Corporal Punishment

I've been avoiding writing this entry, but I want this blog to be an honest account of my time in Kenya and that has to include the bad as well as the good. Corporal punishment has been illegal in Kenya for over a decade but is still a normal part of Kenyan society-and school life. Obviously, GVI does not condone it, but it still happens behind our backs and its a constant struggle to persuade local teachers (all of whom I respect and like on a personal level) that beating a kid is not the only way to gain their respect.

It came to a head the other day when I sent 2 of my Standard 5 kids outside for messing (anyone who knows St 5 can guess which 2!) and they ran back in 10 minutes later sobbing hysterically and curled up at their desks. It took me a few minutes to decipher that one of the new teachers had found them and caned them.
 I'm not good with confrontation, it makes me feel physically sick, but I was so angry I was literally shaking. I walked up to the teacher before I could lose my nerve and asked if he had caned them. He nodded and I told him that while I appreciated him trying to help me (that was hard to choke out) I don't cane my students as it is illegal and I morally object to the hypocrisy of telling children not to be violent and then beating them til they scream. He looked a bit surprised and then said he hadn't caned them, just made them kneel on the hard ground. I said regardless of what he had done it was my class and I can discipline my own students my own way and that I'd appreciate if he didn't interfere in future. I walked away to tell a staff member and managed to get outside the school gate before I burst into angry tears.

Later that day I found 1 of my tiny Standard 1 pupils sobbing under her desk and discovered she had been beaten by a teacher I have great respect for and consider a friend. I understand that he genuinely loves the kids and sees beating them as being cruel to be kind, its the only method of discipline he's ever been shown, but it's hard sometimes to separate my feelings towards him from my feelings about caning. I spoke with the staff that night and they agreeed that something needed to be done. GVI arranged a meeting with the teachers on discipline and I attended with 2 staff members. I was apprehensive and pretty pessimistic about getting any results.

I was pleasantly surprised by the headteacher's reaction though. Mr Stephen said that he was beaten in school and it made him fear and hate the teachers who hurt him. He said we need to encourage children to respect us through mutual trust, not violence, and asked me and the staff how we manage our classes. I had the chance to talk about classroom management techniques and alternative ways of disciplining students and some of the local teachers made suggestions too. I had been worried it would seem like we were judging and lecturing them and just get their backs up, but they all seemed receptive and interested. We agreed that the teachers and volunteers all need to set firm boundaries and enforce the rules but in a non-violent way.
I'm not expecting dramatic changes overnight: this is Africa! But the fact that Mr Stephen made his position clear after a long time of ambivilence means at least it's being reinforced by their own management and it's not just GVI imposing a western approach. The teachers all genuinely love the kids and want whats best for them, they just need to see that caning is not the only way to get results.
I'm hopeful. :)