Tales from the Discipline Officer

At my school, all of the local teachers are perpetually busy. I am continually amazed by the number and range of duties each person has, ranging from leading extra-curricular activities to performing various administrative functions. The teacher who sits in the cubicle next to mine in the staff room, for example, not only teaches Chinese, but also accompanies various singing groups on the guitar, leads sports teams/morning exercise drills, handles all things related to the fast food/catering company that students order lunch from if they don't bring their own, and arranges substitutes when teachers are absent/on leave. With his many responsibilities, he can frequently be heard over the PA system making announcements about this, that and the other. The tinkle of the song that signifies an announcement, however, does not usually sound for him.

The most frequently heard voice over the PA system does not belong to the principal, but rather to the school discipline officer. Although a P.E. and math teacher in the classroom, this man is most frequently seen roaming the halls and the playground chastising students or at the least, keeping a sharp lookout for offenders. My interactions with him have been minimal and he has been cordial enough, but I fear the day when he catches me accidentally walking up the down staircase or allowing students to run on the playground (yes, they are forbidden to run on the playground -- except during P.E. class).

The school takes discipline very seriously. [In fact, my grade 1 co-teacher has indicated that while my teaching activities are fine, I need to work on classroom discipline, but more on that another time...] Every day, after lessons are over and students have returned to their home rooms, the song tinkles and the discipline officer comes on the air. This is his designated time to address the students, typically with a discipline-related story. While this is all very serious and I must adopt a stern face and make sure students are listening attentively, I can't help but chuckle inwardly sometimes as I listen. My favorite discipline announcement was made perhaps two weeks into school and went something like this...

"Good afternoon, boys and girls. Good afternoon teachers. This is Mr. K. Today, I would like to talk about something that has come to my attention. In the bathrooms, there are paper towels to dry your hands after you have finished washing them. As I was walking by the bathrooms today, I couldn't help but notice that some students are not being very careful as they're taking the paper towels and are pulling out more than one. Now maybe the first graders do not know, so older students, you should teach them. If you see a first grader who is pulling out more than one towel, you should teach them not to do that. It is up to you to help the younger ones learn. And first graders, remember, use only one towel at a time. Use both hands to pull the towel. Don't use one hand; use both hands. Both hands together, you can make sure you pull out one towel...." etc, etc, etc. This continued for some time, but you get the idea.

Oddly enough, I had a flashback to emails at the office about the disgraceful state of the ladies' room and the importance of cleaning up after ourselves. At what point in our lives do we stop needing discipline officers chasing after us?