Category Archives: common sense

I was reminded again about the problem with common sense when  I read that  the Alabama House  of Representatives had  blocked a teacher code of conduct from becoming law. Opponents argued that the standards were too vague.  Supporters argued that they weren’t because they were based on “common sense and something all parents, teachers and legislators should support”.

Common sense is not common. It is very subjective.  Let me explain.  I teach in a high school with a student population of about 1 700 students.  You could  easily hear over 60 languages being spoken as you negotiate your way through the halls from one class to the next.  Many new immigrants settle in the area served by our school. These immigrants bring with them “the common sense” that served them in their homeland. It may or may not be the “common sense” of the community they live in now.

Some students in my class have told me that teachers ought to be able to beat their students when students misbehave.  That made common sense to them.  That’s what teachers did  “back home”  and it worked,  they tell me.  Kids behaved themselves because they could be beaten if they didn’t. A few parents have even given teachers permission to beat their kids if they misbehave.  Thank fully, the common sense  that  dictates corporal punishment for student misbehaviour is not common to everyone.

I don’t mean to imply here that it is only the case that some immigrants have different “common senses”.  That’s certainly not the case at all. I just wanted to make the point that common sense can vary from culture to culture, from community to community and even within a community.   There’s nothing common about common sense.

In Ontario, the Education Act, law,  sets out the code of conduct for teachers  regarding  students and for students regarding teachers.  The code of conduct is not left to common sense.  It doesn’t seem to me there are any major problems with the code. If anyone knows of any,  I would appreciate hearing about them.   I don’t want to go into a lot of detail here  except to say that teachers who break the code of conduct suffer consequences for their actions.  Sometimes that means they have their teaching certificate withdrawn; sometimes they  are required to get appropriate counseling or training.

I think it is useful to have a code of conduct enacted in law because it forces everyone to be on the same page about what is expected from teachers and from students. It doesn’t matter what a person’s “common sense” tells them.  It’s what the code of conduct as law says that counts.  I think this gets around the problem of  different “common senses”. What do you think?

Photo thanks to didbyatgraham

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