Form 6 (Yr 12) boy at Auckland Grammar here, bringing forth this petition to express concerns about the outdated punishments taking place at our school assemblies and urge the school to stop & change these practices.

At Grammar, we have assemblies in the hall filled with the entire school (3000+ kids). If a student talks during assembly, a staff member will make them stand up from their seats and remain standing, causing public shame. Having personally experienced this once in Year 10 and mostly observed others throughout my time at Grammar, it's clear how this approach negatively affected many boys and believe that such measures should be taken more cautiously. 

While it's crucial for teachers to maintain order in our assemblies, we also believe that publicly singling a student out for a minor mistake by punishing them to stand up while everyone else is sitting down leads to embarrassment and anxiety, hindering teenager’s self-esteem and impacting their engagement in the school environment.

We ask for alternative methods to address behaviour issues in assemblies that encourage growth without embarrassing individuals. E.g. giving 1 warning to those who whisper/chat before progressing to the consequence of standing, with a time limit of around 5 minutes.

To our school administrators reading, this is freedom of expression and we’re spreading our concerns and beliefs. Public humiliation, though not physically painful like corporal punishment, it can impact boys' mental health.