Continuing yesterday’s post on why we body-slam kids in school, I wanted to reiterate the role of the United States’ overall culture—you and I included—in creating school environments where cops body-slamming kids is inevitable. Three movies illustrate our culture’s views on violence and kids. American Sniper First, watch the closing scenes of American Sniper, which show real-life footage of the main character’s funeral. You don’t need to have seen the[…] Keep reading →

You saw the video of the cop slamming the student in a grade-school classroom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C39aib3nkvM Everybody is quick to talk about race and belligerent cops. What everyone is missing We’re so accustomed to regimented schools, we miss what an anti-educational environment we’ve made our schools into. Notice that during this violent interaction, none of the other students or the teacher acts with shock, to defend her, or to do anything[…] Keep reading →

Continuing my series of alternative responses to the New York Times column, The Ethicists, looking at the consequences of one’s actions instead of imposing values on others, here is my take on today’s post, “Must a Quaker School Care for Its Neighbors?” A wealthy private school that espouses Quaker values is buying property contiguous to its main campus. On that land is a hospice center and home for Medicaid recipients;[…] Keep reading →