wise and foolish decisions

What is the underlying ideology among teachers and administrators where I work? I've heard teachers talk about the choices made by students in a very bizarre way: He made a c h o i c e ... or It was h i s c h o i c e .... as if choice were some sort of magic word.....

I don't believe this is merely ordinary English uninfluenced by religion or some other ideology.

What they seem to be saying is: It was his choice; so I have a right and duty to PUNISH him.
--As if somehow any responsibility for that act of punishment were obviated...

I seem to have heard a similar ideology-influenced pattern of speech in the beginning of "Bowling for Columbine", of which I've only seen 25 minutes. (And about which I say: the theme seems to be "Smart Michael Moore/Stupid Everyone Else"....not insightful...)

I suspect a rather primitive picture of morality is at work: Good people go to heaven, and bad people go to hell. --And those bad ones deserve to suffer because of the free choices they made.

All of which is dubious for a variety of reasons. To start with, I can't see the sense of suffering in and of itself. If suffering isn't educational, then it serves no purpose--except, perhaps, to assert an unequal power relationship. Moreover, it is a rather obnoxious idea that one person should have the job of doling out suffering to another.

But the important point is: what is the basis of these beliefs? Do any of these people have any reason (other than "intuition", or the empty and a priori "it makes sense", or appeal to holy texts) to believe what they are advocating works? I suspect they have absolutely no evidence whatsoever.... And these beliefs actually make them unfit to come into contact with young people; they are more likely to do harm than good. Their relationships can't be healthy when it includes this bizarre thought process.... no matter how "good" the intentions may be on one (superficial) level... ((Good intentions and their harmful consequence: The best description I know of this is found in Graham Greene's The Quite American...))