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Bosworth
Magazine Archives
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Inside
Discipline in
Our Public Schools
I recently delivered a humorous report on the Spanish Inquisition for
my
history class. No one laughed.
Perhaps my dry sense of humor eluded my philistine pre-pubescent
classmates. Or possibly, the subject matter hit too close to home.
As I pointed out the absurdity of using torture to convert people to a
religion of peace and love, it reminded me all to clearly of the
ostensible mission of every public school in America: to teach students
how to be independently-minded individuals by structuring every moment
of their lives and punishing them when they step out of line.
During my early school years, I lacked a basic sense of propriety. I
would get out of my seat when it seemed necessary, talk out of turn,
daydream constantly, and doodle on my notebook. My teacher’s
solution to these behaviors was a basic punishment: she forced me to
trace circles with coffee can on a large piece of construction paper.
Theoretically, the exercise taught me to sit still, while
simultaneously helping me develop hand dexterity. Instead, I learned
that when someone really wants to punish you, he or she would often
force you to engage in a pointless waste of time. Sounds a lot like the
adult workplace to me.
Later, a violation of order led to the loss of recess privileges or a
trip to the to principal’s office. Once again, I learned a
valuable lesson. If you act out, you’ll miss an opportunity
for fun, and you’ll have to remain in the presence of a truly
tedious person for hours on end. In the so-called real world, this
experience prepares you for any number of work-related meetings.
As I look forward to high school, I can only imagine what their
punishments are like. From extra to homework to detention, to being
forced to go to prom, the structure of discipline and punishment in
high school seems more evolved than anything I have ever seen.
They’ve perfected the system, it seems, to create a perfect
society of robots, who become instantly offended whenever someone
insinuates they aren’t total individuals, which translates
nicely in a consumption-based society.
Michel Foucault said it best in his history of discipline:
“What was then being formed was a policy of coercions that
act upon the body, a calculated manipulation of its elements, its
gestures, its behavior. The human body was entering a machinery of
power that explores it, breaks it down and rearranges it”
(138). The final product? Docility. Impressionability. Silly Putty. All
excellent skills to learn early and use later.
In a few weeks, I’m supposed to give another oral
presentation for my history class. After this month’s
debacle, I’ve decided to avoid topics that might get me into
trouble. If I push the subject matter too far, someone might punish me
by forcing me to enter the American workplace. |
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