Hart is losing it in Chapter 34. And as was said in both classes today, one of the great questions of the novel is how deliberate Kingsfield is in his treatment of his students, particularly Hart. Does he really not know Hart's name? Was he deliberately ignoring Hart's desperate condition after Hart's debilitating four days? Is he here consciously punishing Hart for, as Hart thinks, "the unfinished paper" (151)? Certainly Kingsfield is capable of, to use Isabella's word from today, cruelty: the way he calls on Kevin—the hands down worst student in the class—when Kevin has moved to the back row, having ceded his seat to another more confident student. "'Is Mr. Brooks here today?'" Kingsfield asks when he knows for certain he is (156). Hart thinks earlier in the novel that "back benching," as it's called at HLS, made for these students like Kevin "an uneasy experience, possibly because the professors respected this truce and would not try to ferret out a student from the anonymous group at the back" (33). An implicit contract: the professors generally accept the arrangement...until they don't, as Kingsfield doesn't at the moment he calls out Kevin. And again, we are compelled to ask the question, is this right on Kingsfield's part? Is he carrying out the implicit contract he has with his students—or, as Sam said today, the contract he has as one human being to another.
This is what I wrote on last night's blog. I don't know how many of you read it; it was up on the board today as well.
I want to add to Jake's comment.
Does Kingsfield care about Hart? This goes to the question I posed about
the implicit contract Harvard Law School has with Hart the student.
Molly stated that you go to Harvard Law School to get a law degree.
Indeed. That is the overt contract. Hart works—and if he survives, as
the television Kingsfield intones—he will get a law degree. That's
school. BUT. Does a school, a place of education, owe its students more?
Is the school you attend only about the degree you get at the end of
senior year? Is that all school is supposed to be? Osborn asks in the
intro to my edition, "The idea of reciprocity [that is, a mutual
exchange] is important for contract law because it has to do with the
expectations of those who form a contract. When people enter into a
deal, they expect something in return." It's clear that Hart feels a
responsibility to Kingsfield to finish the paper he's worked on for
nearly three weeks and in the process exhausting himself. Look at the
quote:"In a burst of moral responsibility—a feeling that he owed more than he could repay, that Kingsfield had trusted him and he'd destroyed that trust—Hart decided he would finish the paper" (135) . Does Kingsfield owe Hart some degree of
compassion and kindness, if only to look at him when he is in his
presence? Look at how Kingsfield is described as
Hart asks for more time because Hart felt he had a "moral
responsibility" to fulfill the trust his teacher gave him. It is not a
legal contract, of course, but Hart does believe in the concept of
reciproctiy, which is at the heart (no pun intended) of the course
Kingsfield is teaching him. In Chapter 1, Kingsfield asks Hart what he
thinks the doctor owes the boy whose hand was made hairy by the doctor's
treatment—so what does Kingsfield owe Hart as his student? As someone who feels a trust with his professor, his teacher? as a fellow human being who worked his butt off to both impress and do right by his teacher?
So...
1. Does Kingsfield owe Hart anything? Kingsfield does not owe Hart anything based on the explicit contract the two have as professor-student at HLS: but as both Sam and Cam brought up in second period, and as I ask in my response above, doesn't Kingsfield owe Hart more than he gives in this moment? Why or why not?
2. A few of you, Andrew most vocally, said that there is no implicit contract between you and me in the classroom. There is a contract with the school, but not with me. Is this true? What is the contract you have with me—and that I have with you, in your eyes?
Please don't answer these questions quickly. As I said in class today, you have to be truer to the text than some of you have been—Hart did not complain to Kingsfield. And some of you are writing responses that appear as though they were composed in 5 minutes or less, even if they weren't. I want more from you. So write a couple hundred words to answer the two questions. Feel free, as always, and I love it when you do, to comment on what your classmates have written.
See you tomorrow.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete1. Honestly I don't see there being any contract specifically between Hart and Kingsfield. As I have made clear, I think the contract is between Hart and Harvard Law School, not specifically between a teacher and a student. At this point we can with some certainty state, "Kingsfield is a cruel bastard." What Kingsfield does in class is the definition of the idea of being a jerk. But Kingsfield has the right to do as he will in the classroom. The contract between the students and Harvard Law is not affected by Kingsfields actions as HLS has proven that, despite Kingsfield, they produce some of the best lawyers in the world. Kingsfield has no relationship with his students, they have no relationship with him, there is neither a spoken nor an unspoken agreement between Kingsfield and his students. Essentially, Kingsfield does not owe Hart anything. There has been no agreement between them.
ReplyDelete2. After some thought I think my opinion lies more along the lines that there really is no such thing as an unspoken agreement. If you have not in some way established an agreement or relationship with someone or something than it really can't be considered a contract. So I maintain my position that there is no implicit relationship between myself and the teacher in the classroom, but for a somewhat different reason. An implicit agreement has no substantiality. If a contract is left unsigned it isn't really a contract is it? There is no agreement. It wouldn't matter if someone broke an "implicit contract" because there is no reason to expect that they would do anything different. So, while there is (generally) no contract between the teacher and myself, there is an explicit contract between myself (really my parents), and the school. This contract is established at the beginning of each school year and has a sort of substance to it that an unspoken contract would not.
1. I do not think Kingsfield owes Hart anything more than what he gives him, because I think that as a teacher, Kingsfield doesn’t owe anything more than showing up and teaching to the students. I think the relationship between a student and a teacher is much more simple than Hart is making it. Hart is romanticizing the relationship by thinking that he had a connection with Kingsfield and that he could tell what Kingsfield was going to say. Hart is projecting things on to Kingsfield, like their supposed bond and then Kingsfield’s vendetta towards Hart. I think the contract between a student and a professor is a straightforward one that is more uninvolved than Hart thinks it is and a contract more about respect for one another’s time. I think that Kingsfield has fulfilled this contract to Hart, while Hart, by not meeting Kingsfield’s deadline, has tested this contract.
ReplyDelete2. I think each student not only has a contract with the school but also with the teacher. The school expects something of us and the teachers also expect something of us. On the first day of class, every teacher tells us what they want from us and their expectations. And we the students also have expectations for the teachers. Expectations like showing up to class and giving us the knowledge to succeed in the class. I think each party owes something to the other, just as the school and the students owe something to one another.
