Question: How can a teacher know when to be compassionate and when to be a disciplinarian?

Sri Chinmoy: There are two roads that lead to the same destination. One road is known as the Compassion-road and the other road is known as the Discipline-road. Although both roads lead to the same destination, God prefers the Compassion-road over the Discipline-road; for He feels that if a child walks along His Compassion-road, then the child will be able to walk much faster.

Only when everything else fails does God resort to disciplining the lives of His students. But again, God tells us that even His disciplinary action is nothing short of Compassion, for it is His compassionate Heart which makes Him want to illumine and perfect His children.

Compassion is the first and foremost approach in dealing with unruly children. Discipline is the last resort. Again, on the practical level, the teacher must observe secretly whether a particular student responds more to life's compassionate aspect or life's disciplinary aspect. By knowing that, he can easily do the needful.