There is a belief among some teachers that establishing authority at the beginning of the school year requires a stern, no-nonsense attitude.  When I was new to the profession, I heard several teachers repeat the title of this section as though it were a truism to be imparted to novice teachers.  The task of establishing a warmer working relationship could wait until the control over the classroom had been firmly established.

Reading Diane Ravitch’s critique of school reform, “The Death and Life of the Great American School System”, I found myself agreeing with her on virtually every topic.  That is, until she wrote about her favorite teacher, Mrs. Ratliffe.  Here is an excerpt:

“Mrs. Ratliff was gruff and demanding.  She did not tolerate foolishness or disruptions.  She had a great reputation among students . . . Mrs. Ratliff did nothing for our self-esteem.  She challenged us to meet her exacting standards.  I think she imagined herself bringing enlightenment to the barbarians (that was us).”

I have a problem with this approach; the conflating of a stern demeanor and high academic standards is a false choice.  It is possible, when the psychological needs of students are being met, for teachers to simultaneously have a humane working relationship with their students and challenge them to push themselves intellectually to very high standards indeed.  It’s not just possible, it’s desirable.  

Mrs. Ratliffe’s method might work very effectively for a student who, for whatever reason, has an intact sense of self-esteem.  But for the masses of students whose self-esteem has been battered by school, not addressing their fear and/or loathing of school is a disastrous misunderstanding of human nature.  The intellect is not independent of the heart.  If we pay attention to the essential question of why so many students, successful and not, are unmotivated to learn, we ignore the emotions of our students at our (and their) peril.

More to the point, the kind of authoritarian rule that was common in classrooms fifty years ago is much less effective today, simply because our culture’s attitudetoward institutions has changed so profoundly.  Between that time and this, we have experienced Watergate, the impeachment of a president, Abu Ghraib, pedophile scandals in the Catholic church, Enron, lobbying scandals in our government, the financial meltdown of 2008, and the growing awareness of inequality in our society.  Every new crisis and scandal has further undermined the credibility and stature of institutions everywhere.  For better or worse, teachers can no longer automatically assume they will have an inherent authority over their students.  It requires a different working relationship, and I believe that is a healthy development.