1. Kingsfield has contract with Nick to teach him to become a contracts lawyer. Kingsfield's methods seem harsh but necessary but these last chapters made me think otherwise. Kingsfield does not owe Hart anything as a teacher, but he owes him as a person. I think that Kingsfield owes Hart respect, which is something he does not show him. The simple fact that he does not meet Hart's eyes is disrespectful but it also made me think that he didn't believe Hart was worthy of him. He should have acknowledge his efforts. At the end of chapter 32, I took the line "You ought to get some sleep" (113), made me think that Kingsfield understood what Hart had gone through, but his cruelness towards Hart in chapter 34 made me realize that Kingsfield enjoy (even if just a little) to see his students struggle with his challenges. Most teachers like to challenge their students but Kingsfield simply embarrass them. What he did to Kevin was cruel and disrespectful. I think that the least thing Kingsfield owes his students is a little respect, something he completely ignore in chapter 34.
ReplyDelete2. I think there is an implicit contract with John (or any teacher). Paideia (or any school) has a contract with the students to give them an education. The teachers have contracts with the students in which they will teach them what they need and they will provide them with the tools necessary. Someone mention today that sometimes some teachers do not teach. I believe this is a violation of this contract. As for the students, they have a contract with the teacher in which they will listen and try to learn what the teacher is teaching. This, however, does not mean that they will accepted everything a teacher says but they will respect and question as needed. Their is a mutual respect that is implicit in this contract and both parties should listen both views. Respect, in my opinion, is the basis of any contract.
I think you could take two different standpoints in answering this question. The first standpoint is that as a teacher, Kingsfield has done all he is obligated to do, and that is get up in front of his class every day and teach. He presents his students with the information they need to pass, with an opportunity to pass but not necessarily a promise that they will do so. Specifically with Hart, he gives him a paper assignment and three days after it is due, when Hart has still not turned it in, he does the reasonable thing and has someone else write it. He doesn't owe Hart anything at all because as a teacher, Kingsfield's only obligation, he has done everything he must. The second standpoint, and the one that I find myself leaning towards, focuses not only on Kingsfield's duty as a teacher but Kingsfield's duty as a human being. While he does everything he's obligated to do as a teacher, I think that as a human being he does owe Hart more than he is giving him. In this specific scene when he talks to Kingsfield to ask for more time, dirty, grimy, and sleep deprived, I think that Kingsfield ignores a moral contract that all human beings have with one another. I think that in this situation, Kingsfield completely ignores Hart's efforts and his commitment in trying, he ignores the fact that in asking for more time Hart is still looking to succeed for the sake of Kingsfield. Kingsfield's moral contract as a human being in this situation requires him to feel and show sympathy towards Hart for his actions. He's obligated as a human being to congratulate him on his efforts and hard work, or at the very least let him finish the paper. Kingsfield does none of this, and he won't even look at Hart. Kingsfield owes him all of this, and as Hart does not receive it from Kingsfield I would argue that he does him something.
ReplyDeleteI would most definitely disagree with Andrew. I think there is an implicit contract between John and his students, between John and myself, and this is the way it is between every Paideia teacher and the students. I think that it is this contract that our parents pay twenty grand a year for. Our parents pay this money for us to go to school here and to get a good education, but our education revolves entirely around our classes. Our classes, and are teachers, are where we get the education from, so our parents are for the most part paying for the teachers and their classes. Obviously, our parents expect our teachers to be great, or they wouldn't pay the twenty grand for us to be here. For this reason, I think there is a contract between the teachers and the students that promises the teachers will do a good job in teaching, that they will be as interactive and helpful as they can so we as students can succeed. On the other hand of this, our parents wouldn't pay this much money if we as students weren't committed to learning, and the teachers would not bother to do their best if we weren't trying. I think this is the other end of the contract, that the students must repay the teachers and their parents with their efforts in succeeding. More specifically with John though, I think the contract is that John presents us with a book and his ideas about the book, and in turn we give our own opinions based off of his questions and opinions. I think it's John's responsibility to give us a little starter's push in forming our own thoughts, and in turn we have to come up with our own thoughts. I think that this applies not only to our discussions but to our papers as well. It's also a contract about effort in that as we both hold up our ends, we must push each other to do more. I think that as students, the more we formulate our own ideas and the more we bring to the table, the more John will teach us because there is simply more that John can teach us, so we must put in that effort to get to that place. It is a cycle that can either be symbiotic or get us nowhere at all.
1. The implicit (and explicit) contract between student and teacher isn’t always reciprocal. Sometimes work and effort gets completely disregarded and ignored and the student ends up doing more work than the professor, and sometimes a student doesn’t do what was asked of them and the professor has the upper hand. I think Kingsfield is doing what is only required of him by the explicit contract between him and Hart. I don’t think he sees the point in going above and beyond what is required of him and I think that’s what gives him a cruel front. His purpose is to teach whether or not the students want to learn; his purpose isn’t to be a consoling friend or a fellow colleague. He is there to teach and that’s what he’s doing. I think there is a hidden lesson in the whole research paper bit and I think Kingsfield recognizes that Hart is an exceptionally bright student, but it’s not his job to admit it. He knew Harts name before he asked him, he knew Hart was smart enough to write the paper so he asked him; Kingsfield recognizes the academic value of Hart. However, it is not just job to recognize it so I think that Kingsfield thinks that if he isn’t required to praise a student or treat them as equals, than he doesn’t need to.
ReplyDelete2. I think the contract that we have between each other is that I come into class every day and you will teach me. I think that’s the most basic contract that we establish. I think any additions are made either through a personal agreement that I will do something or you tell the whole class to do something. I think that the contract falls apart once we start adding additional things to it because not everyone will follow it. Contracts are supposed to hold up and you’re supposed to know both sides of it. I think specifically to you, John, the contract between you and your students is clear and threes no fine print. You’re clear on what you expect from the students but it’s also clear to the students what we should expect from you. Like I said above, contracts between students and teachers aren’t always reciprocal and I think they get broken rather easily and frequently but I also think that that happens because the two sides see the same issue in different ways. What one teacher might think is educational and important, a student might think it’s pointless and is just a waste of time. I think that both sides need to have clear and exact definitions before they can make a solid contract.
