This commentary is by Bob Stannard of Manchester, an author, musician and former state legislator and lobbyist.

We don’t need no education 

We don’t need no thought control 

No dark sarcasm in the classroom 

Hey, teacher, leave them kids alone — Pink Floyd 

It was inevitable. It had to happen. The year was 1962. I was 11 years old and in fifth grade. Those of you who know me may find this hard to believe but I was not a model student when I was a kid. Oftentimes I could be seen fidgeting in my seat, talking to the kid next to me, secretly passing a note or staring out the window fantasizing on the world outside of South Dorset. The day finally came when my teacher caught me doing something for which she did not approve and I got the note. In 1962 there was nothing dreaded more than getting “THE NOTE.”

When you got crossways with your teacher they would hand-write a note about whatever hideous thing you did, and you were expected to take the note home and show it to your parents. You’re probably thinking, “So what? Just toss the note away.” Not so fast. You had to have your parents sign the note and return it to your teacher the next day. Don’t even think about trying to forge their signatures. 

Walking the mile home from school that day was a kid’s equivalent of walking down the hall to the jail cell in which one would spend the rest of their days. It was a long, stressful walk that grew in intensity with every step. Upon arriving home I gave my mom my lunchbox and immediately told her about the note. Not telling her and allowing her to discover the note on her own would only add to my ever mounting troubles. 

Mom read the note, looked down at me and spoke the words that shot terror through my heart; “We’ll talk about this at dinner when your father gets home.” Oh man, not at dinner. Not with dad! With my head hung low I turned, walked away and spent the rest of the afternoon hiding in my bedroom contemplating if I’d be dead before or after dessert. 

Mom and dad didn’t sign the note. Instead, the next day they drove me to school early, and all three of us walked into my classroom to meet with my teacher. This was not good. It was hard enough to have the teacher against me. Now it was three against one. Naturally, my parents sided with the teacher. I got some sort of mild punishment and lived to fight (or behave) another day. You can rest assured that from that day forth if I misbehaved, sure as the sun comes up, I wasn’t going to get caught again. 

In my early life teachers were the most respected members of our community. They had a hard job and the community knew it. I don’t ever recall a time when the parents sided with their children and against the teacher. That was unheard of. The kids were expected to pay attention and be good students.

Fast forward 60 years. We now live in a time where little Johnny or Suzy can do no wrong. Parents are more apt to side with their kid against the teacher, because their gifted kid can do no wrong (even if he/she might not be quite as gifted as they think). Yes, it’s not impossible that we might see a really bad teacher now and again, but in my time that didn’t matter. What mattered was that you had to find a way to deal with that teacher without getting into trouble; a skill set that might be lost today. 

What are the implications of this cultural shift? Today around the country we are seeing parents revolting against our education system. At the GOP presidential candidate’s forum we saw all eight of the contestants declare that they would abolish the Department of Education. In Boston we witnessed kids rioting, fighting each other and attacking two police officers. “The crime in the city is out of control,” said Larry Calderone, the president of the union that represents Boston Police members. “The behavior of the teenagers is out of control.” 

To be sure I am oversimplifying a complex situation, but at some point over the last 60 years our society has morphed from holding our teachers in the highest regard to turning our backs on them, and thus on our schools. Kids can now get away with disrespecting their teachers without consequences. Parents are more inclined to support their kid as opposed to backing up their teacher. 

I’m no saint. Like most Vermonters I have always questioned authority. I peacefully protested the Vietnam War, but I never destroyed property or physically attacked others with whom I disagreed. I see it as the difference between using your first amendment right of free speech versus acting on your inflammatory words. One is OK. One lands you in jail … or worse. 

You may end up with a note in your lunchbox that shall be delivered to your parents and you know how that ends up.