when the authority is wrong

 Materials: None

 Introduction:

Sometimes children find themselves in a position where one person in authority has told them to do something that contradicts what they know, or believe is right, or what some other person of authority has told them to do. A child should be taught how to problem solve such a situation.

For example, I often hear from children that something a teacher told them to do did not seem fair. In response, they acted out and got themselves into trouble. Sometimes they felt what was asked of them was not fair because of what they had been raised to think at home. Other times, they simply did not think what was being asked was fair, but lacked the knowledge of what to do about it. Trouble shooting such situations in advance can greatly help smooth this type of problem over.

In addition, young children must be taught to what to do when something is asked of them by someone in authority that they know is wrong (such as an adult touching them in their private areas). This lesson can, and should, be repeated in a variety of different ways in order to address these issues.

This lesson should follow the lesson on 'Respecting Authority' and 'Addressing Authority.' Both lessons should be revisited and reviewed. 

 Objective/Purpose:

Children will explore appropriate methods of trouble shooting situations in which they disagree with something they have been told to do by someone in a position of authority.

 Procedure:

1. After the original lessons have been reviewed, the teacher can introduce a situation in which a child is asked to do something by a person of authority and the child thinks what is being asked of him or her is either morally wrong or conflicts with something they have been told to do by someone else.

2. The teacher can give an example (e.g., One teacher asks the child to go stand in line by the door while another teacher says the child must return to his or her own class.)

3. Allow the children to problem solve the situation, without rushing the process. Sometimes, the best solutions take time to work out.

   Practice & Extended Activities:

Other examples of this concept can be discussed and modeled as a whole group. Children can be given particular situations to talk about or allowed to come up with their own. Other possibilities might include:

1. A teacher tells you you cannot go out to recess because you must clean up the mess you made in the paint area that day and when you tell her that you did not make the mess, she does not believe you.

2. A teacher tells you that you are not allowed to wear sleeveless shirts to school but your mother has told you that you can wear them.

3. An adult stranger tells you to go with them because your mother is not going to pick you up from school that day.

4. An adult in authority touches you in a way that does not feel comfortable or asks you to do something you do not feel is right.

This concept should be reinforced through multiple examples and experiences to trouble shoot and problem solve. Children can be asked to work in teams to come up with examples, and solutions, of their own and to present them to the class. Children can also be asked to come up with their own short dramas about a given situation that they might run into and then to present their drama to the rest of the class. Children might be encouraged to write a song about what they know, or to use photography, dance, or art to express their knowledge.

disclaimer  copyright

                 Our schools treat children like captured butterflies, each pinned down and set in his or her own place.

-  Maria Montessori

Revised: 02/14/2008.