1. Kingsfield owes Hart more than he gives in this scene, as a human. Hart comes into his office disheveled and completely and utterly distressed, admitting defeat to Kingsfield. Yet as John said, and the book says, Kingsfield couldn't even bare to look at him. Hart, who puts all of his energy and time into this paper for three weeks, completely drops the ball. Yet Kingsfield disregards him, tells him off, not even looking at him when Hart is at his worst. Admittedly, it should have been done, and Hart did blow it completely out of proportion, but I believe as a human, Kingsfield's reaction to Hart/s distress is cruel and sadistic. He obviously notices the way Hart looks, it would be impossible not to. But Kingsfield purposefully ignores Hart's physical state, and that is breaking an implicit contract from human to human. He owes Hart more, because a complete and utter lack for concern is not what any person would do. The secretary, who has no connection with Hart, still takes note, even if she does not do anything about it. Kingsfield owes Hart some recognition, some form of reinforcement that he at least notices that Hart tries.
ReplyDelete2. To me, I believe that we have a contract to treat each other like adults, and that you are not to try to trick me or the students in any way that would not benefit us. There is no contract stating that you cannot teach the way Kingsfield runs his class, but there is an implicit contract, I believe, that comes with Paideia that makes us different, as Amanda was saying in class. Part of the Paideia Philosophy is they way the teachers and students react, and if that were to be in a way the school did not see fit, that would be breaking a contract. A contract with the school to the teacher would be broken, but it may not be explicit. The school would not be able to take legal action, but I think there is a contract there.
1. Kingsfield is a harsh professor that hasn't enjoyed anything that we have seen in the book yet. Hart tries so hard to please him with the paper it's pitiful. I feel that it is human nature to feel empathy when someone is working so hard but Kingsfield remains snappy. Kingsfield owes Hart encouragement and support as any teacher should. The more effort a student puts into the class the more effort the teacher should put into the student. For both a student and teacher can benefit from a successful relationship. I think Kingsfield does owe Hart more. Hart puts so much effort into the class I think he should receive more from Kingsfield.
ReplyDelete2. I very much think we have contracts with each of our teachers not just the school. In junior and senior year we are able to pick our classes. I saw this as an opportunity to take interesting and challenging courses and have new teachers. Since we signed up for these classes I think a contract would have been formed stating our best work would be given. I also think that since the teachers have the option to teach the class or not they should be fully prepared to give every piece of information need to help the student. A relationship forms from the work and effort put in by both parties. Paideia is a privilege just as Anna F. stated in fifth period. Taking advantage of the privilege depends on the person. I think we have a strong contract in the American Dream and will be looking forward to it becoming stronger in the future.
1. I think that Kingsfield owes Hart a proper education, which he is most definitely giving. I think that there are three implicit contracts: the contract between HLS and Kingsfield, the contract between HLS and Hart (its students), and the contract between Kingsfild and Hart (his students). I think that each contract is definitely being met. Harvard promises a prestigious education with challenging class and teachers, such as Kingsfield's class, and Kingsfield has an agreement with his students that he will teach them to his utmost ability. I do not think hat Kingsfield owes Hart anything else because he is doing exactly what Harvard and Hart need him to do. While he is rough around the edges, he is providing his students with a very sound education and that is all he needs to do. I strongly agree with Jenny in that Hart is romanticizing his relationship with Kingsfield. He is becoming completely obsessed with Kingsfield and expects that if he tries hard enough to emulate Kingsfield's work (The Red Books) as well as his work ethic, that Kingsfield would somehow praise him. I think that Hart is breaking the teacher-student contract we see at HLS by assuming that he gets to be the one student that holds this special bond with Kingsfield simply because he tries.
ReplyDelete2. As I said above, I think that students have a contract with the school as well as their teacher. Both the student and the school expect teachers to come to school fully prepared with a lesson and our teachers and school expect that we come to school with our homework completed and ready to learn. The entire Paideia schooling system works on a cycle of contracts: parent and school, school and teacher, teacher and student, and school and student. There is a definite implicit contract that each level of our school provides something to each other.
1. In class, we stated that Harvard Law School is completely different from our very close knit community at Paideia, and that there is no implicit or explicit contract in which the professors owe the students anything other than a good education. You can argue that a good education is hindered when a professor belittles a student, as often Kingsfield does, whether it is done consciously or unconsciously. However, on Harvard Law School’s website, you can find this quote from the Vice Dean: “Many faculty work closely with [students], dedicated to helping them reach their full academic potential. The Graduate Program staff -- a group of dedicated, accessible and academically accomplished professionals -- helps guide students through the maze of choices they must make. We also actively enlist students in our ongoing efforts to improve and enhance the program. Together, we work to make each student's experience at Harvard a rich and fulfilling one that broadens his or her intellectual horizons.” (http://www.law.harvard.edu/prospective/gradprogram/message/index.html) You could interpret this quote in multiple ways, but the Vice Dean himself claims that the faculty works closely with the students (granted, this is after the Paper Chase “changed Harvard” as you said in class, John). I wouldn’t necessarily say that to not work closely with student would be a breach of contract, but it would be a rather large inconsistency in the reputation of a very prestigious school. In my opinion, to work closely with a student, a teacher should have some sort of positive rapport with that student so that both people can approach more delicate and difficult moments in the learning process with an open mind. I think that Kingsfield owes Hart a little more respect and a little more consideration, both as a fellow human being and as his teacher so that Hart could maybe have a little bit more of a “rich and fulfilling” learning experience that Harvard promises.
