I suppose the connection between the mental ward in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Framingham High School is valid point to make. The problem is however, that most of the rules and regulations are not a unique trait of FHS any more so than they are characteristics of the mental ward. Many of the rules of the ward are there simply to maintain order. The true is same for government, for job schedules, and for any other organization that is expected to run efficiently. Without this predetermined order, there would be chaos. A reduction in rights is the price we pay for freedom from chaos.
With that said, I still have three parallels to discuss. I suppose one should be the lack of tolerance for disruption. The ward and FHS are intended to be well-oiled machines, so any misbehavior on the part of a ward patient or a student significantly disrupts things. That's why the teachers and ward nurses are expected to call off disruption immediately.
Next, the hours. The patients are kept to a very strict time frame. This includes getting up early and going to bed when the lights are shut down in the ward. We are required to get to school by 7am, which for some people means getting up before 6, and for almost everyone it entails a pre-dawn wakeup call. We have a very strict period schedule as the ward has circle meetings and so forth.
Thirdly, the lack of spontaneity. The Nurse grinds her teeth at the idea of a carnival in her preciously neat hospital ward, but it also seems to reflect the general policy at FHS. I find that classes rarely surprise me. We repetitiously do roughly the same things day after day, and I have to say it gets a little dull. Anyway, the current school system seems to share something of the same monotony as the mental ward.
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