Aloysiad 15-12 2006.indd - St Aloysius

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from the principal Discipline In 1925 a young American was studying physics at Cambridge University. A bad year, including a struggle with depression and frustration with practical work in the laboratory, culminated in an incident that threatened his career. He gave an apple coated in noxious chemicals to his tutor. Fortunately the apple was not eaten, but the student was discovered. And the venerable University’s punishment? He was placed on probation and sent to sessions with a psychiatrist! The New Yorker magazine leads with this story in an article on discipline in schools today. The point of the article is made through the fate of the American student, who today, no doubt, would have been expelled. Back in 1925 his teachers at Cambridge weren’t sure that the benefits of enforcing the law, in this case, were greater than the benefits of allowing the offender an unimpeded future. They considered the individual circumstance, and they acted accordingly. That student went on to change the face of science through his work in quantum physics. We know him as Professor Robert Oppenheimer, the scientist entrusted with the most critical and morally charged project in the history of science, the Manhattan project, and the development of the A-bomb. Oppenheimer later became one of the great thinkers about science and morality, and was a voice against the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The Oppenheimer story relates to the magazine’s critique of zero tolerance as the answer to the challenge of discipline in schools. It cites a US study that finds that the frequency of targeted offences in schools soared after a zero tolerance policy was applied. More fundamentally, the article advocates the historical practice in education of being able to administer discipline with discretion. The argument is that every case is different, and that, more importantly, every offender is different. It is an argument that resonates with me. Often when we know a boy better, knowing his context and reaching an understanding of the various pressures in his life, then matters of discipline become far less black and white. Indeed a maxim might be stated that the better our pastoral care the more nuanced must be our discipline procedures. A distinction can be drawn between acting ‘fairly’ and acting ‘justly’ in dealing with boys in trouble. Fairly is when everyone is treated exactly the same, and this is the least that can be asked of any system of discipline. Acting justly is when you take other significant factors into consideration before acting, and this is a more exacting standard. It is fair to say that there is pressure at times from parents and staff, and even boys, for what is termed more clear-cut and punitive action: consequently, a more discretionary, individual based approach is somewhat out of favour. The New Yorker laments that “to acknowledge that the causes of our actions are complex and muddy seems permissive, and permissiveness is the hallmark of an ideology now firmly in disgrace.” Unusually for a secular magazine, it goes further with a religious analogy, “that conservative patron saint Whittaker Chambers once defined liberalism as Christ without the Crucifixion. But punishment without the possibility of redemption is worse: it is the crucifixion without Christ”. There is always a challenge in maintaining a balance between a structured learning environment with clear boundaries and a model of education that is formation-based and relational in nature. Other factors are also relevant in framing an approach to a discipline policy. We are preparing our students for a world in which authority generally must be earned rather than simply given by virtue of the power or office one holds. The Church itself has struggled to come to terms with this mindset, and it is important that a Church institution is less, rather than more heavy handed, in the exercise of authority. To a certain extent we should welcome the questioning student, while also demanding the responsibility that comes with questioning. Jesuit schools have always had a tradition of producing enquiring students, and some such as Voltaire of Castro have travelled a very different road from one we might wish for them. Nevertheless the gift from God of an enquiring intellect is never one we should turn our backs on. We live in a world, moreover, where personal responsibility plays an ever-increasing role, given that many of the traditional structures of authority have eroded. Ideally, the school community should model both the development of personal responsibility and the exercise of authority in a way that better prepares our students for the future. The example set by adults is a more powerful force than any other in forming the character of the young person for today’s world. Put bluntly, the day is gone when a school can simply ask parents to butt out and leave the business of education to the school. The day is gone when the word of a Head is law, and staff act accordingly. And the day is gone when student behaviour can be modified solely by the exercise of authority from above. The claim may be made that parents run the school or teachers run the place or that students run the place! And in a sense this is exactly as it should be! Today’s education should be a work of collaboration, as frustrating as it sometimes becomes. Yet all of us from time to time pine for a simpler time when things could be done be a simple authoritative command, though I’m not sure such a time really ever existed beneath superficial appearances. There is a criticism that a more collaborative approach to discipline is too soft and may represent an abdication of authority. To my mind, however, collaboration is more St Aloysius’ College A Jesuit School for Boys _ Founded 1879 a l o y s i a d / p a g e 4