ReplyDelete2. In opinion, we do have a contract, though it is mostly unspoken, if not completely unspoken. I have had unconsciously had this contract with probably all of my past lit teachers, and I am sure some of them breached the contract, which may have been why I preferred teachers that went along with the contract. This contract is specifically between me, with the expectations that I have/had coming into your class and you, John, as my lit teacher. I believe that we have a contract to help me learn the most that I can in this course. That means what I have to on my part is: doing the work, participating in class, being willing to learn, having an open mind in class, and be willing to go the extra mile to do all of this and also to do all of these things in the most positive way or with the perspective that will help me learn best, whatever it may be. Your part of the contract to help me learn at my fullest capacity would be: give me the material that I can use to learn new ideas, help me propose or formulate those new ideas, challenge me to think in different ways or to extrapolate on an old way of thinking, teach me different ways of analyzing different writings, introduce me to different writings, and to teach in an environment in which I, as a student, feel that I am able to learn at my best level of learning.
Nice detail, Molly, going to the Harvard Web Site. Your point at the end of your post is a good one. Should a school like Harvard—and even Paideia—be a "rich and fulfilling excperience"? This isn't on our web site; but would this be a reasonable expectation given, as Amanda said today, the reputation of Paideia? Part of the contract is certainly the money: for 78 grand, HLS better be more rich and fulfilling than its competition; and not that Paul B. would ever say this, though I will: your parents are paying a lot of money and should have a reasonable expectation of something rich and fulfilling. Beyond that, though, is what Molly says in answering question two: you all want to be educated, but many of you want more—for both you and the teacher, me in this case, "to go the extra mile," as Molly writes. That's not written down, it's not required, it's not explicit, and it probably doesn't happen as often as it should from both student and teacher. Yet, given the money, given the reputation, given the way the school presents itself in a hundred different ways, to expect this is reasonable, just as its a reasonable expectation that I won't abuse you or spend half the week showing movies or pass out vodka shots with blow pops. The implicit contract is a reasonable expectation you can have of what I will do for you, and for me, what you will do for me.
Delete1. I agree with Aldo that respect is a key aspect missing in Kingsfield's teaching. I think that he is not necessarily breaking the implicit contract he has with Hart, but he is not helping or teaching Hart when he treats him badly. There is a delicate balance between being a strict teacher and being inconsiderate. There is a balance between praise and criticism. Kingsfield is not breaking a contract, but he does owe his students more respect. To reiterate what Graham has said, an encouraging Kingsfield would help Hart succeed even more. I don't think that Kingsfield understands this balance.
ReplyDelete2. John, I think you especially have nailed this balance down. You push your students to rise to your high expectations, but at the same time, you respect and listen to each and every student's point of view. In Kingsfield's classroom, they would not have the freely flowing conversations that we have in class. A very important role of a teacher is to create a thriving learning environment. The teacher's job is not to just recite the facts in memorable way, teachers become more than that. Teachers have a duty to rise to that type of figure in the student's lives.
Why thank you, Anna.
DeleteWhat you describe as the relationship between student and teacher in the classroom makes real sense to me. What makes "The Paper Chase" so compelling in its complexity is that Kingsfield does, for Hart, create "a thriving learning environment"; at the same time he is a bully and cruel. I think Osborn is asking us to consider if Kingsfield can do one and not the other—or if getting the first while putting up with the second is the way it has to be?
1. I don’t think that Kingsfield owes Hart anything else. Kingsfield’s job as a teacher is to teach. That’s it. In fact, he still wouldn’t be breaking any contract if he just refused to address students outside of class. He could’ve completely ignored Hart; he could have literally not acknowledged that Hart was in the room. In that case, one might consider that Kingsfield is no longer a good teacher; but there was no contract stating that Hart would have good teachers. Now, if Kingsfield failed to conduct his class, he would be breaching the contract that Hart has with the school. On a personal level, I still don’t think he owes Hart anything. Humans don’t owe other humans anything except to refrain from doing certain things. That being said, it does take a truly awful human being to act the way that Kingsfield did. Kingsfield is a jerk, but that’s his right as a person. Anybody can be any sort of person they want as long as they are not breaking any laws. Hart should accept that and get over his strange infatuation with Kingsfield. There’s no use trying to connect with people like that. People are who they are. The good thing is, if you don’t like who a person is, you get to stay away from them. Hart, and everyone else for that matter, should try and have as little interaction with Kingsfield as possible.
ReplyDelete2. I think the same rules apply to all situations. The only contract that exists between teacher and student is the contract already created between student and school. The teacher must teach because the teacher is an extension of the school, and the school promised that the student would be taught. This applies to Paideia as much as it does to Harvard Law School. I would, of course, much prefer a teacher who actually cares about his/her students and would help me if I were struggling. I would dislike any teacher who acted the way that Kingsfield acts. As I stated above, teachers don’t even have to be good teachers. The only way that a contract would be broken is if the teacher was so incompetent or so neglectful that the student did not have the tools necessary to learn. I don’t think we should really expect anything from anybody. You can’t assume that someone will be a good, nice teacher/person just because it would be a bummer if they weren’t. If you don’t expect anything from anybody, you won’t be disappointed when you find out someone sucks and you will be pleasantly surprised if someone is nice.
1. I think Kingsfield owes Hart a true education, not just a passing grade in the class. I still think it is unclear at this point in the novel, and it may never become clear, what Kingsfields true intentions as a teacher are. It is clear though that for some students, Kingsfield is not giving them an education, but rather hurting them. I think that Kingsfield should respect his students more, especially since they are adults. I really like what Molly found on the Harvard website, because even though the story is taking place 40 years ago I think it still applies. Kingsfield gives nothing back to his students, other than criticism and grades. Even though, like Jenny said, I think Hart takes his relationship with Kingsfield too seriously and romanticizes it, Kingsfield does not respect Hart like he should. It is complicated, because nothing explicitly states how Kingsfield should treat his students. But I think that Kingsfield owes Hart more recognition and respect than he gives him, because without that Kingsfield is being a bad teacher.
ReplyDelete2. I think that the contract between student and teacher is a sort of sub-contract between student and school, as well as teacher and school. Paideia has a educational ideology of open and engaged learning (my own words). Paideia hires teachers who will carry out this principle, and students and parents expect that the teachers will do so. Therefore if a teacher does not fulfill what it is to be a Paideia teacher, the teacher would have broken their contract to the school, and the school to the student. This is all very broad, and I am more speaking hypothetically to prove my point. Obviously all Paideia teachers don't teach the same way, and even the ones who don't teach at all dont get fired.
