Teacher Authority: We’re Making Teaching Miserable for Teachers

Gavin Newsom just signed a bill that bans the use of suspensions for willful defiance — transgressions such as talking back to a teacher or breaking dress code — across schools in California. While schools can still employ punitive discipline for severe actions such as violence or drug possessions, kids can now cuss out their teacher with impunity.

I have seen the consequences of similar policies firsthand. Last year, a student during class mocked my colleague, who pleaded for assistance from the office; my administration demurred. Any teacher worth their salt can tell you exactly what this situation communicates to every student in that room: Kids can do whatever they want, and Mr. So-and-So doesn’t deserve their respect.

About the Author

Daniel Buck

Daniel Buck is a research fellow and the director of the Conservative Education Reform Network at the American Enterprise Institute.

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Gavin Newsom just signed a bill that bans the use of suspensions for willful defiance — transgressions such as talking back to a teacher or breaking dress code — across schools in California. While schools can still employ punitive discipline for severe actions such as violence or drug possessions, kids can now cuss out their teacher with impunity.

I have seen the consequences of similar policies firsthand. Last year, a student during class mocked my colleague, who pleaded for assistance from the office; my administration demurred. Any teacher worth their salt can tell you exactly what this situation communicates to every student in that room: Kids can do whatever they want, and Mr. So-and-So doesn’t deserve their respect.