ABSTRACT
This chapter connects self-regulation to pupil management and emerging democratic voices. Theories and practices of self-regulation are discussed against the background of the history of ethical conduct. It can be traced back to philosophical dreams of independence in antiquity when the rich would find truth-tellers to help them improve their lifestyle and thinking. It became training in the aristocratic art of living. It has also become a requirement for entry into civilised society. The behaviour of those unable to achieve it has been problematised by institutions and treatment in school and society. Educational self-direction is Janus-faced: a tool for independence and a condition of civic freedom. Keep such discipline from pupils, and we hinder them from achieving their political, artistic, and personal goals. Impose it on them, and we impose fixed values on passive populations.