I also think, referring back to my answer to question 1, that there is a more implicit contract between students and teachers. A teacher should encourage students to enjoy learning (unlike Kingsfield). I agree with Anna that you John, and many other teachers at Paideia, do a very good job of being encouraging to all students while at the same time being an honest, hard teacher. And it is a students responsibility to respect and listen to the teacher, but also to engage with them.
1) I think that the contract that Kingsfield has with Hart is not essential, but it is a huge help to creating an open learning environment. Hart is expecting a mutual respect, and so far, this has not been the case. Kingsfield doesn't owe Hart respect, to Kingsfield he is a number on his seating chart and just another student in the 150. The entire Harvard experience has been very impersonal to this point, and Kingsfield believes that this kind of environment keeps unnecessary emotional elements out of his classroom. Kingsfield knows that giving Hart sympathy would make it easier for Hart, but Hart holds no value in Kingsfield's mind. Hart came to Harvard Law School to prepare for the world of law and Kingsfield believes that he has done a superb job in that preparation. He feels that he doesn't owe anything to Hart because he is giving them the credentials they came to receive. In my opinion, Kingsfield owes Hart some form of respect. It is understandable that he doesn't take the time to get to know every person individually every year. Even so, with the amount of work they are putting in and the respect that they show, its only fair to show to reciprocate.
ReplyDelete2) I disagree with the point that Andrew made in that there is definitely a contract that we have. Your end of the bargain is to give us the best education you see possible and our end is to work as hard as we can to fit the needs that you need us to. If you let us do whatever we want and we didn't work there would be no point in us coming. There is no explicit contract and no one ever says this, but in order for school to make sense, both the students and the teachers have to abide by this contract.
1. Kingsfield, as Hart's mentor, owes him an education of higher quality than any other scholarly institution, and carries out that one agreement through his own process, however "cruel" it may be. The relationship between a teacher and a student is not to be confused with the relationship as humans. In the scene with the torts professor, the torts professor is completely and utterly surprised that his students are displaying a sign of friendship, while he expects malicious intent. Though the students hate him as a professor, they acknowledge that he is human, just as they are, by celebrating his birthday. As humans, Kingsfield owes Hart sympathy for his hard work, but as a teacher, he cannot afford to show that emotion, as it would break his first agreement as a mentor to Hart, his pupil, since the way to fulfill the first agreement is to follow his strict process.
ReplyDelete2. The teacher has to conform to the contract that the school makes with the student, that money will ensure an education, and I believe that the teachers do just that. In class today, it was said that teachers don't teach well in some classes and nothing was learned, therefore breaking the contract, but the pursuit of knowledge is the responsibility of the student. The student has a contract with the teacher that they are willing to pay to learn, and also must actively try to learn. The student must first agree to learn, and open the gate to their mind for knowledge, before the teacher can allow knowledge into the gate. Knowledge can not pass through a closed gate. If the student is unwilling to learn, then they cannot learn, and the teacher's contract with the student can not even begin to be written.
1. I agree with what most everyone has said. Kingsfield owes Hart an education. Kingsfield is payed to educate the youth, he is payed to teach his subject to the best of his ability and that is it. He may have an implicit contract as a human being, however, the second he walks into his classroom he goes from human being to teacher. It is not part of Harvard that the teachers should care about their students beyond the typical teacher/student relationship. Every Harvard student knew what they were signing up for when they got in, accepted a spot and turned in their checks. They did not go into Harvard Law School expecting to be coddled and babied. They are still boys, yet they are boys who signed up to be thrown into the world of men. Kingsfield owes them (and Hart) what they signed up for, what they invested in, and that is the proper education to become a lawyer.
ReplyDelete2. Of course their is an implicit contract. The explicit contract simply states that I pass school and pay my fees and in return I get a good education. There is so much more to Paideia than that. I believe that while the explicit contract remains constant, implicit contracts can change. My contract with you is quite different than someone else's contract with you. I think that there is very much an implicit formula and it is all based on the individuals. If I have higher expectations of myself, I will do more work for you, causing you to have higher expectations of me. We all decided to come to Paideia for many reasons, not because of the fact that we pay to get a good education. The variety of implicit contracts, the room to control what you give and get in return is what makes Paideia so unique.
1. I think that Kingsfield owes more to Hart than he is giving him. Hart works so hard in every aspect of this class. He stayed up for four days straight working on a extra paper. His hands were covered in ink and his clothes were disheveled. Kingsfield acts as if he doesn't know Hart's name and he barely reacts to Hart's appearance when Hart comes into his office. He wouldn't even look at him. Hart believed that Kingsfield cared more about him than he did seat 258. Kingsfield didn't. Now Hart thinks that Kingsfield is starting psychological war fare with him. Kingsfield is letting Hart lose himself. He doesn't care. Teachers, to a certain extent, owe it to their students to care about them as humans. Kingsfield only sees numbers. Hart is becoming more like the boy with the hairy hand with every chapter.
ReplyDelete2. I believe that there is a implicit contract between you and me. Coming into the class I imply that I will do the work to the best of my ability. As my teacher you are saying that you are going to teach me to the best of your ability. If I don't do an assignment I am breaking our implicit contract. Also the teacher and student should treat each other like human beings. Coming into your class I am saying that I will respect you and your room. We come to school to become educated. In relationships between friends there are implicit contracts. Also there is an implicit contract between a married couple.There are several implicit contracts in the many relationships between humans.
1. I don't think Kingsfield owes Hart anything. Like Jenny said, Kingsfield's job is to show up and teach the class which is exactly what he's doing. There is nothing that says he has to check in on his students' well-being or personal lives. These students are grown adults who should have learned how to be responsible for their classwork by now. I'd be interested to know Hart's educational background/what his past teachers have been like. This method is clearly unfamiliar to him...or maybe it's just the amount of work that HLS presents him with. Also, is Kingsfield the only teacher that conducts his class this way? Is his class the only class that feels there is no mutual respect between student and teacher? Frankly, I have no sympathy for Hart so my feelings on how Kingsfield should treat him are a little biased, however as a student myself, I would hate a class like this. I wouldn't do well in a class like this and I'd be confused (especially coming from Paideia) by a teacher who had no interest in knowing me at all.
