First, Do No Harm

While there is some debate over whether the axiom "First, do no harm" is a literal translation of the Hippocratic Oath, there is no debate that it reflects the spirit of the oath taken by doctors before practicing medicine.

I believe that doctors and educators share the ethos expressed by "First, do no harm," for the single most important responsibility schools have to their students is to keep them safe. Families trust schools with the well-being of the children; thus schools serve, by definition, in loco parentis. The phrase in loco parentis translates "in place of parent," and for educators there is no greater honor than for families to entrust their children to their care. Serving in loco parentis means first and foremost that teachers "do no harm" to the students in their custody.

"Harm" can take many forms. Prior to moving to Incline Village, I worked with schools in some of the most economically disadvantaged communities in America - schools in the Bronx, in Harlem, and in Bed Sty; for educators in those schools "do no harm" meant, first and foremost, providing students with a physically safe environment. In those schools, ensuring physical safety meant metal detectors at the doors and armed police roaming the halls; it meant bathrooms that were locked except for two 20 minute periods a day; and it meant no colors, no gangs, and no guns. Though such draconian security measures are not necessarily compatible with my vision of an ideal educational environment, because most students felt physically safe, they were able to separate themselves from who they had to be outside of school and be students in school.

Although I believe that physical safety is the most fundamental necessity of educators' in loco parentis responsibilities, "harm" can also be psychological. Educators need to go to great lengths in order to create an environment of psychological safety in their classrooms and in their school communities. Students need to be nurtured to take the intellectual and emotional risks necessary for them to succeed (taking chances and making mistakes are essential to leaning, just as falling is an integral part of the process of learning how to ski). If students do not feel comfortable exploring their ideas and speaking their minds in an educational environment free of ridicule and intimidation, they will rarely be able to explore new ideas.

This is why it is essential that schools author and enforce harassment policies designed to protect those who do take risks by virtue of who they are, harassment policies based on race, color, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, or other characteristics that may define individuals as different. And though harassment can often be defined differently by different people (e.g., the accusations made by Anita Hill against Clarence Thomas at his confirmation hearings), the point of harassment policies is to protect those who may be threatened from "harm."

Educators who nurture educational communities in which harassment is punished, physical and psychological safety valued, and threats to safety are mitigated by clear policies and compassionate teachers, provide students with the gift that parents strive to give their children - the opportunity to explore who they are and where they fit into the world, the opportunity to learn useful skills and to ask the right questions, and the chance to be thoughtful, inquisitive, and loving girls and boys.

Schools that "do no harm," schools that foster a culture of mutual respect and personal accountability, schools that value academic achievement, responsible behavior, and personal effort - these are schools who take seriously their in loco parentis roles and are those to whom parents should be comfortable entrusting their precious children.

(I am indebted to my friend and mentor, Dr. Jay Heubert, Columbia University Professor of Law and Education, for alerting me to the idea of educators' responsibility to "First, do no harm.")

--Steve McKibben
11/20/05