Detentions can go in two very contrasting directions. It can either mature students warning them to not repeat a mistake or cause them to argue back and increase their disobedience, defiance and rebelliousness. Most teachers wish it goes the successful way, so does it really create a positive impact on all pupils or just some?
As a student myself, I can firmly say that everyone hates detentions, whether it’s a disruption to a student’s tight schedule or simply effort to wait for half an hour. As we get older, time is something that we value even more of than ever before. With heaps and piles of homework, revision and essays to write, one thirty minute detention can lead to several chains to events eventually serving its purpose, such as missing the after school bus and losing that precious time studying by walking home. Is this what teachers want? A questionnaire answered by teachers shows that they are far more concerned in improving their student’s lives by having a restorative conversation and helping them than disturbing their schedule.
Defined by the Oxford dictionary, a detention is the punishment of a bad act by being kept at school for a time after other students have gone home. You may ask, what’s considered as a bad act? Recently, I interviewed two of my friends who have experienced detentions and asked them about their views on this punishment depending on different types of acts. One friend said that it depends “what the detention is about. One for a forgotten book may be useless and a waste of time however someone who didn’t complete their homework or misbehaved in class, it would be a useful”; similarly the other answered that is also “useful if it affects someone’s conscientious and to make them aware of their mistake but on the other hand purposeless if they don’t take advantage of the help being offered and repeat the mistake”. It is clear to say that the effectiveness of a detention differs from person to person depending on the severity of their mistake. Giving a detention to a student who forgot their equipment would only cause them to retaliate as they don’t agree with the punishment.
In conclusion, I believe that detentions are beneficial in very specific circumstances. A thirty minute detention, in my opinion, could be carried out in a much more productive way. For example, when you have forgotten your homework, it’s a hundred times better when a teacher invests their time to help you out after school on that assignment rather than wasting precious time sitting in an unpleasant chair silently staring outside a window. Not only does it give the student more attention, it aids them improve their grades, which is what all students want.