ReplyDelete2. I believe that each student has a contract with both the school they attend and the teachers they have. I think it's easy to give teachers too much power sometimes (no offense, John). A teacher can easily act the way Kingsfield does; no regard for the students' well-being, never-ending embarrassment and humiliation, etc. However, what some teachers such as Kingsfield forget is the effect this has on the students. We see Hart starting to go crazy and the book has mentioned all the boys who have killed themselves. A teacher's style affects the students learning without a doubt. Therefore, I believe that there should be some implicit contract for a teacher to teach to the best of their ability. I don't think Kingsfield is teaching to his best ability. He's using scare tactics to teach. As Anna said, in this class we are pushed to explore new thoughts and question our theories, but our opinions are always respected and we are taught that we have every right to our own way of interpretation. However, in order for this to work, as Karen said in class today, we must put in as much effort as we expect to get from you. How can I as a student expect you to teach me if I am not willing to learn?
1. I think that one of the most important aspects in deciding whether or not Kingsfield owes anything to Hart becomes evident in looking at the relationship shared between the two. They are not just random strangers, nor are they subjects of an ongoing test on the effects of psychological attack. They share a teacher student relationship, which, I believe, is explicit. Hart has paid money to HLS and has been contractually decreed to be their student, just as Kingsfield has contractually agreed to teach at HLS for a monetary return. Not only is this true, but Hart just so happens to be one of the students who Kingsfield has been explicitly assigned to teach. This leads to the question, what does a teacher owe his student? Is there some sort of Socratic Oath that teachers must take before beginning their jobs as teachers, or are they simply told to do as they please? In research of this question (I honestly didn't know whether or not teachers sign a contract), I found that there are such things as teacher's contracts. Such contracts seem to usually contain things like obligatory testing of the teachers to ensure that they are capable of educating, agreed upon payment raises, and other things of such nature. Teacher contracts also usually declare that there are certain behavioral guidelines that a teacher must follow, or face possible severance. One of these guidelines is that a teacher is not allowed to mentally abuse his or her students. Of course, this is exactly what Kingsfield is doing to his students. He is purposefully attacking his students by embarrassing them, intimidating them, and generally making their lives hellish. If Harvard Law School did in fact require Kingsfield to sign a contract (they almost certainly did), it would most likely be in agreement with such a behavioral code, also known as the "Code of Ethics for the Education Profession", which is a nationally agreed upon declaration of ethical code which must be followed by all teachers who wish to be in accordance with the NEA. If you want to read it, the link is here http://www.nea.org/home/30442.htm
ReplyDeleteIn reading this code, it is evident that Kingsfield is well beyond grounds for being fired from his job at Harvard. Thus, in a purely explicit manner, Kingsfield has broken his contract with Hart, as well as all of the other law students. The only possible way that one could argue that Kingsfield has not broken his teacher's contract with his students would be to say that Kingsfield is not, in fact, attacking his students. However, I don't see that this is remotely possible. Kingsfield has caused many psychological damages to his students. His students have had varying reactions to their experiences as HLS, including minimal sleep, homicidal thoughts, nervous paranoia, and depression, all of which are due to Kingsfield's practices as a teacher. Taking a step back even further, it is also evident that Kingsfield broke an IMPLICIT contract with his students. Even if there was no explicit contract between Kingsfield and his students, he still owes them the decency of a fellow human being. At the very least, the students should be able to expect that Kingsfield would respect their right to not be made fun of or mocked. So, all in all, Kingsfield has broken both his explicit and implicit contract with his students.
2. John, this all applies to you too. I'm sure that Paideia had you sign a contract which included a code of conduct, and I would be surprised if it didn't list "Don't mentally attack students". If anything, a Paideia teacher's contract would have even more ethical codes built into it than the one at Harvard. I couldn't imagine Paideia only issuing the bare minimum amount of ethical regulation to its teachers, especially considering how much we pride ourselves on morals and what not. Then again, Paideia is the kind of school that is based more off of implicit relationships than explicit ones... For me personally, I think that you exceed your job as a teacher. Some Paideia teachers think that an adequate education consists of reading a text book and taking tests, but in this class we also have blog posts and extensive class debates. Even though it is not necessarily part of the teacher's contract, you still do it, which helps a lot with understanding the class material and gaining a personal perspective on the reading.
DeleteI agree with what almost everyone else has said which is that Kingsfield has a contract with each and everyone of his students, in this case focusing on Hart, to give them an education. Not even a good education, that is the students part of the contract, they have to make the best of the material that is given to them and if they do their work, and do what Kingsfield expects of them then in turn they will receive a good education. I do not think the way in which Kingsfield is cruel at all, it is objective and emotionless, which is exactly what one signs up for when they go to Harvard Law School. The teachers are not there to baby the students or coddle them, they teachers are there to turn the students in to lawyers, and give them an education that will better them and help them in their lives. I do not think that Kingsfield owes Hart anymore than he is giving him in the scene because that is not a part of the implicit or explicit contract. Neither say that kingsfield has to care about his students, neither say that he has to show empathy, he is giving him the minimal amount of "stuff" that he has too. Nowhere in either contract does it mention how to treat students, that is up the teachers discretion.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think there is an implicit contract. Not only just with you, John, but with all of my teachers, and they are all different. To me the implicit contract between a teacher and a student is like the expectation one has for the other. You expect from us that we will do our homework, participate in class discussions, everything that goes into our grade, you know how it is divided up into percents, we are expected to do. I think that for me, I expect of my teacher to give me the tools to do well in their class. For example in our lit class you give us the tools to spot symbols and analyze. Not only does this help me and us in your class but it will also help me in the future, and in future lit classes. I also think, especially here at Paideia that these "contracts" are also our individual relationships with the teachers and how I interact with John, is different than how someone else interacts with you. I also think, just from experience in our lit class, that you John do a very good job, like anna said, at keeping a balance between Kingsfield, and a "push-over" in a way. You do expect a lot from us as students, but at the same time you understand that mistakes happe.
