United States Senator Samuel I. Hayakawa of California in 1978 warned "the schools have become vehicles for a heresy that rejects the idea of education as the acquisition of knowledge and skills and instead regards the fundamental task of education as therapy.” (Schlafly, 13) He believed that "such inquiring into attitudes, beliefs, and psychic and emotional problems is a serious invasion of privacy." (Ibid) There is a controversy over certain methods of teaching, such as the Values Clarification method and Outcome-based Education. Both methods involve writing assignments, which probe students’ personal life, and assignments that question students’ values and opinions. These methods are attacked by some like Hayakawa and Schlafly as invasions of privacy. The same charges could (but have not yet) be leveled against the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT), a state requirement that aims at improving students’ academic performance.
The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution states "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures...” (Harrison, 207) Does a teacher violate this guarantee by asking a student to write about his or her own personal beliefs? Teachers know that students write best when they are writing about personal experiences. Writing is an excellent tool for self-examination of beliefs and can serve as an excellent problem-solving tool. Every student needs to acquire problem-solving skills or the world would be a chaotic and dangerous place to live. Writing can be therapeutic and can bring order to a turbulent life. Many teachers utilize journal work as a way to keep students writing. However, this method is under fire because of its potential to invade student privacy.
In the debate regarding privacy in the classroom many issues arise. First, there are the cloudy current federal laws concerning privacy issues in the classroom and school. Next, two educational theories, Outcome-based Education (OBE) and the Values Clarification approach, involve seemingly personal issues in the classroom with the hopes of creating students who are aware of themselves, their surroundings and their own educational process. Opposition to these methods of instruction has naturally emerged because of parental concern involving the teaching of values. Several conclusions and suggestions can be made as to where the teachers and students can go next to achieve harmony between both sides of the debate. The main goals of the unit are as follows:
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The teacher will reflect on the types of questions asked in the classroom on a daily basis;
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The teacher will maintain the format for future writing assignments to promote consistency in the classroom.
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The students will be exposed to the writing process and experience it utilizing the topic of “Privacy in the Classroom”;
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The students will recognize the importance of privacy and reflect on how they deal with it in their own personal lives;
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The students will write a concise and informed letter to their State Congress regarding the legal issue of privacy in the classroom;
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The students will begin a yearlong portfolio of written work.
To complete the above goals the students will utilize the John Collins writing program to successfully write a persuasive letter regarding the topic of privacy in the classroom. This will allow the students practice for the CAPT Interdisciplinary Exam. The second half of the paper deals with the CAPT (Connecticut Academic Performance Test) and the successful John Collins’ writing program. Specifically, the Interdisciplinary portion of the test is examined and how it, though not yet, could be considered an invasion of student privacy. The unit is designed to not only prepare students for the CAPT exam by having them write on controversial issue but to show how teachers can explore sensitive issues in ways that address both legitimate and extreme privacy concerns now being raised. The CAPT exam was created as an alternate to standardized “bubble” tests that do not test a student’s application of knowledge. With Outcome-based Education on the upswing, Connecticut created a test that allows students to apply their knowledge to real-life situations.
The real-life situations, according to Phyllis Schlafly and others who oppose such questioning, are the crux of the problem. Some people believe that teachers are going too far in their questioning of students. They believe that school is a place where knowledge, in the form of basic facts, is acquired. Students should not be asked their opinions on anything; students should not be forced to reveal personal information; students should be filled with facts. This is learning. However, studies show that students best learn when they apply what they already know (Bloom’s Taxonomy). So, how can students learn when it is presumed that they know nothing but memorized facts?