Public school discipline?

By Tom Kovach

This column was inspired by a Letter to the Editor of one of the daily newspapers in Nashville. The letter said that uniforms in school are a good idea, because they would promote discipline. I submitted the response below to their online forum. I submit it here as a column, because I believe that the principles apply nationwide.

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I work in the Metro Nashville Public School (MNPS) system.

Even in the "good" schools, discipline is lax at best.

At three different schools, I've tried to get the principals to make a simple announcement over the intercom: walk on the right. They've refused.

Unless you've been in the hallways of a public school recently, perhaps you might think that "enforcing" such a simple rule — an American custom, by the way (where do you think our driving laws came from?) — sounds like "majoring on the minors." Well, so what if it is?

But, it isn't. By the time they get to high school, many of the students are bigger than the adults that "enforce" the rules around them. Students run down the hallways, on whatever side is more "convenient" at the moment, and slam full-speed into other people. They jostle, and push, and shove each other — and adult staff members — routinely. It is from that interpersonal friction in the hallways that many of the fights start. Walking on the right would reduce the friction, thus preventing the fights. and, it would mentally reinforce an attitude of self-discipline. If we can't even tell our students to follow one simple, societal custom, then how can we expect them to do anything? And, that's the problem: we don't.

If those children are not taught — when they are young — that there are certain rules in our society that apply to everyone (even outside the school system, regardless of demographics), then those children grow up with an attitude that all rules are subjective and negotiable. No wonder some of them grow up to be remorseless sociopaths.

But, regardless of the extreme examples, even the "everyday" examples are disturbing enough. Do we really want the next generation of America's leaders to have the attitude that, "You're just picking on me because I'm         (fill in the blank with that person's favorite "victim class")       ." Oh, I forgot, our government schools have already pumped an entire generation of children full of class envy and victimization.

And, look where it has brought us.

Almost a year ago, I prevented one student ("B") from assaulting another student ("A"). While running laps during PE class, A had twisted his ankle. I helped him off the field, and had him sit on a grassy bank and stretch his Achilles tendon. Student B came over, and then — suddenly, without provocation or warning — jumped up in the air and tried to stomp on A's injured foot. From the angle that B was at, he could've snapped A's tendon, and possibly crippled A for a long time. I put my hand out, and stopped B in mid-air. I did not strike B; I only stopped his forward progress.

I almost lost my job.

The parents of Student A were never notified of the assault upon their son, as required by the MNPS regulations. The police were never brought in to file a criminal charge against Student B, as required by MNPS regulations. In the subsequent disciplinary proceedings against me (no disciplinary action was taken against Student B), I was not allowed access to key witness statements. By the way, Student B created trouble in class every single day. But, the principal stated in a hearing that, "I know [Student B], I know his family, and he would never do that." And, the principal never called B's parents about his assault upon Student A. So, my statements, and those of other witnesses, counted for nothing. This was at a so-called "good" school.

A few weeks later, I was transferred to a different school — a "bad" school. (Believe it or not, the transfer had nothing to do with the above incident.) Within my first two weeks at that school, there were two gang fights, two "regular" fights in the hallway outside our classroom, one bomb was found, there was another bomb threat, and two lockers were set on fire. (And, this school year, a student was caught with a gun. The staff was not notified; we heard about it on the TV news — two weeks later!) Despite the obviously out-of-control discipline situation, school staff tries to be the students' "pals," instead of being the authority figures that even the students know they need.

If I had been the principal, I would've brought in canine teams until discipline was under control. It wouldn't have taken long.

Our school administrators are far too focused on what they perceive are "self-esteem issues," without a concept of what creates TRUE self-esteem. That is why American students, when compared on impartial tests, score highest in how they feel they are doing in math, but ten or twelve places down in the ranks of how they are actually doing.

True self-esteem comes from accomplishing something. Tell the students to do something, do it now, and do it right. When they do, reward them (with a kind word — NOT with a steak dinner at taxpayer expense, a trip to Aruba, or a new car!). When they don't do it, try to help them. But, if they refuse the help, then let them fail. If they continue to fail, then their social group will eventually leave them behind. If that doesn't work, then they could not have been helped anyway. Such is life.

Students do not get self-esteem from being given tax-funded presents for merely doing what they are supposed to do in school. All they get from that is a continuation of the "welfare mentality" that causes many of them to become under-achievers in the first place. ("Why should I do good? [use of poor grammar intentional] Billy got a car for best-in-class with a B-plus. I got a C-minus, and all I got was a candy bar.")

When I graduated from Air Force basic training, I did not have the same sense of accomplishment that some of my peers did. Why? Because I didn't think it was tough. A few years later, when I graduated combat training and got my Blue Beret, I had a deep sense of accomplishment. Among other things, we had low-crawled up a hill covered with gravel while instructors fired a machine gun over our heads. (Oh, did I mention that we did that on a daily basis, several times per day, for a while?) We had learned how to secure various "high-value resources," change missions on the fly, counter-assault, secure and process captives. We learned how to bust into buildings, kill the bad guys, and save the good guys. Nobody bought us a candy bar, or a car. All I got was a funny-shaped hat. And, nobody better try to knock it off my head.

If we don't get a grip on our children's discipline while they are young, then the next generation (which is, theoretically, going to protect us when we become too old to protect ourselves) might not be inclined to reach for the stars. In that case, we'd better start stocking up now on candy bars ... and ammunition!

© Tom Kovach