Acting in loco parentis (in the place of the parent), teachers and schools safeguard their charges both physically and morally. A vital part of the process, many parents believe, is sound character education.
In loco parentis: in the place of the parent, the mother or father, the one who gave birth to or nurtures and raises the child. Teachers and schools still operate under this eighteenth century legal concept derived from British common law. By assuming the rights and responsibilities of parents, schools work in the best interests of their charges. Currently, interpretations of the concept are reverting to earlier views.
During the late fifties—when I was attending a local Catholic college—in loco parentis meant abiding by strictly enforced regulations. Safeguarding students’ moral integrity was as important as ensuring their physical and intellectual well-being. Not that the imposed restrictions or obligations seemed unreasonable to us or generated any protest. That would come later—after we had graduated—as other students became aware of their civil rights and sought greater independence.
We were compliant. Weekly Mass was on our schedule. With our fasting completed, we willingly gathered in the chapel: girls with their head coverings firmly in place and boys, their ties neatly knotted. Each class began with the obligatory prayer, a prayer I still cherish as I face the triumphs and challenges of the day. And a full complement of religion and philosophy classes were welcome components of a Catholic student’s intellectual formation.
Care of our spiritual and moral development was foremost even during my graduate school days at a Catholic university in Washington, D.C. Doors at the graduate students’ dormitory locked promptly at ten o’clock. The Legion of Decency forbade the viewing of certain movies. The list of censored movies was prominently displayed, and we willingly obeyed.
At the time, the most risqué movie scene showed a bareback rider fading fast into a distant, foggy mist. What would the censors say today about the critically acclaimed movie, Borat, or television’s award-winning Curb Your Enthusiasm. Or almost any other program on HBO, where George Carlin’s “seven dirty words” are now part of the vernacular? I think an apoplectic fit would best describe their reactions.
Now that my children are young adults, they say strictly enforced rules and a little fear are good parental tools. They admit that staying on the straight and narrow was made much easier because they could imagine their dad driving down the rural lane, only to barge in on the spontaneous gathering of teenagers. Or because they could picture him parading into the downtown pizza parlor (a den of iniquity for middle schoolers?) to march little Jen back home to make her bed.
Firm expectations, my children say, were an important part of their family experience. Many of us, I am sure, feel much the same about our teachers: we learned well under the watchful eye and tutelage of a demanding teacher.
Transferring power over our children to the school and its teachers involves an everyday leap of faith. Although standards of care may have changed, the expectations of parents remain basically the same. And although physically-safe schools have become increasingly important, many parents hope the same attention is given to their children’s moral development.
Character education plays a vital role in the education of the whole child. It should begin with the child’s entry into school and carry through his entire educational experience. Basic universal values can and should be nurtured by those who act in loco parentis, that is, in the parent’s stead.
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Sally A. Connolly, a retired school counselor and teacher, is author of A BOY FROM LAWRENCE: The Collected Writings of Eugene F. Connolly (2006).
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