I was just reading a book about communism and thinking about high school students. How much freedom should we give them? At what point do we stop their destructive behavior and at what point do we let them govern themselves? To me there needs to be a balance but I am not sure where that balance is. At a high school level, it is a continuum because 12th grade students are ready to handle more freedom and responsibility than freshman. What are your thoughts about how much they can handle?
I Want to be...
15 years ago
4 comments:
Good question. Along with the gradual maturity that comes with each year, there is a big difference in individual students. Some freshmen seem to have far more control over their lives than some juniors. Really, I think that each of us has a unique need for oversight. Some of us can get along fine without any at all.
Chovy,
Thanks for your input. You are right. Some definitely can handle more. But how do you determine who can handle more? Is there a just way to handle a division between students that can handle more freedom and those that have to have more immediate consequences? In today’s society we are so much about what is “fair”. But to me “fairness” is out of reach when you are dealing with individuals. I think justice is a better goal. That is judging the situation with the individual in mind and what is best for them. Unfortunately, when we do that, someone calls foul because student A hasn't student has been treated fairly in comparison to student B.
I have had several conversations with students since this post. Some are pretty adamant about their freedom. Believe me I am all about freedom. But, it has to be coupled with responsibility, accountability and, yes consequences both good and bad. It seems to me that our society is all for freedom but no one wants to live with the consequences of say being late for class. I sure would like to here more input on this. Get more students involved and invite them to comment.
-Mr. G
You haven't posted in a month. Are you ever going to say anything new?
Anonymous, thanks for the reprimand. Glad someone is reading. Some may view this whole blogging thing as a side note. I just hope that it can be a learning forum for the students.
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