Re: coercion & affect
Pam (PAS94003 who-is-at UConnVM.UConn.Edu)
Fri, 10 May 96 20:51:11 EDT
I appreciated Phillip's recent comments re: coercion in schools.
I can imagine that some children are left feeling angry and confused--
even rejected by a system that serves the community at the cost of
ignoring individuals. However, what I keep coming back to is
that this harsh picture of the public school system sounds a bit one sided;
actually the reasons for school "failure" (for lack of a better term)
are extremely complex and involve parents, teachers, the broader community,
local, state and federal governments, and (yes, I'll say it) the students
themselves. I also can't help but think that our current abhorence of anything
resembling coercion isn't necessarily (in and of itself) going to solve anythin
g. (Don't children ever need limits?) I also think we need to be aware
that not every parent is going to agree with this heavy emphasis on
freedom and individualism, particularly if they are not members of
this culture. Some children expect limits, after all...
and, as a parent myself, I really would like to believe that adults do,
at least SOME of the time, know what's best for children. I guess
a world where children are allowed to do whatever they'd like to do
whenever they'd like to do it just worries me. How will they learn to
value other people's feelings and opinions when they are constantly
told that the only thing that matters is what they want? How can they
ever learn to have some minimal amount of respect for others?
Perhaps I misunderstand your position, Phillip. If so, I apologize.
Would you mind clarifying this for me? :-)
-Pam Schulze
PAS94003 who-is-at UCONN.EDU