I write this as a former high school teacher and educator from a different era — a time when discipline in schools looked very different from what it does today.
Back then, corporal punishment still existed in many classrooms across Trinidad and Tobago. Boys might get a few lashes on the backside, girls a ruler across the hand, and if you were daydreaming during class there was always the possibility of a chalkboard duster flying across the room to get your attention. Looking back now, some of those methods may seem harsh by modern standards, and perhaps in some cases they were. Society has evolved, and rightly so, because discipline should never become abuse.
But somewhere along the journey from strict discipline to modern education, the balance shifted too far in the opposite direction.
Today, teachers walk into classrooms not with authority, but with fear. Many are afraid to correct students, afraid to intervene in fights, afraid that one wrong word or action could end up on social media before the end of the school day. Imagine teaching for as little as twelve to fifteen years — longer than some students have been alive — yet finding yourself fearful of a teenager sitting in the back of the classroom. That is not education. That is disorder. No society can function properly when experienced teachers feel intimidated by children young enough to be their grandchildren.
The respect that once existed between student and teacher has steadily eroded, and the consequences are now playing out before the entire nation.
The recent attack on Port of Spain alderman Wayne Griffith near Tranquillity Government Secondary School shocked the country. Here was a grown man attempting to break up a fight among students, only to be beaten, robbed, and humiliated by the very children he was trying to help. A video of the incident spread rapidly online, not only because of the violence, but because many citizens saw it as a symbol of a deeper social breakdown.
Years ago, students feared the principal’s office. Today, principals fear lawsuits, viral videos, and violent retaliation.
Even more troubling is the level of brutality now being displayed by young girls in schools. In the past, fights among boys were unfortunately common, but there was still a line that many would not cross. Today, we see videos of young women stomping, kicking, and attacking each other with levels of aggression that leave many adults disturbed. Teachers trying to intervene are insulted, threatened, and sometimes assaulted themselves.
This is not progress. This is not civilisation.
For too long, society has treated discipline as if it were the enemy. We removed structure without replacing it with responsibility. We weakened authority without strengthening values. We became so afraid of offending children that we forgot our duty to guide them.
The Bible says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Another scripture warns against sparing the rod entirely. Whether one interprets those passages literally or symbolically, the message is clear: children need guidance, boundaries, accountability, and moral direction. A society cannot function when young people grow up believing there are no consequences for bad behaviour.
And now we are seeing confusion spread into every corner of society. Children are being exposed to adult issues before they are emotionally mature enough to process them. Many parents feel as though traditional values are being mocked or discarded altogether. Whether one agrees or disagrees on every modern social issue, surely we can admit that children need stability, direction, and strong moral foundations rather than endless confusion.
That does not mean returning to the excesses of the past. Few people are calling for schools to become places of fear again. But we must stop pretending that endless leniency is working.
Suspensions have become little more than temporary holidays. A student fights on Monday and returns the following week as a hero among peers. Expulsions are often meaningless because many troubled students simply move their behaviour elsewhere. The idea of placing police officers in schools may help in the short term, but it is ultimately just a plaster over a wound that has already become infected. By the time police are needed in classrooms, the deeper cultural problem has already taken root.
What is needed is meaningful accountability.
Students who vandalise schools should be required to repair and clean them. Those involved in violence should face structured community service programmes — cleaning public spaces, assisting in supervised civic projects, and learning discipline through responsibility. Instead of sitting at home during suspension, disruptive students should spend those hours doing supervised national service and community work. Let them clean drains, repaint schools, maintain parks, and contribute positively to the country they are helping to damage.
Parents must also be held accountable for chronic misconduct. Schools alone cannot raise children while the home undermines every lesson being taught.
Most importantly, we must restore respect for teachers. A country that allows its educators to be mocked, threatened, and attacked cannot expect to build disciplined citizens. Teachers are not entertainers, babysitters, or punching bags. They are meant to shape the next generation.
Modern society has achieved many important things, but not every old value deserved to be discarded. Respect, discipline, accountability, and moral guidance are not outdated ideas. They are the very foundations upon which stable societies are built.
If we continue to ignore that truth, incidents like the attack on Wayne Griffith will not remain shocking exceptions. They will become the norm.