I think that Kingsfield has no responsibility whatsoever to make Hart feel good about himself. He has an obligation, on the contrary, to point out all of his faults so Hart (ideally) could go back to the dorm and work on them. It says more about Hart's character that Kingsfield's that he works for three weeks on what was supposed to be a ten-page paper. Perhaps it also says something about the atmosphere in the law school as well, but Kingsfield never explicitly intended for Hart to put himself through what he did. Honestly I don't think that Kingsfield anticipated Hart's reaction. Despite all of this, Kingsfield still does not morally owe Hart anything, besides the promise of an education in contract law. This is exemplified by a comparison between the events at the beginning of the book, when Hart and Pruitt are shakily stabbing their way through a case, and chapter 28, when the students are having a solid, thorough discussion all on their own.
ReplyDeleteI find myself agreeing with Zoë. There is a contract implicit in education in terms of "you-give-me-this-and-I'll-give-you-that," but there is also a component that comes from the student putting forth the effort to learn from the classes. It is incumbent upon the student to ensure that his part of the bargain is held up. No one can truly force you to learn (brainwashing doesn't count); learning is a two-way street, and this fact is only magnified at HLS. As John Houseman says at the beginning of the TV show version of the book, "You teach yourselves the law." HLS envisions the role of the school more as teaching the students to think like lawyers, not stuffing facts into their heads. Any law school can do that very well. Mental methods, however, are a more finely attained standard. In this sense, there is indeed a contract between a student and any school. To give a more precise example, and answer John's question more directly, when I come into John's classroom in the morning, I expect to gain insight from him into the way John J. Osborne portrays HLS in Paper Chase. I also expect him to lead other students to their own conclusions by encouraging discussion in class to sort out the deeper topics in the book.
I have a question for you Ben. I agree with your second half of the blog, but feel that it contradicts the first in a way and so am wondering if you could explain your thoughts. You say, "I also expect him to lead other students to their own conclusions by encouraging discussion in class to sort out the deeper topics in the book." If you expect John to be encouraging us students and helping us develop our ideas and analyze the text, "The Paper Chase," don't you think that then that is something Kingsfield owes Hart and his students? By saying that you expect that from John, even though it's not explicitly stated in the student-teacher contract, you are in a way saying that that is what you feel is owed to you from John, that is what you expect. This was my take on what you wrote, and I'm curious to know what you have to say about it!
DeleteOh and sorry the end is not very clear. I'm talking about encouragement being what you expect from John and therefore something John owes you. If it is something that you feel a teacher owes you then that is something Kingsfield owes his students right? Because so far he is not encouraging in the least bit.
DeleteSure, not at all. I think that there is a contract between the student and professor/teacher, and it is the right of the student to expect certain things from the consequences of this contract. However, the professor also expects certain things from the student; it goes both ways. At Harvard Law School, the students are expected to teach themselves the facts of the law, while the professors reach what cannot be taught from books: the mental methods necessary to understand the law. I was saying that this is similar to the method of teaching used by John in that (and perhaps encouragement was the wrong word to use; I don't mean moral encouragement) he trains us to recognize certain aspects of writing that contribute to an overall understanding of a book. For example, he wouldn't start class by saying "Ok, in last night's reading we saw Kevin aiming a gun out a window. This means that Kevin is mentally breaking down under the pressure of law school and Kingsfield, Kingsfield is a sadist, and the law school fails to teach anybody anything useful." First of all, that's not the only interpretation of the text, and it may not be the right one. Instead, John would begin class by saying "So what do you guys think Kevin is doing? Why is he doing it?" in order to elicit multiple opinions from the class and force us to actually think about and consider the meaning of the text. In a similar manner, Kingsfield forces
Deletehis students to analyze the law themselves. His method may not be as nice as John's (I.e. blow pops), but it has much of the same intent. This is the component of the educational contract that I was discussing last night.
Thanks for that clarification. I understand your point better and agree with what you are saying about the similar ways of encouraging different responses from the students. I think that Kingsfield's class might be more motivating to students or more exciting if he was more enthusiastic about their responses and participation, but I guess your right in that Kingsfield does not necessarily owe them enthusiasm as long as he teaches his class well.
DeleteHarvard Law School explicit contract probably states that for a certain amount of money, Harvard, this business entity responsible for education, will educate students by providing material in such a way that is recognized by the state. Completion of classes will result in a certificate recognized by many other business entities. It is not stated that Harvard is the best law school out there. It is not stated that people who graduate from Harvard will be better prepared for a career in law, or have a better chance at getting a job. That is the implicit contract, one that is often broken. Kingsfield has an explicit contract with Harvard. He has agreed to present the information necessary for students to attain a certificate. Students have an explicit contract stating that if they achieve high scores on the tests and other graded material, they will be recompensed with a certificate. Kingsfield does his job adequately. As far as the explicit contract, he cannot be reproached for misconduct. However, as Sam was saying, his moral responsibility as a human being is an implicit contract. Hart evidently feels he owes Kingsfield something, but Kingsfield shows no emotion, or sense of responsibility whatsoever. Kingsfield is ignoring his obligation to help students succeed. He leaves them entirely to their own devices, maybe a preparation for the cold, hard, reality of life, maybe a disturbing game to entertain himself. It is a personal choice, but it is entirely imbalanced, as Anna brought up. He is entirely focused on the explicit contract. His concern is solely giving the information necessary to pass the class, nothing more, nothing less.
ReplyDeleteIn agreeing to pay for a private education at Paideia, I am consenting to attending a certain number of classes and completing a certain amount of work, to be dictated by individual teachers. In return, I will be awarded a certificate of completion. This certificate symbolizes that I has successfully learned an array of knowledge. There is nothing written that states how much work a teacher should give, or how hard a student should try. Guidelines such as the student handbook help to avoid confusion about student behavior, but nothing is written about what teachers owe students. I think the money spent on such an education is validated by the implicit contract that teachers have with themselves. It is worth an inordinate amount of money to have someone, a teacher specifically, not only give you information, but essentially nurture intellectual growth in a way that allows for and even fosters independence while still offering support in cases when necessary. The student has an obligation to take advantage of the teacher as a resource in order to be responsible for their own development and improvement, without abusing them as a human being.
