Mawkish1983 wrote:The instinct to reprimand when a child endangers those around them can be very strong; is there a skillful way to do this that a belligerent child can not choose to ignore?
The duties of the teacher to his (her) pupil
1. To instruct him (her) well in matters concerning social life, customs and manners, as well as in the spiritual field. [--> here included are also duties of pupils]
2. To make sure that he (she) retains well what one teaches by making him repeat several times in the day.
3. To teach everything one knows without concealing anything.
4. To introduce him (her) to one's friends and associates so that he (she) can obtain a job.
5. To guarantee his (her) material and spiritual safety (recitation of protective texts).duties of the pupil to his (her) teacher
The duties of the pupil to his (her) teacher
1. To get up in sign of respect and go to receive him (her) when he (she) arrives.
2. To render him (her) a service if necessary.
3. To be eager to listen to his (her) advice.
4. If living with him (her), to help him (her) with the daily chores.
5. To try hard to learn what one does not yet know and not to forget what one has already learnt.
Are there any other high school (ages 11 - 18) teachers that use Dhammawheel? I was wondering what techniques or strategies the Theravada may teach that can help one maintain equanimity when faced with particularly challenging children. The instinct to reprimand when a child endangers those around them can be very strong; is there a skillful way to do this that a belligerent child can not choose to ignore?
Thank you in advance.
You schoolteachers are a mold for forming people, so you should turn toward the direction of the Dhamma and practice the Dhamma. Behave yourselves in a way that can be an example for others. You're like a mold for making Buddha amulets. Have you ever seen one? Just a single mold: They carve it well, carving the face, the eyebrows, the chin so that they aren't crooked or missing anything, so that the Buddha amulets they stamp out of it will come out beautiful. And when they come out they really are beautiful because of that one good mold.
It's the same with schoolteachers, who are molds for their students and for people at large. You have to make yourselves beautiful in terms of the personal qualities of a good teacher. You always have to behave in line with your ethical discipline and the pattern of a leader and guide. Abandon all forms of intoxication and unskillful behavior. Try to restore high standards of morality. You have to be a good example to the children.
Children are like vines. Wherever a vine sprouts up, it has to look for a tree to climb up. If one tree is 15 centimeters away and another 10 meters away, which tree do you think the vine will climb up? It'll climb up the nearest tree. It's probably not going to climb up the tree 10 meters away because that one is too far off.
In the same way, schoolteachers are the people closest to their students. They're the people who children are most likely to take as examples. So it's essential that you schoolteachers have good manners and standards of behavior — in terms of what you should do and should abandon — for children to see. Don't teach them just with your mouths. The way you stand, the way you walk, the way you sit — your every movement, your every word — you have to make into a teaching for the children. They'll follow your example because children are quick to pick things up. They're quicker than adults.
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