Expression vs. Disruption. (National).John Tinker John Tinker may refer to:
Des Moines (pronounced /dɪˈmɔɪn/ in English, , decided to take a stand against the war in Vietnam, a war many Americans then supported. Their protest was simple: They wore black armbands to school. The move rankled administrators, who suspended sus·pend v. sus·pend·ed, sus·pend·ing, sus·pends v.tr. 1. To bar for a period from a privilege, office, or position, usually as a punishment: suspend a student from school. Tinker and others when they refused to take off the armbands. The ensuing en·sue intr.v. en·sued, en·su·ing, en·sues 1. To follow as a consequence or result. See Synonyms at follow. 2. To take place subsequently. legal battle, Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District In the landmark case of Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 393 U.S. 503, 89 S. Ct. 733, 21 L. Ed. 2d 731 (1969), the U.S. Supreme Court extended the First Amendment's right to freedom of expression to public school students. , went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1969, the Court ruled in Tinker's favor, writing: "It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate." The decision backed students' First Amendment rights, so long as their actions were not disruptive. The Court said the armbands were "a silent, passive expression of opinion, unaccompanied un·ac·com·pa·nied adj. 1. Going or acting without companions or a companion: unaccompanied children on a flight. 2. Music Performed or scored without accompaniment. by any disorder or disturbance" by Tinker and the other teens. So how is it that, more than three decades later, students are still being suspended for expressing their political views on T-shirts and lockers? Much of the answer lies in who decides what is "disruptive": the principal. "Principals are a lot like judges in a small way," says Bill J. Bond, a principal in Paducah, Ky. "We have policies and then have to interpret what the policies mean." The need to maintain order often takes priority over the desire for an open exchange of ideas. And school principals, unlike judges, usually don't have weeks or months to contemplate the appropriate balance. A principal seeing a kid wearing a controversial T-shirt may have just seconds to decide how to handle it--knowing that the next tough call may be just around the hallway corner. Under those conditions, Bond says, it is easy to make a mistake, to go too far. Principals' decisions, right and wrong, have added to what some regard as significant restrictions on students. "They do still retain some core free-speech rights in a school environment," says Gary Daniels, a spokesman for the National Coalition Against Censorship The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), founded in 1974, is an alliance of 50 national non-profit organizations in the United States, including literary, artistic, religious, educational, professional, labor, and civil liberties groups. . "But they substantially don't have the same protections as you would out on a street corner." --E.N. FOCUS: Finding the Fine Line Between Free-Speech Rights and Disruptive Behavior TEACHING OBJECTIVES To help students understand how schools try to balance students' right to free expression against the need to maintain an atmosphere that is conducive con·du·cive adj. Tending to cause or bring about; contributive: working conditions not conducive to productivity. See Synonyms at favorable. to learning. Discussion Questions: * Why do you believe the Constitution protects the right to express unpopular opinions? * Are you concerned that if you express an unpopular opinion people will think less of you? * What factors should high school students consider before they decide to publish a newspaper online--without faculty input? CLASSROOM STRATEGIES Critical Thinking: Ask students to tackle the key issue addressed in "Expression vs. Disruption disruption /dis·rup·tion/ (dis-rup´shun) a morphologic defect resulting from the extrinsic breakdown of, or interference with, a developmental process. ." Have them identify two situations, one in which a student's expression of a political opinion would help understanding and aid the educational process and one in which the expression of a political opinion would disrupt the educational process. Disruption Debate: Ask students to debate this proposition: Some issues--war is one--are so imbued with emotion that the expression of unpopular views is inherently disruptive and should be censored cen·sor n. 1. A person authorized to examine books, films, or other material and to remove or suppress what is considered morally, politically, or otherwise objectionable. 2. . Next, ask students to consider appropriate venues. Is free speech, specifically the expression of unpopular opinion, more acceptable in some places than others? (One example: expressing an .anti-military opinion in school versus at a veterans' organization.) Review the John Tinker case. Ask students to consider whether the Supreme Court sided with Tinker because of the nature of his protest--wearing an armband arm·band n. A band worn around the upper arm, often as identification or as a symbol of mourning or protest. Noun 1. armband - worn around arm as identification or to indicate mourning . Would the Court have voted as it did if Tinker and his friends had voiced their views through loudspeakers in the school? Online Debate: Ask students to debate editor Annie Gilsdorf's argument, that "nothing is gained ... by propagating censorship censorship, official prohibition or restriction of any type of expression believed to threaten the political, social, or moral order. It may be imposed by governmental authority, local or national, by a religious body, or occasionally by a powerful private group. in any form, at any level of the system." Do students agree? Does that mean a student newspaper reporter can write anything he or she likes about anyone? Finally, what action, if any, might schools take to exercise some degree of control over the content of student-published online materials? |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion