However, in the normal-academic and normal-technical streams, there exists a disproportionate number of students who are defiant and confrontational. Now, these are very strong words, but I know of no better words than these two to describe the bulk of students in the normal-academic and normal-technical streams. 

  It is wrong to think a firm teacher can take the whole class (normal-academic/normal- tech) in hand. These students do not care two-winks about their teachers. They refuse to return to their seats when told nicely and when the teacher resorts to shouting to get their attention, such students demand to know why the teacher is shouting at them. So, in such a situation, the student is not wrong in not having " heard" the teacher's request, but rather the teacher is wrong in shouting at the student.

  And of course the familiar "stare" is given to the teacher in many situations. Why is there this rise in confrontational behaviour? I, for one, am stumped for an explanation. Should I point fingers at the parents? I can only empathise with them - many students in the normal-tech streams come from broken families. I would hazard a guess that this factor has a lot to do with the confrontational approach of many students in this stream. What can the teacher do then? Complain to the school principal or vice-principal? Well, these two chaps already have their hands full - there are just too many such complaints from teachers and these chaps only have two pairs of hands between them to keep the students in check. And the cane doesn't work on the students. 

  To these students, caning them is giving them an itch, that's all. And they are back to their regular nonsense two periods later in the day itself. Of course, the teacher can't be complaining every now and then or the principal may think he/she doesn't know how to manage the class. That would reflect badly on the teacher.

  Nowadays, teachers in the normal- academic and normal-tech streams come in to their classes not to teach (they don't even have time to do that) but to try to get order back in the noisy classroom. Remember - this type of noise is different from the noise made in the Express stream. How different?, you may ask. Well, for one thing, these students are making the noise to show you who's the boss in the class. And that's definitely not the teacher. 

  Ha! Ha! Ha! In the past, when I was a student in the seventies, there wasn't such commotion in classes. Perhaps, it is because I always hark back to those good old days and compare them with the present school days that I find the present situation in schools today intolerable.

  Perhaps, I am not cut out to be a teacher for I am unable to imbue good responsible behaviour in these students. But, then, I remember - those students in the Express stream were responsive and knew when not to cross the line. It was good, clean fun and any sensible teacher would have noticed the difference.

  So just what is the teacher doing wrongly. That's a thought I think must have crossed many a teacher's mind. I venture to suggest that at secondary school level, it is already too late to implement behavioural change, save for sending these kids to boot camp for a spell regularly.

  What I rather think is that the students should be conditioned to reasonable behaviour right at primary school level. I would suggest a good starting level is the Primary Two level. At Primary one level, these children are too new to the school to have formed any undesirable traits. They are still acclimatising to the new surroundings, new people and new things to do. 

  But, once they reach Primary Two, they have more or less settled down and any undesirable traits have their beginnings at that level. Take these students in hand before they undergo streaming. Enforce the cane (I am sad to say this) - give the teacher a right to cane the student in the class without the need for the presence of the principal.

  I am not propositioning that we should instil fear in our students. What I am saying is this - the parents are too busy to help bring up a disciplined child, so the teacher is helping them to do so. Rather do it now than wait till the student is in secondary school when the parents will find it easy to lay the blame on the teacher for not being able to handle their child.

  We can't change the behaviour of students who have now gone on to secondary school. It's a little too late. Let us start with the younger ones. So, as they move on to secondary school, they will not display such confrontational behaviour or rock the classrooms with their antics.

  We have to do something quick, or we will find even the good teachers leaving the teaching profession. Why is that so? Well, if you are a good teacher who puts in your level best and keeps trying to imbue these students with knowledge and the correct attitudes, but find no progress year after year and instead find more hurdles along the way, wouldn't you also throw in the towel?