The newspaper Daily Telegraph informed today that about the Australian New South Wales – Industrial Relations Commission’s (NSW-IRC) Teacher’s Code of Conduct.
THE PROBLEM
It would seem that Australian kids have become more violent over time and the NSW-IRC decided to do something about it. They published (and enforced) a new Teacher’s Code of Conduct that will solve all the problems, deliver peace and prosperity on earth and will finally uncover who killed Kennedy… well… not really but close.
This superlative effort in workplace relations includes gems as the following ones:
Develop a non-confrontational behavior management style… while the kids are punching, swearing and taunting you. Got it.
Reporting and documenting incidents involving physical restraint of students or violence involving students… which will get students “suspended” multiple times such as the son of Aleena Jackson who is probably holding the record with 10 suspensions. Yes, documentation will really teach those scoundrels a lesson.
Not shouting angrily at students to intimidate them… Of course! One must shout at them in a low, sweet and caring voice. OK
Not excluding students from a lesson or activity, then leaving them unsupervised in corridors, classrooms or storerooms…Now we see it! When a student is excluded from a class for disrupting it, the teacher should leave the entire class letting it be, while “supervising” the disrupting student in some other place. Message received.
THE ISSUE
The issue begins with the government and ends with the government. By making education compulsory and using standardized curricula, governments managed to completely, utterly and totally dis-interest kids. Students are bored out of their skulls and with good reason. Why wouldn’t they get angry and upset at teachers when they are being forced to study nothing that interests them?
We are not defending violent kids, we are just pointing out the root cause of the problem. Interested kids do not behave violently (at least most don’t).
To make matters worse, the NSW-IRC has neutered teachers through a classic “politically correct” anger and confrontation management technique that will get them points with the voters but will absolutely make violent kids ROTLMAO (rolling on the floor, laughing my ass off).
Kids are not stupid. It is open season on Australian Teachers and the kids won’t take prisoners. Violent Australian students have learned this lesson exceedingly well. It reads:
If at first you don’t succeed (in hitting your teacher) try, try and try again (you have nothing to lose)
THE SOLUTION
Unfortunately, there is no solution to be had for as long as an Australian government exists, or at least for as long as the Australian government insist in controlling education.
The solution is Absolute Austro-Libertarianism. In our system, education is a privilege. Parents or guardians must save money to send their kids to school. Schools are affordable but they must be paid. There is a price for education.
In such conditions, parents and guardians will be exceedingly well motivated to ensure that their kids behave. This is the stick.
The carrot is in the form of free education (free as in free choice, not as in free wine). Since kids are not required to receive any education at all, they will be more than interested in deciding which subjects they want to learn and which ones they do not. This automatically makes kids interested in their own education. Students have now power to decide and negotiate with their parents or guardians for the full content of their education. They realize that they can either study and be productive or they can ignore education and look forward to a long career as homeless beggars. When things get real, they tend to bring attitude changes into focus.
Lastly, there is the Ace in the sleeve. The schools. As all schools are private, there will be a very large menu of educational methodologies to choose from. On one extreme we will find completely non-violent methods and in the opposite we will find corporal punishment. In between parents or guardians will be able to choose the one school that is the most appropriate for the mis-behaving kid.
In our system there is no free lunch. If kids want to be violent, then they lose the privilege of an education. This is the free market solution and it works!
Game over.
CONCLUSION
Yet again the solution is to get the government out of an area that it controls tightly. Once this is done, the free market will offer the most appropriate solution, which will be a true solution and not a politically correct do-nothing vote-buying nonsense.
Your choice. Be schooled in Austro-Libertarianism or more of the same. Live long and prosper. Or not.
Note: please see the Glossary if you are unfamiliar with certain words.
