Today is the birthday of Paul Thomas’ daughter. In his home, there were a few ironclad rules. No physical intimidation of children, no racism, no tolerance for violence against others.
Our society seems evens to be rushing backwards in its regard for other human beings. Yesterday I saw a member of the audience at a Trump rally punch a young black protestor in the face. Maybe if the guy had grown up in a home like Paul’s, he would have stopped himself. What did his parents teach him, by word and deed?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Agree totally with Paul Thomas.
Another horror is that in these days, our young are just FOR SOMEONE ELSE’s profits.
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As are the old, the sick, the incarcerated, and all the rest of us…
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Yup!
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The anger and hate that is coming out of the shadows is not because of anything that is justifiable. There are no excuses. I never, ever even spanked my daughter and she is doing quite well, graduating from DePaul and a good citizen. I also was never spanked. Maybe there is a pattern there.
However, when the king of afluenza has a microphone, bad things happen. The angry “right” are not angry because this country is in bad shape, it isn’t. They are angry because they lost to an intelligent black man. And with President Obama’s win and success, they have to blame someone.
Beginning with “you lie” the racism that was festering in the shadows has come out in the light. At least it can be addressed where, in the past, it was allowed to simmer.
In November the biggest issue in the presidential campaign will be the opportunity to put hate to rest.
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There was a great series of comments concerning this on the Diane Rehm show this morning. No one could recall ever having anything like this happen since the 1968 Democratic convention.
There is so very much for our children NOT to emulate which has been a feature of the Republican debates.
Some people have said that if their Democratic candidate, either Bernie or Hillary, whichever they backed did not get the nomination they would either abstain from voting or vote for Trump.
IDIOCY!!!!
How could any one calling themselves a lover of the democratic [small d] principles EVER vote for the agenda which any of the Republicans are promoting. For me it just absolutely scary the backing that someone like Trump is getting. That he can incite his followers to do this sort of thing speaks volumes about his leadership. This after he said that he cannot be responsible since so many people come to his rallies. He explicitly told his followers at his rallies to throw tomatoes or get rid of people, some of whom were just watching and not saying anything but were just listening to his spiel. Too, it speaks volumes about the kind of people attending his rallies, at least some of them. What a contrast to the Democratic real debates.
Unreal.
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“What did his parents teach him…” This is a complicated issue. Today’s children are micro managed at every level whether in the home or at school. Parents are certainly part of the equation as are schools. Students are often not allowed to talk at lunch during the schooldays. They may or may not have recess and this consists of about 10-15 minutes. They are watched over in the classroom at every turn. Centers in early childhood are no longer places for children to interact and explore. This over controlled interaction and exploration whether in centers or on the playground effect children’s social skills. Meanwhile they have been indoctrinated into the concept of this being a “dog eat dog” world thanks to the nonsensical RTTT. Children do not even walk to school anymore. Children used to talk and interact during this time of day. Now, they are picked up and dropped off. Children do not play outside after school – it is either too dangerous or they are given “homework” and test prep to do. So they do not have playdates with children outside their immediate neighborhoods or apartment building (if they have playdates at all). And neighborhoods are bastions of segregation these days. They are being tested to death and measured to death. They are not being treated like humans. So, it is sadly and tragically entirely logical that these children do not know how to deal with a simple “bump into” experience with another person or a difference of opinion with someone outside of or part of their culture (whether during childhood or adulthood). Social skills and social studies are not on Coleman’s radar and certainly not on the radar of corporate ed reform data-obsessed mega-millionaires who profit from common core and the entire testing/data focus. The powers that be are metaphorically HITTING/ABUSING our children by enforcing disrespectful education policy that obliterates childhood and this is what happens.
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Spot on!
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The assailant in the incident that Diane is referring to is 78 years old, meaning that he would have started primary school in 1943 or 1944.
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Tim,
This man who punched the protestor must have been whipped as a child and taught that violence is a correct response when you don’t like something
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dianeravitch: the real problem is the growing number of violent tots that throw desks at the helpless staff at charter outlets.
Even more troubling are those six-year-olds that Dial up the defiance and refuse to provide correct answers for their school work. Not to mention their parents that back up these nonconformist saboteurs of $tudent $ucce$$.
😏
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Tim… the reason I address young children today… if this 78 year old man behaves in this way (and for whatever reason) rest assured we will understand why our current youth respond in similar ways en masse in the future and we WILL KNOW THE REASONS. Heck they are already doing so now… killing someone over a push or a shove or a look…
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And… these “children” DO GROW UP!
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The assailant may also be suffering from the beginnings of dementia. (Nothing persona, I am in my 70’s.)
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Powerful and true. I think the worst thing in the world is violence against children. I simply can’t stand it. Nothing bothers me more. Thanks for sharing this inspirational piece.
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NPR was talking about the violence and attacks at Trump rallies and they ran quotes from Trump encouraging his fans to “hit back” and he alleged that his fans were not starting these fights so it wasn’t their fault this was happening.
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More violence against children – psychological:
“BOSTON — Second- and third-graders walk in silence through the hallways of UP Academy Holland. A student speaks to his classmate, and a teacher gives a soft but stern warning. UP Academy Holland’s rules are explicit: No talking in the halls.
Teachers walk along with the groups of students. Each teacher clasps a stick striped in rainbow colors, with clothespins bearing the students’ names clipped on from top to bottom. If your clothespin is at the bottom, in the red zone, it means you’ve misbehaved. And everybody knows it.”
http://learninglab.wbur.org/2016/03/09/what-discipline-looks-like-at-a-boston-school-with-325-suspensions/
This is a public, zoned school to which children are assigned by the Boston Public Schools. It is not a charter which parents choose for their children, but it is run by a charter management organization. The MA state board of education designated the school as failing and stripped oversight from the city. Its “failure” was due to low test scores. Naturally, with a population of very poor, SWD, ELL and traumatized kids, test scores were indeed low. So the state gave it over to a principal with a total of 5 years combined TFA and KIPP history.
DESE and Mitchell Chester are responsible for what has happened to these children. The questions are: what did they know; when did they know it; what have they done about it. If they did not know they have no business taking control from local school systems.
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CL,
It’s challenging enough to execute a meaningful lesson, observe students’ responses, accommodate pull-outs for OT/speech/other services–and then a teacher’s supposed to fiddle w discipline clothespins on a color-coded stick?! Is the penalty for elbowing a fellow student worse than cutting in line? What about gum chewing?
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I agree!!!!! Same thing in Pro Baseball — No more Fastballs , off speed pitches only — what could go wrong?
Fastball is a symbol of masculine patriarchal power. Which must be stopped.
If, sorry, when ISIS sets up public headings of the local homosexuals on your street or block, you better march right down and put them in Timeout.
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