RJC Scolding Incident in Retrospect
I watched the infamous RJC scolding video clip for the first time yesterday. Interestingly, it was very different from what I expected it to be like after reading so many news reports about it.
The tutor did told the student that his homework was “outdated and irrelevant” and called him a “sly, crafty old rat,” before tearing up his homework. But putting the incident into perspective after I’ve watched the entire video clip, rather than gathering bits and pieces of second-hand information from news reports, I feel that the incident has been blown out of proportion by the local media.
The student who captured the incident using a PDA with a built-in camera and posted the video clip on a website got what he deserved: a stern reprimand and a warning that such an incident should not be repeated.
He should be punished for inappropriate use of PDAs in class, and not for invading the tutor’s privacy; this was a lame argument raised by those who defended the tutor’s actions. She could’ve scolded the student using the same harsh words and tore up his homework in the privacy of her own office, but have chosen to humiliate him in front of the whole class instead. Regardless whether she lost her temper at that moment, which was unacceptable for a professional educator who has undergone proper training, or that she was using public humiliation to motivate the student to work harder, this wasn’t a private moment. However, I don’t feel that the tutor deserved to be criticised.
I wasn’t exactly the model student in class; in fact, I was usually the one giving the teachers trouble. Because of this, I had my fair share of public humiliation by teachers: badly done homework tore up and flung into my face, chalks flying into my talkative mouth, and being told to go “fly a kite” for scoring 23% in my math class. It’s worth remembering that there’s no smoke without fire; and I was the guilty party each time. Did the teachers manage to motivate me to work harder using public humiliation, or were there other less extreme methods that could’ve been used? I’m not sure, but I did turn out alright.
Different teachers have different teaching styles. Although some teaching methods are more controversial than the rest, I believe our education system has enough safeguards to prevent abuse of authority.
Education is a tough and noble career; we should just let teachers do their job well.