Students Drive Teachers Out of Schools

In Britain, many teachers are leaving the profession due to  increasingly “unruly” students, according to the UK’s Telegraph (December 17, 2018). A recent study reports, “Almost two thirds of teachers are currently, or have previously, considered quitting because of poor pupil behavior.” The report also warned that “bad behaviour was eroding teacher authority while troublesome children risked spiralling into ‘more serious, potentially criminal, bad behaviour’ later in life.”

Recommendations in the report included intervening in low-level behavioral problems quickly and banning cell phones, at least in the classroom environment. Disciplinary inconsistency and setting low expectations for student behavior were both cited as major reasons for student unruliness.

The prophet Isaiah foresaw what happens when people and nations turn away from godly ways: “As for My people, children are their oppressors” (Isaiah 3:12). Today, a lack of discipline in the home is impacting schools and society in general. Bible prophecies tell us that this and other related problems will get worse as the end of the age approaches (2 Timothy 3:1, 4). Yet, those prophecies also reveal this situation will change when Jesus Christ returns and establishes the Kingdom of God on earth. At that time, “your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, but your eyes shall see your teachers” (Isaiah 30:20) and children will be taught to respect parents and teachers and others in authority (Exodus 20:12; Ephesians 6:1–2). Our modern society has forgotten that parents hold the key to raising respectful children with good character (Proverbs 22:6) by a process that involves dedication and active participation by parents and grandparents. To learn more about the way to raise respectful and successful children, be sure to read or listen to Successful Parenting: God’s Way.