COLLOQUY

A teacher must show respect for her students, which includes high expectations and no tolerance for behavior that gets in the way of learning. But we are up against students acculturated to believe that everything is based on consumerism. They are the customers. The customer is always right. And nothing is of value unless it makes money.

So, what teachers have to do is get behind a change in our society's values, encouraging students to respect themselves and others for their hard work, creativity, intellect and compassion. The teacher must be the model for this attitude. We make the problem of disrespect worse when we depend on technology, including distance learning.

The only way to encourage healthy human interaction is to have healthy human interaction, not to have students sitting in front of a computer or video screen. Why are we surprised that students don't give a damn about their fellow humans including their teachers when teachers serve a consumer society (often simply preparing laborers for the corporate-directed job market) and depend on technology to replace live, caring teachers? Let's look at the whole system -- not just instances of rudeness in the classroom.

-- Dr. Kate Horsley Parker, Instructor at TVI Community College (posted 3/29, 3:22 p.m., E.S.T.)

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