FROM COMPLIANCE TO EMPOWERMENT
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educator Maria Montessori in The Absorbent Mind aptly pointed out,“ The child who is not treated as a person, who is controlled by punishment or rewards, will not be able to develop into a free, creative individual.” We need to empower students to grasp the why behind expectations, and be open to revisiting outdated or unreasonable rules. This fosters stronger moral courage and better prepares them for the broader society.
“ We need to empower students to grasp the why behind expectations, and be open to revisiting outdated or unreasonable rules.”
So where does that leave our student? Questioning the rule’ s reasoning. The teacher’ s justification—“ We don’ t disturb nature”— collapsed when the student challenged it. In a society that values science, T. H. Huxley’ s quote,“ The deepest sin against the human mind is to believe things without evidence,” resonates. We’ d dismiss a scientist who made unsupported claims as“ junk science,” and rightly so. Similarly, educators who enforce rules without explaining their purpose risk eroding student confidence and prematurely stifling critical thinking. Sloppiness in communication and shaming students for questioning rules can quickly foster a culture of compliance, rather than empowerment. When a student challenges authority, it’ s not always about the message being wrong— it’ s about the way it’ s communicated. Our job is to help students sharpen their communication skills, not dismiss their critiques.
To put this into a broader context, we should draw on historical examples that reveal the dangers of failing to promote the critique of authority. Christopher Browning explored how the“ ordinary men” of Reserve Police Battalion 101 became perpetrators of unspeakable atrocities during the Holocaust, driven by blind obedience to authority. In contrast, August Landmesser’ s refusal to salute during a Nazi rally was a courageous act of defiance, rooted in his relationship with a Jewish woman and his commitment to resisting an authoritarian regime. It’ s unlikely the German teachers of the 1910s and 20s thought their orderly classrooms contributed to the larger social complicity within Nazi Germany. Nor would we blame them for this. But it underscores a critical point: questioning authority is a responsibility. As Benjamin Franklin wisely stated,“ It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.” If we, as educators, are truly preparing responsible citizens, how can we intentionally encourage the practice of questioning authority?
In his 1837 Lectures on the Philosophy of History, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel shifted the standards of historical interpretation and emphasized the importance of independent
Page 12 Summer 2025 CSEE Connections