Term 2 Week 5 (Weekend Assignment)

Term 2 Week 5 (Weekend Assignment)

Write a short essay of about 300 words on the following question:

'Students should be given more freedom in deciding school rules.' What are your views?

Freedom. Everyone wants it nowadays. We often see employees demanding more flexibility in working hours, but have you ever seen students arguing for more freedom in deciding school rules? Apparently, it is not an uncommon sight to see more students speaking out their views on the school rule system. Thus, schools are now facing a dilemma: To allow or not to allow? The answer really depends on how you define the word ‘rule’. For some, ‘rule’ means a ‘regulation, law, or guideline’ while for others it means ‘a faint line between “right” and “wrong”’ and it is meant as “a faint guide”. I actually support the students having more freedom to a certain extent, and I stress on the word ‘certain’ as after all, “rules” are still “rules”, they are meant to be more or less adhered to.

There are certain advantages of giving students more freedom in deciding school rules. Firstly, when student break a “rule” they modified or created, they will actually feel a sense of remorse and regret for their actions. They will think, “Hey, that rule was created by me, now that I have broken it, I have to face the consequences. I was not forced to adhere to this rule. I modified it myself.” Secondly, more students would be able to voice out their opinions easier, and this may help in long-term student-staff communications. Students feel they actually have a ‘say’ for being part of a school, and they would be encouraged to think of new initiatives to implement and this can only improve their managerial and critical thinking skills. Lastly, students would finally be able to understand how hard it is for the teachers to enforce the school rules on students. Defiant students would be able to learn how hard it is to run a school in accordance to its rules. They would also find out why certain rules are implemented by the school; for the common good, obviously.

However, when there are advantages to something, inevitably, there will be its disadvantages too. Firstly, if we let students exert too much power and control over the school rule, we may end up with a dystopia where students form ridiculous rules which would totally change the meaning and purpose of ‘school’ itself. Some examples are “Friday is Computer-Lesson Day”, “Ankle socks and colourful shoes are allowed”, and “Students are allowed to communicate and debate with teachers on an equal basis and stand”. As you can see, the student-rule system is very much flawed as students only think of their individual wants and goods, rather than broadening their scope to the general whole student body. Secondly, if students have too much freedom, then it is the case where students get bolder and starts to challenge the teachers’ authority. They would think, “Who are you to order and scold us? We have a say in the rules too!” The students would show disrespect for the teachers, and this would totally defect from the Chinese saying “zhun shi zhong dao” which means to respect one’s teachers and moral values. Arguably, we can see that with too much freedom comes disorder.

Some examples of more freedom given to students would be the implementation of the Student-Led Council, or the Student Council, which is found in many independent schools which are trying to raise leaders in students. One example is the Hwa Chong Institution’s Student Council. The Student Council would be called upon to organise events such as the CNY party and Teacher’s Day Party. This provides leadership opportunities for the students, and improves their teamwork and collaborative skills too. With this extra responsibility, students would learn how to act and decide responsibly and be able to give opinions about the school rules more sensibly. The HCI staff also actively encourages students to make themselves heard and make active contributions to the school. Both sides, the students and the school staff, reach an agreeable consensus whereby students, instead of being given more freedom in deciding school rules, are called upon to contribute actively to the school administrative matters and improve them. The student would have more ‘say’ over selected areas of the school system and this consensus can only be good for everyone.

In retrospect, I think that the utilitarian method is the best way to tackle the issue. That is, to foresee the consequences of actions and carry out the plan which would benefit the most people in the end. Instead of allowing a few defiant students to ruin a utopian system where a controlled student-staff rule can co-exist with preserving the purpose of ‘school’, I think it is best to allow the students more freedom by welcoming their views instead of shunning them as ‘absurd and useless’. It is time for a new era where the students’ views are as respected as the teachers’. Let us embrace it with a few words; Freedom must be controlled.