Should children be taught to respect their elders, and authority?
There are different connotations to the word "respect" and you are using two different ones in your question. Respect can mean being treated with courtesy and politeness. Yes, children should be taught to do this. This means, letting an elderly person have your seat, if there's noplace else to sit. Saying "please" and "thank you." Generally using good manners and being a good citizen, like obeying legitimate authority figures. When a child's teacher tells the children that it's time for the color crayons should be picked up, yes, the child should obey and yes, that should be an expectation. The other kind of "respect" is the kind that must be earned. This is ENTIRELY different.
Why must we respect authority?
Most governments are out to do nothing except gain power and don't care for their people. Example: They start wars and expect those not truly involved to fight. The elderly are usually ok, but I've met some that are so set in their ways nothing makes them happy. I've had teachers who picked favourites and hated everyone else. I've seen parents that are cruel, not to mention verbally and physically abusive. Why in the world should we respect these people simply because of age? I say let actions earn respect and let all have a basic level of respect because they're human, nothing else. Now don't get me wrong, I'm a very peaceful guy. Its just that dealing with people who demand respect but don't deserve it or return it bothers me.
Why do students not give respect to teachers?
I’m obligated to start with a rephrase: Why do some students not act respectfully toward teachers?There are students who act respectfully to almost all their teachers, some only to those they deem worthy of respect, and some seem to have no clue what respect looks like nor why they should act that way toward any human being.Which of these three categories a student winds up in falls largely on upbringing.* Are their parents respectful? Do they teach their children to respect all authority figures, or just the ones who act respectfully? “I respect someone who respects me” is a phrase I’ll hear tossed around.In the U.S. we can’t coerce an act of respectfulness with the rod, so unless your students have universal respect for authority as one of their core values, you have to earn it as a teacher.Students tend to respect teachers who are:kind and caringcompetentconsistent and justempatheticFail on any of these and you shouldn’t be surprised when students become disrespectful.Of course, there are students who will always be disrespectful. On my better days, I try to kill them with kindness. Return respect for rebuke. If you only respect those who respect you then don’t be surprised when you don’t get much respect.I also feel the need to mention that perhaps respect may look a bit different than it used to. Blanket compliance is rarely given or expected. A unisoned “Yes, Mr. McClung!” is never going to happen in my class, nor do I need it to.In the American South, many see “Sir” and “Ma’am” as necessary signs of respect. I don’t really care either way as long as genuine respect is there. I’ve had plenty of sarcastic or insincere Sirs.All that to say, respect may take an unfamiliar form even when it is present.*I try to teach my children to make respect for authority the default setting. Respect is something to be lost, rather than gained. Authorities should be questioned, but with proper respect until that becomes impossible.
Why do some people not respect law and authority?
I see it as being a result of two possiblities. And I reveal a personal, and bitter event as well.It is TAUGHT to them by an authority figure, a parent for example, typically showing distain for law and authority, as the individual is growing through childhood, and adolescence.It is a LEARNED prejudice. They have gone through one or more very negative events, which were severely impactful to them, where the law or other authority didn't come to their protection, not defending justice, or were the cause of injustice or significant disrespect.As a personal example:Legal System participants (Judges and Lawyers): I was consistently raised by my parents to respect the Legal System. I had heard disparaging jokes about lawyers occasionally through my life but never understood them. Until I went through a long divorce process involving the courts. I believe I am objectively stating fact here when I say that well into the majority of the lawyers and judges I delt with, during my ordeal, proved to be unethical, illegally biased, immoral, incompetent, and or even criminal. I am an educated man, and don't make these accusations lightly. I’m basing this experience on 2 judges, and 4 lawyers (including the ones I was paying. For details of my ordeal, so you can judge for yourself, see this link[1] . My opinion of judges and lawyers is that the majority of the profession should be ashamed, and I have nothing but contempt for the profession because if this. And on a separate note, unrelated to what I just stated, the system is broken (but that isn't a revelation for many).The Police: I was consistently raised by my parents to respect the police. And over my 50 years, I have had many encounters with police - I respect them a great deal.Footnotes[1] Trent Schultz's answer to What is the most despicable thing you have seen a lawyer do?
To help children understand and gain respect for authority in the classroom?
Well, I sort of agree with D, but I disagree becuase if you let them do too much they will not gain the respect because they will think that they can do whatever they want. My dad is a teacher and he combines A & D. He has his rules and if you don't stick to them there are consequences, just like life. However, he lets them choose to goof around and get bad grades, but if they don't take responsibility for their actions, he isn't going to hold their hand. Kids need direction and guidance.
My 5 year old son has no respect for authority. Help?!?!?
Since you have tried everything else, how about a nice old fashioned SPANKING. Parents have been using "spankings" for thousands of years and it does work. Anyway, what can you lose? Take care.
Should children be taught to respect adults no matter what? Why or why not?
Yes, they should. My reasoning is simply the 4th commandment. Honor your father and mother. Luther's explanation of this commandment points to the larger roll it actually plays. "We should fear and love God so that we don't despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them." There are two big concepts embedded in that short explanation. First is that the family with parents at the head are the first authority. God has given us proper authorities of which parents are the foundation and dearest. Children should be taught to render the respect due to age which matures into respect due to established offices. Without such respect, civil society is not possible. The second concept embedded here is that honor is something of a meets minimum requirements threshold. Anything less is in outright rebellion against proper authority. But the true aim of the law is to point us at a better way which is the positive force - "love and cherish them". The law has no power to force this. The requires the gospel change of heart and the indwelling of the Spirit, but the law is still good and wise. In teaching children to give respect, maybe especially when the individual doesn't deserve it, we are teaching them civil society and the things necessary to live as free men and women.
What is causing lack of respect for authority in todays youth?
I agree with you. It is mainly the breakdown of the family structure of a marriage between one man and one woman in which they stay together through thick in thin. Which has been proven to be the best environment for raising a respectable human being. Now everything is acceptable, thereby erasing the standard and when there is no standard there is a breakdown of society ..history has proven that.
Why should we respect elders?
We should not respect anybody who does not deserve respect, whether they are elders or not. And the only way to know who deserves respect is for people to demonstrate that they are worthy of respect. This is another way of saying that people "earn" respect.Some people talk about elders having more experience in life. However, experience by itself does not make a person worthy of respect. Many people do not learn from their experience and continue to act in ways that are not deserving of respect. So, experience alone does not entitle a person to respect, no matter how old he or she is. One way to earn the respect of others is to treat others with respect. Many elders fail this test, even if they don't do anything that is really terrible (such as commit crimes or abuse others). If elders want to receive respect from others, they need to treat others with respect, just like anyone else. That is one of the main ways of earning respect. In traditional societies, elders often feel entitled to treat younger people without respect. This is just the way elders in such societies behave, and this makes them unworthy of respect.For example, there are many cases in traditional societies where elders have forced their children to marry someone for the sake of money, or power, or privilege, or family connections, and the children have suffered tremendously as a result of being married to the wrong person. This sort of behaviour on the part of elders shows disrespect for their children. Since they, themselves, have not shown respect, such elders are definitely not worthy of the respect of others. Their "experience in life" has taught them nothing about how to behave like decent human beings.In many traditional societies, respect for elders has been the reason why those societies have remained backward and have not made any progress in terms of human rights, moral values, and general social advancement. Blind respect for elders is the same as blind respect for authority, since elders in traditional societies are automatically given a position of authority because of their age. However, as Albert Einstein said: "Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth." And he was absolutely right.