Above is a photo of two of my boys, the oldest, Nathaniel, and the younger, David. I want for them to learn respect for authority. In fact, I would like it very much this respect for authority exactly as well as my parents taught me. If they do not, it will be predominantly my fault. You know, respect for authority does not hurt you very much, and takes perhaps less actual "work" than many people may believe, particularly after it becomes a well-formed habit. I can think of a lot worse habits to have clinging to my physical body and enmeshed within my psyche. Too, respect for authority does not deprive you of your conscience or free will to think; you are free to disagree with the decisions of those in charge.
In fact, in a society such as the U.S., you have perhaps more freedom to express dissent than given within any other society in history. I would recommend that a dissenter express his feelings in an appropriate manner, loaded with respect, and without trying to grab the limelight, which could only cast greater doubt on one's genuine respect for authority.
I do not remember whether I got a high school diploma or not, if diploma means only the piece of paper that goes with your degree.
I read in the paper this morning that there was a young student named Justin Denney at Bonny Eagle High School in Maine, who felt deprived for not having received his diploma, despite the fact that the superintendent withheld the diploma at the ceremony precisely because of the boy's inappropriate gestures to the audience on stage, where he comported himself in a manner which violated the demeanor expectations of the leaders of the school program.
The news service had a poll which showed that 91 percent of readers were dissatisfied with the superintendent's decision to withhold the diploma from the boy. What that means, as I understand it is that these people feel that the school superintendent Suzanne Lukas should not have the authority to make such decisions, evidently believing that giving the superintendent the authority to decide when a student misbehaves is a bit too much. I can understand their point, if that's the point they are trying to make, but I think this is the wrong way to express it, using a boy as an example.
For, that merely lends him moral support to believe that he is right and the superintendent (his superior in age, rank and educational experience) is wrong. I cannot imagine a greater handicap to bestow upon a boy as he heads out the door. Should he never do any more education than this minimum, he would be at an ever greater disadvantage for the fortification of his confidence that he need not respect authority, as his own moral compass is superior to that of society.
And let's not forget that society has legally given this lady, the superintendent, the full authority to decide appropriate student conduct for the stage during graduation ceremonies.
On a good note, it was heartening to see that while the boy's mother was described as being "livid," by the paper, the boy actually told his mother that the superintendent had given the warning that, "There's no fooling around up here." meaning the stage during the ceremony. Apparently, the adults in charge of conducting the graduation ceremony had standards of conduct in mind when they planned the program, and intended to use their legitimate authority to enforce such standards.
Too, it is all ceremony. None of this affects the legal fact of the boy having earned his degree. Furthermore, according to subsequent news reports, the lady decided to let they boy have his diploma anyway, and will give it to him in due time. The salient point, if allowed to sink in with full resonance, is that they boy cut up in a way he had been warned about, and his superior decided to do the simplest thing she could to teach him one last lesson before sending him on his way.
It helps to think of your own children, and what you would want them to get away with. In these more difficult economic times where many lose their jobs or go out of business, I believe a greater number of people would be sympathetic to one or both of two ineluctable economic realities: 1) the importance of using the Golden Rule in business, to treat the customer as you would want to be treated, were you in his shoes, and 2) the importance of having an ingrained habit of evincing sincere respect for authority.
I am glad my parents and teachers (Taylorsville Elementary, Junior High, and Alexander Central High) drilled and instilled that respect for authority within me very well. For graduating students, one part of showing respect to authority would be for them to comporting themselves with care to stay well within the bounds of behavior stressed to them during graduation practice, and of course, with warnings during the actual ceremony.
If I were in charge of the ceremony, I would be happy to relax standards significantly, and make the whole ceremony a more lively show, allotting perhaps one minute (with strict enforcement, having body guards to haul students off stage, prying loose the microphone) in which they could say and do virtually anything, provided they abstain from a prescribed list of cuss words and keep their clothes buttoned up well.
I say this for two reasons: 1) I enjoy entertainment, having significant street performing and stage experience with juggling and comedy, and I think most high school graduation ceremonies rather boring, especially college one's where you know only a few of the people and it takes all day to call out the names just for one department, and 2) because one reason I skipped my own high school graduation ceremony is that for the three previous years I had sat through two weeks of two-hours per day of practice in hot June weather, and had had enough of that sort of stuff, just no more feeling for it whatsoever.
I wanted to use my summer to go hiking alone on the Appalachian Trail, which I did, for a week. It was wonderful, a chance for me to engage in much prayer while I contemplated my life after high school and before college.
But the salient point here is that I was not in charge. It was not my show. If I want to set the tone for a high school graduation ceremony, I believe I should earn my stripes to get in that position of legitimate power.
I have been a teacher for the past thirteen years, teaching English in South Korea, and I understand children rather well, have come to love a few thousand in just this short time. I feel that I seriously impair their well-being and ability to function well in society if I lend moral support a student's decision to challenge authority in the manner described with this young man.
It is not just coinage which we should give to Rome, but also due respect, in consideration of Romans 13:1.
We should pray for this wayward student, that he learns greater respect for authority, which he may already have.
Love, Nathaniel
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