In Loco Parentis

Given parents are ultimately responsible for their child’s education (Ephesians 6:4), hiring a teacher does not mean parents are abdicating their responsibilities. They are wisely exercising the division of labor. It does mean, however, the responsibility for finding the right teacher falls under the umbrella of the parent’s responsibility. 

But what happens after that? Does the fact that the parents have hired the teacher mean they have the authority to dictate the way a teacher teaches his or her students?

The obvious answer to the question could be answered using a version of Kant’s categorical imperative: what if every parent had a different vision for the classroom and exercised their will on the teacher to perform accordingly? There would be a dozen different agendas, the classroom would be chaos, and everyone would be worse off for it. 

This is where in loco parentis is applied. The expression is Latin for “in the place of a parent.” The idea is that the wise parent defers to and supports the teacher they interviewed and hired. The parents trust the teacher as themselves in a limited sense. By hiring the teacher, they are giving him authority over their child within the realm of the classroom and over the directed course of study they’ve been hired to teach.

Assuming the teacher is acting within the moral, ethical, and professional boundaries of his role, the wise parent will always support the teacher, even if the parent would have approached or taught the subject differently. The child must know the parents and teacher are working together and are on the same page.

The relationship is much like a dance and the first step is choosing the right dance partner. After that, trust and virtue go along way toward a favorable experience. A good teacher strives to do his best work—as if the student were his own child (in loco parentis). Good parents do their best work by hiring and supporting the right teacher for their child (division of labor).