Lessons in authority carry heavy importance in life

My sister-in-law Susan handed me a cell phone ad that ran in a local newspaper. Titled "Perfect for Back to School," it showed a student texting while hiding her hand-held phone under her classroom desk. It should have been labeled "Defying Authority In One Easy Step." Sadly, this advice is being conveyed to our youth in more ways than just a newspaper ad. It often comes directly from parents.

There are mothers and fathers in our community who tell their 14-year-old sons to place a bale of hay in the back of the family pickup so that, if caught driving underage, they can claim they're on a farm errand. Parents call the school, saying their child is sick, yet we teachers later hear those students brag about their folks "pulling one over on the administration" in order to support their children who didn't have their homework completed.

When I taught in Texas, I sent a graded assignment home with Becky, a middle school student. Because she had left most of the answers blank, she failed the assignment. The next day Becky returned with that same paper, only this time all the correct answers were filled in. She questioned why I counted them wrong. Her mother called the school principal to report how remiss I had been in my grading. Unfortunately, because I had not drawn a slanted line in the blank slot beside the question, the administration had to back Becky. I never again failed to indicate (with a LONG, red line) that an answer was missing.

Some parents regularly text their children during class and get angry if we teachers catch them responding and then take the cell phones away. It's no wonder so many teachers struggle to maintain their positions of authority when students know their moms and dads will defend them, no matter what they have done.

Most religious scholars claim it is our nature to be rebellious against authority; tragically, its effect is a far more long-lasting consequence that merely undermining the relationships between students and teachers. Rebellion against authority has been one of the recurring themes in the relationship between God and humanity since the Garden of Eden.

(I would hate to be Adam or Eve and be responsible for THAT one.)

How or where it began is irrelevant, however. There is no excuse for parents who encourage their children to continue defying authority, and even though they may call it a matter of personal preference, it is not. We all must learn to come under authority, especially when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. With Him it is not an option. He IS Lord, and if we are going to be in a relationship with him, then submission to his authority over us is required. If we are unwilling to do that, then He becomes just one more person to dishonor.

So, parents, when you think about how you are training your child to understand the concept of authority, you might want to remember that there is far more at stake than just avoiding a traffic citation by placing a bale of hay in the back of a truck.