. I meet them time to time, interact and be a kid with them. I was also taught how to behave inside someone else’s home because of the frequent visits in my neighbour’s home. I climbed the Mansanitas tree, a local fruit in the Philippines that looks like cherries. You ask me about cellphones? They were not that popular then. Mobile phones then were only capable of SMS and phone calls; no selfies, no social media. Getting scolded during my time was literally “a pain in the ass”. No time-outs; no face the walls; only your bare butt meeting with the infamous 4-inch thick belt of your father or if that belt’s not available, get to meet the broom stick. It was no laughing matter then. The person who I am now was because of what my childhood was; more on interactions, running and being what a real kid is.
The 2000’s came and everything started to change. The association of today’s kids with social media is so real that manners does not matter. Lately, teaching has been a drag; so much distractions that instead making learning fun, it makes it more like a trip from heaven to hell. Student discipline is one different story. Experiencing corporal punishment at home shaped how I am today but now, individuals and human rights groups are taming this form of discipline. Time outs and verbal counselling are being brought to the plate but its’ effect is only half of what a good hit could effect. Parents spoil their kids. Kids become who they really are inside the classroom and terrorize the meek and start a riot only to find out they act way differently at home. Kids of the 2000’s do not understand control. They seem to only understand that word once they want something from their parents like the latest gadgets that certainly makes them more unstoppable. Parents believe teachers are 100% gods that can change their kids. If students not behaving accordingly, teachers are to be blamed. They consider us teachers as their only remedy to the deteriorating behaviour and demeanor.
This is not the world I want. This is not the future I have dreamed of. Parents, take the stand to be real parents. Don’t be a Pilate by washing hands and start a blame game. Get your grip together if you still want a your kinds to treat you well when you age. Don’t wait for the time they’ll just kick you because you can’t manage to bring yourself to the toilet. Check your reality now.
Delon Serino 