After two decades in the classroom, a senior school teacher in Noida says the biggest change she has witnessed is not in the syllabus, technology or even attention spans. It is in power. “Earlier, teachers held the authority in a classroom. Today, children know they have power over us and many know how to use it,” she says, reflecting on what she calls the most difficult phase of her teaching career. Now nearing retirement after 20 years in the profession, she speaks candidly about what she describes as a shift in classroom dynamics, one where discipline has become harder to enforce and where teachers often feel unsupported. For decades, a common disciplinary tool used by teachers was a simple line: “I will have to inform your parents. It used to work almost immediately,” she recalls. “Children would straighten up because they knew their parents and teachers were on the same side.” But today, she says that warning has largely lost its impact. “When we say we will call their parents, many children just look at us blankly. Some even smirk. That straight face tells us that the old equation has changed.” According to her, students often realise that parents may side with them, making the teacher’s authority fragile. In her view, the biggest shift in the education ecosystem has been the role parents now play in school conflicts. She says teachers increasingly receive calls from parents who are deeply anxious about their children’s emotional wellbeing, sometimes to the extent that they ask teachers not to be strict at all. “Many parents call and say they do not want their child to be strictly disciplined. They ask us to understand that children today can take extreme steps and they don’t want to risk anything,” she explains. While she acknowledges that parental concern comes from a place of care, she feels it often leaves teachers in a difficult position. “They operate from a space of fear and mistrust. But discipline and boundaries are also a part of learning.” Another issue that concerns her is how quickly classroom issues can escalate. Parents questioning teachers in front of children or taking complaints straight to the school administration, she says, often undermines the authority of educators. “Children see everything. If they see their parents openly challenging teachers or escalating matters to the principal, they understand very quickly where the power lies.” She believes principals today also face intense pressure to maintain a school’s reputation, which sometimes leaves teachers feeling unsupported. “It becomes very difficult for teachers when the institution itself is worried about image and complaints.” Despite the frustration she feels, the teacher insists that her concern ultimately lies with the students themselves. “What saddens me is that parents may not realise the long-term impact. By eroding respect for teachers, children may grow up believing authority can always be negotiated or dismissed." “You can control teachers in a classroom but can you control the outside world for them?” In a world that is becoming increasingly complex, she believes children still need to learn boundaries, accountability and respect. “Discipline is not punishment,” she adds quietly. “It is preparation for life.”