“And we know we can’t do this by ourselves. It comes
as a shock at a certain point where you realize, no matter how much you love
these kids, you can’t do it by yourself. That this job of keeping our
children safe, and teaching them well, is something we can only do together,
with the help of friends and neighbors, the help of a community, and the help
of a nation. And in that way, we come to realize that we bear a
responsibility for every child because we’re counting on everybody else to help
look after ours; that we’re all parents; that they’re all our children.” –
from President Obama’s address to the people of Newtown, CT, in 2012.
In loco parentis
Latin: In loco parentis
literally means “in the place of the parent.” In loco parentis is
a legal concept or doctrine, which places the responsibility or duties of
parenting upon an individual (the teacher in an educational setting) without
the formal adoption of a child. The assumption of such duties in
education reaches back to the establishment of orphanages and vocational
schools, where students not only enrolled but were also considered wards.
The Cheadle Hulme School in Britain still displays the “in loco parentis” under
its formal escutcheon. The school was originally founded in the
mid-19th Century by a group of concerned businessmen who named it
The Manchester Warehousemen and Clerks’ Orphan School. Since then,
the legal term has become a cornerstone of the legal, moral and trusting
relationship between educator and student.
Beyond
the required duties found often in a District’s teacher job descriptions – “to
file reports in timely manner, keep accurate attendance records, share
confidential grading information with parents in judicious fashion, and adhere
to all policies set forth by the state and Board of Education”– those entering
the profession often find themselves something quite more.
Any
teacher might also add just a few more in this incomplete list.
Delivering the almost-perfect lesson, sharing a smile,
modeling good behavior, assisting in comprehending a sticky problem, solving a
sudden social stumble, in some cases providing a nutritious meal, finding a new
friend, preventing bullying, notifying an unknowing parent, clarifying an
earlier explanation, reprimanding blatant inappropriateness, reading a great
story, teaching dynamically, wiping an occasional tear, blowing a runny nose,
finding some lost assignment, preparing for a chapter test, touching up a
dropped project, understanding what we’ve learned or accomplished, recording
(physical, intellectual, or other) growth, laughing out loud, smiling
knowingly, giving serious directives, sharing the goal to improve, inspiring
the entire group, rallying the defeated, telling a small joke, practicing
empathy, communicating truth, pushing the lethargic, encouraging the
industrious, assessing their understanding, emboldening the shyly curious,
releasing the chaos of creativity, unveiling resourcefulness, containing a
confidence carefully, illuminating the self, celebrating the small steps,
awarding noteworthy accomplishment, fighting injustices, providing for absent
materials, capturing potentiality, mediating a conflict, keeping those falling
behind alongside, meeting after classes, meeting before classes, tutoring to
give confidence, coaching a student to believe in one’s self, calling the sick
at home, reacting enthusiastically, pretending enthusiasm when necessary,
decorating the room, celebrating the holidays, drafting an essay, crafting a
thought into a sentence, exhibiting shared trust, muddling through a theorem,
applying an earlier formula, sometimes being silly, acknowledging individuality,
generating theses, sounding out a word, giving hope, and making believe.
In honor of the 20 children, 6 educators, and 2 adults, lost on
Friday, December 14, 2012, at Sandy Hook Elementary School and Newtown,
Connecticut. We will remember.
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