American public-school education from the very beginning lived by strict traditional doctrines. I began teaching in 1969. At the time, the educators in positions of power were rethinking how to educate the students in the classroom setting. In the early 1970s, new teaching mandates were being contemplated for the K-12 classroom teachers which included innovations in handling student discipline.

I refer to it as the progressive culture in our public schools. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let’s take a trip back in time to explore the attributes of classroom educators of the Traditional Culture.

Traditional Culture in Our Public Schools

The K-12 classrooms were “teacher-centered” educational environments — the teacher knows best. They were “Benevolent Dictators” who ran tight ships. Don’t panic with the term dictator. A Benevolent Dictator is defined as “authoritarian leaders who use their positions to benefit the population as a whole (students). They are perceived as wise and fair, and do not abuse their power.”

With that being said, I will now share with you my experiences as a high school student during that era.

My teachers had the same discipline power as the principal which included performing “Corporal Punishment.” The only student response I ever heard from my fellow classmates after being paddled was: “It straightened me out.” Enough said.

On one occasion, a teacher told our football coach a big kid was picking on some smaller classmates. The coach had two of his linemen discuss the matter with the culprit in the boys’ restroom. He was a perfect gentleman after that encounter.

While waiting for history class to begin my senior year in high school, two male students started fighting as the teacher, my wrestling coach, walked into the classroom. Immediately, the coach grabbed the two instigators by the ear and practically dragged them out into the hallway.

For the next few minutes, we could hear something being banged against the lockers. Moments later, the two perpetrators stumbled back into the classroom, shook hands, and returned to their desks as my wrestling coach then began teaching the day’s history lesson.

My favorite story involved my grandfather, Daniel Bertolette, a graduate of Bucknell University and a mathematics teacher at the high school. A student was acting up in his class, so Grandpa invited him to the gym after school for a boxing match. Being much taller than Grandpa, the insolent student looked forward to the offer.

A member of the Bucknell “Bison” boxing team, Grandpa quickly resolved the problem. It was “Yes, sir; No, sir” in the classroom after that.

During the Traditional Culture days, the students had no choice but to learn, be it in the regular or Honors classes. But all that changed with the advent of a new philosophy for classroom discipline practices was to be required and enforced by all staff members in our public-school systems.

Progressive Culture in Our Public Schools

As previously mentioned, the progressive culture was introduced in the public schools in the 1970s. Supported by educational research conducted by university professors with limited K-12 classroom experience, the new approaches would be student-centered. Thus, teachers were about to be re-educated on how to handle student discipline problems in their classrooms.

One of the first teacher disciplinary actions to be eliminated was “Corporal Punishment,” which the progressives perceived to be a harsh and inhumane punishment. Prayers were then removed from the public-school environment.

Over the years, the consequences for student misbehavior became kinder and gentler, promoting teacher-student dialogue to solve various discipline problems. Furthermore, the K-12 classroom teachers realized they no longer had the discipline power they once possessed. And classroom discipline problems began to rise.

To assist the teachers, many school district administrators, supported by state and federal funds, had experts in the field of classroom discipline conduct in-service programs from time to time. They offered teachers various classroom student-consequence strategies to alleviate disruptive behavior.

Over the decades, I have witnessed the implementation of In-School Suspension (ISS), After School and Saturday Morning Detention sessions for disruptive students. There was even a program where the classroom teachers utilized a “Check-off System” to promote positive student behavior. Without exception, it was always the same students still getting into trouble.

On a positive note, our public schools have outstanding “Honors” classes where the teachers are producing superior students in their educational areas of endeavor. Unfortunately, the regular K-12 classroom teachers are the ones who have to deal with the problem students.

Moreover, the news media began informing the general public of lower test scores, violence in the classroom, bullying, bomb threats, student assaults on teachers, weapons checks, more home schooling, the enactment of the Hope Scholarship, etc. Thus, it would appear that the present system of consequences for student misbehavior is less than adequate.

Concluding Remarks

While writing this column, I knew that nothing I said would change the present progressive discipline programs in our public schools. Still, it was fun sharing my high school days with the readers, especially my grandfather’s student-encounter. He later authored a book, “Motives in Education.” It is one of my most cherished possessions.

In closing, just for your amusement, how would you answer the following rhetorical question:

“Which teaching culture — Traditional or Progressive — seems to be more conducive to student safety, discipline and learning in the public-schools classroom setting?”

Dr. William A. “Bill” Welker received his BS and MEd degrees from the University of Pittsburgh. He later earned a Doctor of Education degree in reading education from West Virginia University. Welker taught for 40 years as a K-12 classroom educator in the inter-city schools of Pittsburgh, Wheeling Central Catholic High School, and the Ohio County Schools system. He also taught gradate reading instruction courses for West Virginia University and his teaching strategies appear in graduate reading textbooks.

Welker was honored as a “Teacher of the Year” by the Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce. He received the prestigious Jasper N. Deahl Alumni Award from West Virginia University for career accomplishments and community involvement. Welker and his wife, Peggy reside in Wheeling. They are blessed with four children, 15 grandchildren and six great grandsons.