Good Teachers and Rebellion

Mary wrote an interesting post regarding rebelliousness in the classroom. However, I'm uncertain that rebelliousness is what we actually find laudable here. I think the core of this appreciation for rebelliousness is that it stems from the mind of an independent thinker. Helping to foster and facilitate independent thinking (and critical thinking, which goes along naturally with independent thinking) ought to be one of the primary goals of any good educator.

So, what of rebelliousness in the classroom. In Drew Warner's response to Mary he cited things that he rebelled against in high school, which were typically the poor pedagogical processes of his teachers. This, and I beg Drew's forgiveness if I am incorrect here, was likely born from constrictive teaching methods clashing with his autonomy as an independent thinker. If this is indeed the case, as I suspect it is, then a good teacher ought to create a format of education that satisfies and fosters independent thinking in all students. Thus, the class would have little to rebel against. The laudable aspect of a rebellious nature would still be present without the potential detriments it could have on the class.

This is not to say that rebellion is necessarily out of place in the classroom. There ought to be forums for students to enact change in their school and their society when they see wrongs they want to correct. However, a good teacher should never need to be rebelled against, and would foster independent thinking, and provide a constructive outlet for challenging authority. Can a teacher be an authority figure while truly fostering skeptical independent thought about authority figures?