demanding of all involved. Both rights and responsibilities need to be emphasised. Parents in their communications sometimes seem to regard teachers as deliverers of a service rather than as professionals involved in a challenging enterprise. Teachers in turn can fail to see parents as genuine partners in education. Students who fail to give respect to their teachers are not only breaking a discipline code, but more significantly, their actions weaken the relationship of teacher-student that every study shows lies at the heart of academic achievement. The respect given by a teacher to a student may be a powerful gift of personal formation. Complementing a relational model of school authority is our tradition at St Aloysius of ‘cura personalis’, the care of the individual within our community, which, as I understand it, gives priority to regarding each individual as of infinite value and dignity, and thus impels us to act accordingly. There is an Ignatian adage of “adapting to times, places and circumstances” which stands against a “one size fits all” approach in dealing with people. The temptation to sacrifice the individual for a perceived common good is one that goes back at least as far as the justification given for the move against Jesus. While there must be bottom lines, and, as in any community, there must be rules and regulations that we have every right to enforce, there is also a higher requirement to show and give respect, based not on authority, but on the relationships that shape a community such as ours. Comments are frequently made about the nature of community and the sense of belonging that help shape the Aloysian spirit, and to my mind this stems in part from an approach to discipline that seeks never to forget the individual or to sacrifice easily the individual in the interests of control or order. As 2006 winds down, we turn our eyes to the coming of the Christ Child. In the midst of all our activities we recall the extraordinary claim we Christians make about God’s great act of solidarity with humankind; of God becoming so fully part of the human story so as to transform and redeem it by becoming incarnate with us and for us. Mary was pregnant with Jesus before her marriage with Joseph, and undoubtedly knew the pain of rumour and disapproval. Jesus was frequently criticised for breaking the law. He taught of the imperative of a love that transcended all other commands. And the Lord was crucified by lawful authority. The God revealed in Jesus is ‘the God of surprises’, among which is the knowledge that God deals with us, not as we deserve, but out of God’s infinite and generous love. There is a challenge for us in this, not only in our personal lives but in the way we run institutions and deal with people in all sorts of situations. Christmas brings both reassurance and challenge to the believer: may the Love which nourishes and renews be with all the Aloysius Family this Christmas and the coming New Year. Fr Chris Middleton SJ College Principal Overseas Reunions During October and November a series of Reunions for members of the Aloysian Family (Old Boys, Parents, Past Parents, Grandparents, Future Parents and Friends of the College) were held in Hong Kong, San Francisco, New York and London. The younger Old boys and partners at the Hong Kong Reunion Twenty-two members of the Aloysian Family gathered in Hong Kong on Saturday 28 October for the inaugural Hong Kong – North Asian Dinner at the Ladies Recreation Club on Hong Kong Island. Unfortunately, the date coincided with a long weekend in Hong Kong and a number of people availed themselves of the break to either return to Australia or travel throughout the region. Special thanks to Andrew Fox-Smith (SAC 1983) for hosting the Dinner at his club, Henry Wong (SAC 1983) who coordinated the dinner and handled the finances and Andrew McDermott (SAC 1985) and Matt Nacard (SAC 1989) who assisted in the organisation of the event, much to the chagrin of other guests at the Reunion, Matt Nacard wore his College Blazer that even after seventeen years, still fits him like a glove!. Guests at the dinner ranged from Old Boys living in Hong Kong long term to expatriates based in the city for a short-term transfer and Future Parents. Plans are afoot to hold the dinner regularly each year and to arrange a few more casual get togethers throughout the year. Guests at the Inaugural Hong Kong-North Asia Reunion Following the Hong Kong Dinner a reunion was held in San Francisco on Sunday 29 October. Twenty members St Aloysius’ College A Jesuit School for Boys _ Founded 1879 a l o y s i a d / p a g e 5
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Aloysiad 15-12 2006.indd - St Aloysius

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