Due to some technical difficulties, I still haven't seen the RJC video. But here's a letter from The Forum Page yesterday, bearing 24 names, the main spokesperson being Sanjeev Kumar, whom I suspect is my classmate from primary school, who later went to Raffles Institution and RJC.

Excerpts are as follows:

" ... the homework was apparently handed in late, out of point, against instructions and with supporting articles clearly outside the assignment's ambit.

The teacher mentioned that other PRC students had no problems complying with her directives. And, further, all this was in breach of a promise to maintain good conduct made by the student just a week earlier.

We have all been guilty of misdemeanours and have received various punishments, including staying back after school, standing outside the class during lesson time, watching our workbooks take flight out of the classroom door...

We now hold jobs in business, law, medicine and the civil service and clearly see the relevance and importance of the discipline that was fostered by our teachers.

We disagree that the GP teacher's actions were unprofessional. Then, we were impish youths for whom our teachers served as surrogate parents. To have kept a "professional distance" and maintained the sterile propriety that this would have required would inevitably have sacrificed the care and concern that we needed at that tender age.

To spare the rod is to spoil the child. Can our small nation afford to pamper their youth? Are we raising our children to be so emotionally fragile that tearing up their very poorly done homework in class constitutes abuse? Is this how we insure our collective future?

We wish to halt the trend that is turning our teachers into customer service officers. They need an empowered hand to carry out the difficult task of grooming the next generation. As former students, we know just how mischievous we were. Condoning slovenly attitudes to work would have compromised our character ultimately.

None of us have any qualms about enrolling our children in the teacher's class. We are gratified that there's someone there who cares enough about each student to take a personal interest in them.

The video clip is an eloquent display of a good teacher's disciplining process. We applaud her for her obvious devotion to her students, and wish her well as she continues her tenure as one of our respected teachers."

Some of the people who lent their names to this letter were once taught by the teacher in question. I trust their opinions are correct, and it's pretty obvious they like her a lot. Whether she scolded any of them many years ago isn't exactly mentioned, but after more than a decade, her former students have made the effort to stand up and defend her. That must count for something, right?

During my 2 years at RJC, I had only 1 favourite teacher, who was also my civics tutor who took us in the subject of chemistry. He was very strict, and I can still remember one occasion where I was whispering something to a fellow classmate and got a scolding from him. Was it embarrassing? You bet. Was it warranted considering how small an infraction it was? Perhaps. Ultimately, I accepted that what I did was wrong, and made sure never to do it again, especially during his lessons. No-one in my class ever got berated in the same manner as this PRC student at the centre of the video controversy. But then, neither did we disobey instructions or repeatedly miss deadlines.

Someone wrote on my blog saying that teachers should "evolve" as pupils are changing with the times -- ie. becoming more independent, intelligent, and I suppose, aware of their so-called rights. I guess this happens everywhere. In medicine, for example, patients are now fussier and don't always take your word for it. Running a busy clinic can be really tough, especially when almost every patient you see has a hundred and one questions, and takes offence if you can't answer all of them. Sure, this means doctors in general have to be more interactive, instead of the old days when patients signed consent forms without knowing what they were for. It's good practice, but not always feasible if you're based in an extremely busy hospital or polyclinic, and I've had a few breaking points despite a relatively short medical officer-ship and a usually even temperament.

But it's still different from the relationship a teacher has with his/her student. There's an element of authority there, which let's face it, young people nowadays sometimes completely disregard, in part because their parents encourage it. Discipline is a major aspect of any education, and if a student is recalcitrant, the teacher will naturally escalate the intensity of her disciplinary measures. It's not known if this PRC student's parents were contacted about his previous problems. In any case, the comments from some that she was deliberately victimizing someone based on his nationality is erroneous, based on Mr. Kumar's account.

This is an ever-changing discussion, but I've always supported the role of teachers fully, and feel that if "evolution" entails progressive rebelliousness and distaste for authority, then good luck to any parent who believes in catering to it, 'cos you definitely won't get anywhere with your kids.