Thanking Your Lucky Stars
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Balancing discipline with education is all part of a day's work for Mr Ganesan.
Mention 'student discipline' in school and you'll immediately get a reaction from students. In fact, they'll probably make every effort to avoid anything to do with the term.
So when Mr Ganesan Arumugan, Discipline Master at Northland Primary School, heard he had been awarded the 2008 Excellent Service Award from SPRING Singapore, he could hardly contain his incredulity. Moreover, he was one of seven award-winners from schools who received the award at Star level.
"I never thought I'd get something like this because I'm the Discipline Master," says a bemused Mr Ganesan, who is also the Head of Department for Pupil Development. "I thought parents wouldn't like me because I'm firm when I'm dealing with them, or that students will hate me because I'm always telling them off."
Mr Ganesan strongly believes in his students' abilities.
Discipline with a gentle touch
Students and parents seem to think otherwise. Throughout his 10 years at Northland Primary, he has received many letters from parents thanking him for going beyond his duties as a teacher. He believes in working closely with parents, and gladly opens the proverbial door for parents to contact him whenever they need his assistance.
"I give out my mobile number on the first day of school. Anything that parents need to talk to me about, I'll ask them to call me," Mr Ganesan says.
Discipline also goes hand-in-hand with encouragement and assurance. Mr Ganesan recalls an incident when an agitated parent rang him after school hours. Her child had been punched by a schoolmate, she complained. In less than an hour, he called her back to report the results of his investigation. He later gave both boys a 'pep' talk. "I warned the culprit, in front of the victim, not to do it again. The victim went home and told his mother he felt very secure."
As the school's Discipline Master, Mr Ganesan sometimes needs to put on a firm face for the job.
The parent was so impressed she wrote in to the principal to commend Mr Ganesan. Mr Ganesan, however, felt he was just doing his duty. "I always try to help students address a particular behaviour before it escalates into something else," he explains.
A caring teacher
It is this deep level of concern for his students' welfare that has won their respect. Mr Ganesan strongly believes in his students' abilities, even when families don't. "Once, one of my boys didn't go home. He was quite depressed because he had been moved from EM2 to EM3. Fortunately, his parents called me. We later found him at an MRT station contemplating suicide," recalls Mr Ganesan.
With much listening and encouragement, he helped the student regain his confidence and self esteem. Today, even though the student attends secondary school, he still come back to shows Mr Ganesan his report card after every exam.
More than just a teacher - Mr Ganesan and his 'family' in school.
Mr Ganesan adds, "I've always been patient with low-ability pupils, and found they need more support and guidance because they don't get much family support." By inspiring them to always give their best, students are motivated towards better behaviour and academic results. The teacher also makes the effort to ensure two-way communication with parents, and seizes every opportunity to let parents know what's good in their children.
"These students need someone to believe in them. They know I go all out for them," says Mr Ganesan humbly. "Sometimes I do little things to encourage them, like taking them to McDonald's. As such, my class usually performs well for the PSLE because they want to impress me."
In turn, receiving the Excellent Service Award has been an encouragement to Mr Ganesan. "The STAR Award was an affirmation. I knew then that I'm on the right track," he says with a smile.