The Evolution and Evolution of School Rules: From Tradition to Necessity
Reflecting on my childhood, discovering school rules wasn’t really about finding them, but rather about learning their consequences. As a five-year-old boy, I unwittingly broke the rules and was informed that I was not allowed to do certain things. I imagine this was a common experience for other children as well. This article explores the historical journey of school rules and regulations, from the days of individualized tutoring to the modern educational landscape.
From Ancient to Modern Education
Traveling back to the dawn of time, if you wanted to learn something, you hired a teacher. Sometimes, a group of two or three tutors would take on students. In those days, if a teacher's student was disruptive, the teacher would not hesitate to remove the problematic individual. After all, no one was paying for him to be a distraction.
When schools were extended to children of the rich, parents hired teachers for their children. As time passed, schools became more centralized, and children were sent away to be educated. The balance of power shifted, as teachers were responsible to parents who were capable of making decisions about their children's education. These children were well aware that they were there because their parents wanted them to be well-educated. A poor-performing teacher meant job insecurity.
Government's Role in Education
As governments took over education, the dynamics changed. Instead of purchasing books for each student, governments undertook expensive projects and then cut funding. One teacher might teach a class of 50 students, a stark contrast to the handful of students with one teacher in the earlier days. Limited resources meant that there were overlapping responsibilities, with the teacher accountable to politicians and students having no say.
In this new system, if a student didn't learn, the student had a problem, while the teacher could rely on layers of bureaucracy and a union to protect their position. Students realized that they could learn more effectively on their own, for example, with individual books or engaging in other activities that were not monotonous. Consequently, rules were introduced mainly to prevent students from learning through practical methods.
Modern Schools: A Babysitting Service
Today, parents mostly work to keep ahead of taxes, and schools serve as a babysitting service for their children while their parents are away. School now teaches students to sit still, tolerate boredom, and do things that will soon be discarded. Students are instructed to follow orders from those in authority, regardless of whether these instructions are sensible or not. Many of the modern world's problems stem from the fact that schools teach children to never show initiative or question authority.
As Nathanael Hereschoff’s statement from around 1860, "disillusionment rather than enthusiasm is the key to learning," aptly captures the essence of modern schools, where the goal is no longer to inspire learning but to maintain a functioning system.
The Necessity of Rules
The only way to make this system work is to establish a plethora of rules, as there is no longer any inherent desire to learn left. This is why rules are so crucial in modern schools, despite the frustration they may cause for students.