http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_332901.html
SINGAPORE'S top male and top female triathletes have been slapped with a competition ban for being caught alone together in a hotel room at the Asian Beach Games in Bali last October. -ST, 1 Feb 2009.
The issue i have with this is not the punishment. There was no question that the two athletes broke the rules. The outcry if any should be against the rule proper rather then the punishment.
And that is my question. What is the rationale for the rule?
Rules are set up to protect people. So if we look at the rule, does it serve to protect a person? It does actually guard the rights of the other people. That is when one girl invites a guy over to the dorm, or vice versa, they maybe other people around her or him that might feel awarkward.
Why did i write this? Because in my Moral Ed class today, we discussed rules, and whether we should explain rationales of the rules to the students. I think we should discuss and have the see the rationale, to try to understand and appreciate. But there are rules that i feel are beyond the ability of students to comprehend and appreciate. In those cases, it is clear that the optimal approach is to trust the teacher.
Teachers are in positions of trust. We should not violate that trust because the parents put their children in our guardianship. The children today more then ever need moral guides and moral adults to observe and learn from. We are that societal guides, to be present to set the tone for the upcoming generation.
SINGAPORE'S top male and top female triathletes have been slapped with a competition ban for being caught alone together in a hotel room at the Asian Beach Games in Bali last October. -ST, 1 Feb 2009.
The issue i have with this is not the punishment. There was no question that the two athletes broke the rules. The outcry if any should be against the rule proper rather then the punishment.
And that is my question. What is the rationale for the rule?
Rules are set up to protect people. So if we look at the rule, does it serve to protect a person? It does actually guard the rights of the other people. That is when one girl invites a guy over to the dorm, or vice versa, they maybe other people around her or him that might feel awarkward.
Why did i write this? Because in my Moral Ed class today, we discussed rules, and whether we should explain rationales of the rules to the students. I think we should discuss and have the see the rationale, to try to understand and appreciate. But there are rules that i feel are beyond the ability of students to comprehend and appreciate. In those cases, it is clear that the optimal approach is to trust the teacher.
Teachers are in positions of trust. We should not violate that trust because the parents put their children in our guardianship. The children today more then ever need moral guides and moral adults to observe and learn from. We are that societal guides, to be present to set the tone for the upcoming generation.