The ideal aim is to see children coming to school, eager to learn and profit from the undisputable experiences and knowledge of the teacher ? a kind of enjoyment that can naturally be expected of these children by both parents and teachers in their happy endeavour to let their pupils profit from the thrilling exercise of discovery, creativity, and reading about civilizations, at school.

The comfortable school environment for these pupils should have gone without saying. One point is certain: the teacher should be an authority in whatever he/she is trying to impart to the pupils. Authority implies that he is expert enough in his teaching subjects to enable him to arouse the interest of his children and maintain the required level of attention, if not enthusiasm, in his pupils in class. He/she is also (or should be) practically knowledgeable in the art of discovering his students? interests and aspirations.

Thus he can make profitable use of his students? inclinations as vehicle for successful imparting to them the content of his teachings? It is an undeniable truth that students usually bear respect for teachers who are knowledgeable. Such teachers are considered as the ?guru? among the students. This is the ideal situation for teaching and learning to take place. This typical atmosphere, more often than ever, results in students identifying with the teacher. Hence, the teacher can make profitable use of the situation to foster commitment to the values he is trying to hand on. However, a series of methods have to be devised by the school authorities for ensuring the physical conditions necessary for learning and teaching to take place. One of them is discipline; and it is worth our trial to make a comment on the need for a minimum level of discipline.

It is a known fact that, however inspiring, stimulating, and competent a teacher may be, he always comes across pupils who refuse to submit to the required discipline for successful classroom work. On such occasions, authority on its own may not be sufficient. The advent of power may be required to promote and maintain a minimum condition of order, without which formal learning is impossible. This urges the requirement of a well established mandatory ?law of discipline?, within which classroom activities can take place.

A mandatory law of discipline implies that the school authorities are empowered to take legitimate sanctions against any possible disturbances against well defined school regulations. The pupils should be made aware of the possible adverse consequences for any breach of discipline. Such well spelt, proactive steps regarding discipline must be clearly understood and appreciated by pupils and teachers alike; and implemented as among the essential prerequisite at the moment of admission of pupils to the school. School rules and regulations must, a priori, get the support of the Constitution, to acquire force of law.

<B>A definition of discipline </B>

In the mind of many, the proclivity to punish is often confused with discipline. Discipline, etymologically speaking, is imbedded in a learning situation. There emerges the idea of establishing set rules. The rules may take the form of methods of learning, or more general rules accepted as requirements for something to be learnt; for instance, the observation of silence and posture, among others, of students engaged in the learning and teaching activities in class. These rules may be imposed by someone in authority; such conditions for learning may be known as an ?external? discipline that each and everyone within the school activity are compelled to submit to.

The rules may, as well, be listed by the learner himself, who accepts them as a self-imposed precondition for his learning procedure. This is then an ?internal? discipline since it comes from within the person himself. However, the internal discipline constructed by the organism for its own self, does take place as a result of the organism?s own observations of its surroundings and through modelling. In other words, the person is influenced by his environment, picking out what he considers the choicest: ?behaviour? (a psychological term) that he considers can help him to attain his educational ambition.

Modelling implies the emulating of an elder?s attitudes and ways, and putting them into practice. Consequently, we can conclude that internal discipline is the result emanating from observations external to the organism that is inevitably influenced by what he ?sees?. No one is born with any sense of self-discipline. Everyone is born a ?blank sheet? on who is imprinted proper or improper sense of values. It is abnormal if personal inclination is towards indiscipline rather than discipline, in which case the person becomes a nuisance to society. Peer influence is known to be extremely strong on individual students at school, each belonging to a peer group. They usually follow the tacit or declared ?rules? of peers, to be accepted and to maintain their coveted position as group member.

To do so, they all behave, or misbehave, as the case may be, in unison with the dictum of the ring leaders. The notoriety of students accentuating in gravity among cluster of students, is often expected. It is an undesirable phenomenon that has to be nipped by the school authorities. Herein comes the urgent need for stringent rules and regulations. That the students know the strict procedures of the school discipline, can only help avoid the very emergence of indiscipline, and deter them from indulging in undesirable behaviour at school

<B>Andre WAN CHOW WAH</B> Associate professor0