Would You Do This?

[Aureate]

One of my most laid-back teachers recently told us about a coworker of his who was fired for telling a high-school senior to "Go stand in the corner" as punishment. More incredible, my teacher claimed, was that the kid actually did it: he actually stood and faced the corner for the length his teacher demanded. This drew scattered laughter and some amusing recreations of the event.

I piped up to defend the kid. "90% of students would stand in a corner if a teacher told them to," I insisted, drawing the full attention of the class.

"You're kidding," my teacher said. "Are you telling me that if I told Kyle, 'hey, go stand in the corner!' he would really do it?" Kyle laughed at this, and a number of Kyle's friends tested his resolve with silly demands.

"No," I said. "But you've defined yourself as someone who jokes around, and you could not appear serious with something like that."

I sensed the opinion of the room shifting as the teacher gave some affirmative shrug and the class paused to imagine their more businesslike teachers making that same request of Kyle or of themselves. Someone mentioned a psychology experiment in which 80% of subjects obeyed an authority under unlikely circumstances. The 80% statistic started to be tossed around.

I said, "No. 90%. At least." I don't think I convinced many of my classmates, but I held to that number until the conversation lost its energy and the teacher brought us to focus on more academic things.

I thought about that discussion a lot. I think I would stand in the corner if it came to it, especially if it were consistent with the teacher's manner from day one. When I got home, I would rage about it in disbelief, or maybe I would put my headphones in and listen to some dark music, but I would stand in that corner without complaint. Adults and others who are not currently students in an institution of compulsory education will find this baffling and my 90% estimate laughable, but they do not remember what it was like to be a child looking into the eyes of a teacher.

I make brief exception for poor schools, wherein the students are raised to value reputation and believe that it is dangerous to "take shit from anyone." But in my upper-middle class district, where backtalk of any form is unthinkable, 90% remains my firm guess.

What do you guys think? What percent of students would cave and stand in the corner? Would you?

[SoulRiser]

I would have, back in the day. But not now.

I think a lot of kids would do it. Don't know exact numbers... probably not the ones that have already got to the point of not taking adults seriously (like, probably not the ones that already get punished a lot at home and are mostly immune to threats)...

But all of the ones that fear adults would definitely do it. And adults are damn scary, or at least, they were to me. Actually many of them still are... but in a different way now.

[brainiac3397]

Back during my k-12 era, probably would...along with practically everyone else(though the amusing part would be that if enough of the students got said punishment, getting "punished" to stand in the corner would become a symbol of coolness and humor, totally defeating whatever purpose the teacher had in mind. Hard to learn a lesson when the punishment is serving as comedy material).

Nowadays, obviously not.

[Dead]

No, because I wouldn't care about the punishment they'd give me for not doing it.

[schoolsux]

I would fight back. Talk back. I'm not taking shit from you, teacher. The only teacher where I would stand in the corner for is maybe my band director. That's it.

Yes, 90%+ is accurate for a upper-middle class district like mine.

[schoolsux]

UPDATE: I asked a few of my friends this.

Most of them said they would (like I anticipated). One of them would actually consider standing up for himself, though (he wouldn't do it if he thought he didn't do anything wrong. He said something along the lines "I don't take shit from anybody.").

Also, my view has changed. If I did nothing wrong, I would fight back. Not taking shit from you. If I did do something wrong, I would actually do it.

[timf]

It would be over 90%.

School is designed to produce a compliant and obedient populace. After 12 years of being told, "Shut up, Sit down, and Do what you are told", there are few who retain the ability to go their own way.

Since this form of indoctrination has been used for several generations, it should not come as a surprise that few even object to the invasion of their own country.

The Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

Instead we have the fear of authority and the state as the beginning of tyranny.

[TheShadow]

I wouldn't, I'd just walk out of the classroom and I'd go do my own thing.

[MrAnonymous]

Your shouting as a call to hypocrisy was illogical. While some may think that an appeal to hypocrisy is a good point, it's not. It's erroneous logic because it doesn't undermine the point directly, however it is rather a form of ad hominem in which a person is being refuted through the morals of his or her character; character has no relevance to a point. While this wasn't clearly a debate with two talking points, it was highly ill-advised from the eyes of somebody who can understand logic.

And no, I didn't learn what a logical fallacy was in school. After all, that would activate critical thinking skills, and we wouldn't want that, would we?

