Panopticon by Michael Foucault definitely was a bizarre piece.  In a sense, I felt like I was reading stage directions for a screenplay about a plague that occurred in the future which described in detail how steps of the quarantine were to be handled, and the roles of people in that society. I found in fascinating, although I wasn’t sure if what he was writing about had actually happened, or if he was just making a point. There were, of course, those designated as guards as well as “people of little substance who carry the sick, bury the dead, clean and do many vile abject offices.” Throughout the first few pages Foucault kept emphasizing the idea of being watched and connecting it to discipline.  He states:  “ The plague (envisaged as a possibility at least) is the trial in the course of which one may define ideally the exercise of disciplinary power.”

            I had never heard of a panopticon, so I immediately went to Wikipedia, looked it up, and found the diagrams so that I could get a clearer picture of it.  From Foucault’s description, we know that there is a building and in the center of the building there is a water tower, so to speak, from which everyone in control was able to watch everyone out of control.  It is definitely reminiscent of a prison situation and is a prime example of an institution with “disciplinary power. “Ironically, sometimes I hear my students refer to school as being a prison because they don’t have a choice about going or not, the gates are locked much of the day, and they are dismissed when then are allowed to be dismissed.  Although I love my job, from a teacher’s perspective we can also relate to school as a sort of panopticon.  For instance, as teachers we know that we are continually watched and observed.  When I first started at my school district, I was startled to find out that rather than telephoning a teacher, the office would call from the intercom, so that teachers wouldn’t have to stop what they’re going, and could respond through the intercom.  With this arrangement, the office could hear conversations or discussions that students are having with students when they use the intercom to speak to teachers.  It isn’t too far off that they could just plain and simple listen when they want to.  Of course, there also is the in-person observations.  At my school in the bay area, my principal and vice principal were both short women, and, conversely, the windows were high.  We had no forewarning when they decided they were going to come in and observe our classes. I’ve heard about school districts who are considering putting cameras in classes.  My first response would be “Big Brother,” but on the other hand, sometimes I wish there were video cameras in my class so parents could see what kind of behavior some of their children exhibit.

            Obviously, there are situations when people need to be watched for safety – prisons being one of them. However, must people would agree, that the idea of being watched is very uncomfortable?