THOUGHTS of THE TIMES

Rules in schools are not abuse

There’s a big difference between teaching students responsibility and abusing them that is too often lost in the discussion about schools today. Those who don’t understand the distinction persist in drawing inaccurate conclusions about education.

Requiring students in South Korea to clean their classrooms is a case in point. To some, it’s justified as a way of promoting civic duty, while to others it’s condemned as a degrading experience. It’s hard to understand the opposition. The military has long made recruits responsible for maintaining clean and orderly barracks, with no adverse effects.

Yet in South Korea, the task is attacked as inherently abusive. This reaction is reminiscent of the student rights revolution that began in earnest in the U.S. in the 1960s. Prior to that era, schools acted in loco parentis. This doctrine granted teachers the authority to exercise their professional judgment to maintain an atmosphere where learning could best take place.

Not all learning is restricted to subject matter in textbooks. It also includes non-cognitive outcomes such as attitudes and values. South Korea’s version of in loco parentis, which used to prevail in its schools, was “gyokwon.” As in the U.S., its slow disappearance has done a grave disservice to young people who now consider themselves virtually untouchable.

The insidious process began in the U.S. when courts issued a series of decisions establishing the rights of students. The landmark ruling was Goss v. Lopez in 1975. The U.S. Supreme Court held that when nine students at two high schools and one junior high school in Columbus, Ohio were suspended without preliminary hearings, they violated the students’ due process rights.

One year later the high court put teeth in the matter in Wood v. Strickland, holding that if teachers knowingly violate any student’s due process rights, they can be held personally liable for financial damages. Not surprisingly, the decision has had a chilling effect on the willingness of teachers to enforce rules, since punitive damages are not covered by the school district or the teachers’ union.

If the courts in South Korea follow in the footprints of those in the U.S., they will unwittingly erode educational quality. It’s more than mere coincidence that physical assaults on teachers in the U.S. have increased dramatically ever since the authority of teachers has been undermined. The disrespect in other ways is shocking. Cursing at teachers has become almost routine behavior in many urban schools. This has led to chaos in classrooms that cripples learning.

Although teachers’ unions in Fresno, Des Moines, New York City, and Indianapolis have all lodged complaints about lax discipline practices, little has changed. No one defends abusing students by striking them or verbally diminishing them. But expecting them to comply with reasonable requests hardly falls into that category. Respect and order are indispensable for effective learning. It’s a stretch to believe that cleaning classrooms or teachers’ lounges qualifies as degrading.