[LuckyFeet]

A few years back, I had a class with a rather draconian teacher in a room that tended to get cold, and this was before the school started to sell uniform hoodies. Thus, the only way I could really warm myself any while still sitting at the table was by burying my chin in my arms. Despite my obviously open eyes, the teacher loudly scolded me for sleeping and told me to stand up. The problem is, I can't really stand still well when I'm standing up, and I both mentally and physically feel the need to pace. That day, she made me ignore my instincts as best as she could make me. She'd give me a look every time I'd shift my weight, or blink too long, or shiver. Her bossiness was enough to scare me into submission, as I was new to that school and didn't know if the administration would be understanding or not. It's a damn good thing the students at this school are nicer than the other schools I've been to. That teacher would have made me a target for student bullies like other teachers at previous schools have with similar behaviors.

[schoolsux]

(11-08-2015 11:25 AM)LuckyFeet Wrote:  A few years back, I had a class with a rather draconian teacher in a room that tended to get cold, and this was before the school started to sell uniform hoodies. Thus, the only way I could really warm myself any while still sitting at the table was by burying my chin in my arms. Despite my obviously open eyes, the teacher loudly scolded me for sleeping and told me to stand up. The problem is, I can't really stand still well when I'm standing up, and I both mentally and physically feel the need to pace. That day, she made me ignore my instincts as best as she could make me. She'd give me a look every time I'd shift my weight, or blink too long, or shiver. Her bossiness was enough to scare me into submission, as I was new to that school and didn't know if the administration would be understanding or not. It's a damn good thing the students at this school are nicer than the other schools I've been to. That teacher would have made me a target for student bullies like other teachers at previous schools have with similar behaviors.

That's terrible. Teachers should not do that to students.

Also, couldn't you just get a different hoodie?

[LuckyFeet]

Well I wasn't sure. Luckily, after a meeting we were able to resolve that and until I could get a school hoodie I could wear my own. Still, it's unclear whether other students were allowed to too.

[schoolsux]

(11-08-2015 12:17 PM)LuckyFeet Wrote:  Well I wasn't sure. Luckily, after a meeting we were able to resolve that and until I could get a school hoodie I could wear my own. Still, it's unclear whether other students were allowed to too.

At least you were able to get a little warmer with the hoodie. That's just bullshit right there on being forced to wear a school hoodie. ALL students should be allowed to wear whatever hoodie they want. My school is nice enough to allow you to wear whatever hoodie you want (as long as it fits in dress code (so pretty much no vulgar language allowed on the hoodie).

[LuckyFeet]

Indeed. My school actually has a lot of teachers who will let you wear any hoodie, and even hats. It just depends on the teacher, you know.

[schoolsux]

(11-08-2015 01:38 PM)LuckyFeet Wrote:  Indeed. My school actually has a lot of teachers who will let you wear any hoodie, and even hats. It just depends on the teacher, you know.

Never depends on the teacher at my school. Though no hats allowed at my school by any teacher.

[GamerGurl]

That would be insulting. I would never do such a thing.

In a somewhat similar experience, I remember one time in high school I asked a teacher to go use the restroom. She kept declining my REQUEST several times in front of the class, and then after like the 5 times I stood up and said that I was sorry but I really had to go. I left and came back and then when the final bell rang and everyone left she just told me I should've gone before class. In my mind all I was thinking was whatever.

[schoolsux]

Seriously with teachers preventing people from using basic freedoms. Just fucking let them go to the bathroom or wear a hoodie. What harm is it causing the teacher? None. We shouldn't even have to request to go to the bathroom.

[Primal Maximal]

Most of the teachers will say "Manners".

Really. In our school we need permission to even drink water from our water bottles (and obviously do not need to exit our class). Most teachers say that we make an excuse of water, Washroom or whatever every 10 mins, but no one does, and almost always decline our request. Are these necessary? Absolutely not. Then why the hell is it needed? Only Teachers know...

These should be mentioned in Human Rights. No, really. It oughtta be one of our rights. That way no teacher can decline us our basic needs for absolutely no reason.

[Primal Maximal]

I would, because Schools mold moldable children the way they want to, and instill an unneeded fear since they could make proper sentences.

[Prankster813]

In the past I would've done it without question, but since the start of year 9 I've started to be more questioning of the school and most likely would refuse.