What Has Happened to Respect and Manners?!
Posted by VickyC on October 23rd, 2009
Picture the scene.. You are in high school, sitting at your desk, while your teacher is conducting a lesson. The headmaster of your school enters the room. What happens next? When I was in high school, which was not that long ago, the entire class would stop everything and stand up. The Headmistress (Principal) would address the class, “Good morning class”, and we would respond “Good morning Mrs. Robinson”, and then she would tell us to “be seated”. For the duration of the time that the Headteacher was present, everyone would sit still and shut up. Come to think of it, even when the teacher walked in to begin a class, we would all have to stand up, say good morning and wait to be seated.
This news story, from the UK, describes the struggle of a headmaster, Kevin Harrison, who is determined to improve the manners of his students. One of the rules he reinstated is that pupils must stand when he enters the classroom. One defiant boy, Daniel Walton, refused to stand and was subsequently sent to an “isolation room”, and instead of staying in the isolation room, pushed past a teacher and found himself with a four-and-a-half day suspension.
A bit of a harsh punishment? I personally don’t think so. Mr. Harrison is new, so has to stick to his guns. If that means a four day suspension, then so be it.
The boy’s father, instead of reprimanding his son for breaking school rules, sided with him and said that the boy was completely justified in not standing because the new headmaster ”hasn’t been there long enough to earn my son’s respect so why should he stand up for him”. I’m sorry, Excuse Me Sir?! Headteachers and teachers should automatically have the students’ respect – especially when it comes to something like standing up when they enter the room.
The boy’s father went on to say that the new rules “have nothing to do with their education”. This is where I think he is completely wrong. It has EVERYTHING to do with their education. Even if you hate the head teacher because they are on a power-trip or they pick on you, you still have to stand when they enter the room – it’s just manners, they are your superior and as such, respect is automatic by virtue of their position and this head teacher has 24 years of experience behind him. It’s like being in the real world having a boss who makes your life miserable, you can tell them to **** off and quit, or you can deal with it – I mean, don’t stay there your whole life, working a job that makes you miserable is unhealthy. But in both cases, you are respecting the title of the person. And I admit, some people are extremely difficult to deal with, but as a child in school, you have to respect your teachers, and in later life you have to respect your boss. Or you will end up jobless, like this boy’s father. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing in today’s Not So Great Britain… But that’s a whole new article!
The boy’s father said that he teaches his children that respect has to be earned. OK, fine.. So the headteacher has not earned the boy’s respect, but in turn, by acting like a delinquent is the boy earning the headteacher’s respect? I think not. He’s doing the complete opposite. This is exactly the kind of behaviour that leads to kids having no respect for themselves and showing no respect to others.
After reading this article, it really doesn’t come as a surprise that there are so many “problem” teenagers today. Education is not just about Shakespeare and science, it’s about learning social principles and how to be a successful and functional member of society.
When I was in high school I wanted to be a teacher, but after moving to a rougher part of England when I was 15 (leaving the good high school and Headmistress Robinson behind), I saw how my classmates were acting and how they had no respect for the person standing at the front of the room, and decided that it wasn’t for me. I read stories of teachers being afraid of their students, and not correcting them when they’ve done something wrong – be it a spelling mistake or getting into a fight. This is how this generation of young people is being taught - that they can get away with anything.
I sincerely hope that the school and school board side with the Mr. Harrison on this issue. The word “respect” has now become what gangs are fighting over and has lost all of it’s meaning. Respect is not what you get for being on the handle end of a knife, or being behind the trigger of a gun; nor does it come from being a yobbo or a hoodlum. Respect has to be learnt and earned or life will prove to be extremely difficult.
This story is developing, as the boy’s four-and-a-half day suspension ends tomorrow……
Tags: discipline, Education, england, Great Britain, head teacher, manners, Principal, respect, school, society, student, suspension, Teacher
