Variety was recently informed of a teacher named “Bob” who threatened to bump down the grade of his whole first and fourth period classes because a textbook was missing. Students understood that this was his way of getting someone to speak up.
However, according to the students, the book was mysteriously returned to his classroom the very next morning with the covers torn off and, for this crime, the teacher decided to give his fourth period class a greater penalty than his first based on the assumption that the offender was among the fourth period students.
If there were any good students in his fourth period, their parents will surely crack the whip on them as their grades continue to slip because of one selfish, senseless act of a student.
Despite all the hard work, teachers like Bob will continue to disregard his good students just to punish the “less-than-favorable” students.
Is this form of “punishment” permissible within the standards of the Public School System? Students want to know. They also want to know if mass punishment is permitted.
Students would like to inform everyone — parents, guardians, uncles, aunties, principals, and other teachers — that there is such a thing as a “bad educator.”
“Teachers are right to punish an individual if they do something bad. Like send them to the principal’s office or deduct points from their grade. But one person’s crime does not serve as justification to apply mass punishment against the whole class because it is not fair for those who are genuinely here for education,” said a Marianas High School senior.
Students said team work, honesty, and good character are taught in school but they did not enroll for military-like punishment and threats because of one person’s mistake.
Variety was told that the students will gladly accept writing down 1,000 sentences of “I will not steal in class” but teachers have no right to touch their hard-earned grades.
“Why is this form of punishment allowed in the classroom?” they ask.