1. Harvard Law School's explicit contract is that upon receiving tuition, they will teach a student and give him the materials necessary to earn a Law Degree. It is not stated that anything else will happen. Kingsfield while in a sadistic way, does do his job. afterall, he has been at Harvard Law for about 30 years it was? But, as discussed in class yesterday, Kingfield as an implicit contract, a moral responsibility to be better. He obviously singles Hart out, instilling fear into him, and then, to make it worse (or better for Hart, since he didn't know the answer) he doesn't call on him. He treats his students like I would my pencils. I use them and the slowly wear down or they break. And sometimes, I lose a few, but that's fine, since I have so many more. Kingsfield doesn't offer any help to his students and lets them suffer, which I don't think he has the right to do.
ReplyDelete2. Technically, it is true that there is no explicit contract between you and I (except MAYBE that I will take this class). But in my eyes, the contract that we may have is that you will have me read the novel and you will present the information to us. Then, as a class, we analyze what we read and what has been presented. We will also be graded on the work done, and it is not unreasonable to ask for help. Kind of complicated, but yea.
I think what Kingsfield owes Hart is encouragement. After Hart worked for 3 weeks on the supposedly ten page paper for Kingsfield, didn’t sleep for four days, and didn’t finish because he wanted to write the best paper to impress Kingsfield, I think the very least Kingsfield owes him and can give him is encouragement. Encouraging comments would help Hart know at least if he’s headed in the right direction with his work and if he should continue or not. Otherwise Hart might beat himself trying to finish the paper without having any guide lines at all about what Kingsfield would like or not.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Isabella, and think that the simply stated contract between student and teacher, you and I, Hart and Kingsfield, is that the professor shares knowledge with his/her students and helps them cultivate their ways of thinking in return for our attendance and tuition payments. Also, because we, students, are paying such a sum to attend school, we have an expectation not simply absorb the information given to us by teachers, but to also be able to talk with the teacher if things are not clear or we don’t understand them. We students expect to be in an encouraging environment in which the teachers are invested in what they do as much as each student is invested in leaning from a professor.
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ReplyDeleteAs a teacher, kingsfield is obliged to show up to class, to teach the class for the allotted time, and to provide a higher education for them. As a teacher, he isn't obliged to do more. But between two people, he owes Hart more. Hart slaved away at the project for Kingsfield for days, and when he shows up Kingsfield doesn't even look at him, instead leaving him with a snide comment about getting more sleep. He doesn't offer any encouragement, doesn't show any concern. Hart is owed those reactions. He might not have solid contract to do this, but it is implied as a human being.
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The contract between the teacher and student is that the teacher presents the information to the student, the student analyzes it, and the teacher assists in broadening the student's plane of knowledge. The student is obliged to pay attention in class in order to receive a pleasing grade, and the teacher is obliged to give them a grade suitable to their efforts. At Paideia, we expect to be able to talk to our teachers, to achieve a deeper understanding than simply memorizing the information. We expect a deep analysis, an engaging discussion, and an interesting class.
1. I don't think Kingsfield owes Hart anything. They do have a implicit contract, though. Kingsfield will try to make the best lawyer out of the students, and the students will work hard to become the best lawyer. Kingsfield is strict and difficult on his student, but he does not disrespect them. It may seem as though Kingsfield may have no respect for his students, but I think that Kingsfield does care for his students. I think he wants to see them succeed. Even though, Kingsfield may seem harsh, he wants succession for his students. Kingsfield pushes his students to far limits, because he wants to his students to succeed.
ReplyDelete2. I definitely think I have a contract with you. I think that you have to teach me and give me an education and there rest is up to me. I have to put the effort and work hard. I think the contract I have with you is you will specifically help me with literature and writing. You will help improve my writing skills and teach me more about american literature. And I will attend class, learn, and work hard. I think we both have to give in order to receive something in return.
I definitely think Kingsfield owes Hart more because of the implicit human contract they have. It makes sense, and everyone agrees, that when one is clearly in an emotionally broken down condition, to offer any sort of comfort. Arguably, Hart put himself in this position, so he shouldn’t complain or ask for comfort and sympathy. But Kingsfield doesn’t even think Hart deserves the dignity and respect of eye contact. Of course, they are both grown men, but I think there is something about power here. I have and have had a minute theory that Kingsfield sees himself in Hart and wants to test him. I think the evidence may be in the Red Set notes because they look exactly like Harts’ notes. Adding on to my theory, perhaps Kingsfield is jealous that Hart is so advanced; maybe more than he was in this class. But even if they are both men, this is not how friends or even acquaintances treat each other. No matter how little you know someone you don’t neglect their emotional distress.
ReplyDeleteI think that the implicit contract we have, and also the one you have said, is that we can come to you if we need any help. Of course because it is your job but you love to do it. We get the sense that you don’t mind helping us on papers and figuring things out in the book because it’s what you teach. You don’t have to like us of course, but I think we are allowed to have a sort of friendly relationship with you as well. I think it’s because we are so chill in the class, I mean if the teacher can say bad words, what can’t we discuss?
Kingsfield definetily owes Hart more than he's giving him. Hart spent three weeks writing a paper for Kingsfield, only to have Kingsfield shoot him down when he doesn't finish it. I think that Kingsfield and Hart have a very explicit contract stating that Kingsfield will do whatever it takes to turn Hart into a good lawyer. Even if this means putting Hart on the very edge of breaking. The second contract I think they have, is the contract that Kingsfield will stop if Hart is already on the edge off breaking. Kingsfield's job is to bring him to the edge, not push him over it. I think that Kingsfield calling on everyone around
ReplyDeleteHart in chapter 34 is Kingsfield's way of both mocking and telling Hart that he owes him one.
I definitely think that I have a contract with you and the school. The contract was proposed in your syllabus at the beginning of the year, and will end after I finish your class. The contract states, that as long as I do my work well, you'll give me a grade to reflect that. I also think the contract states that I can't cheat to get that grade, as that would break the "do my work" part of it.