Class War
By PHILIP K. HOWARD
WSJ.com
Something's amiss when a girl in kindergarten, all of 40 pounds, is led away in handcuffs by police. That's what happened a few weeks ago in St. Petersburg, Fla. Equally strange, the whole episode was taped and shown on national TV: a little girl, hair neatly braided, methodically destroying her classroom. The assistant principal, arms outstretched as if in a linebacker drill, circles the child but avoids contact. (Is the child a hemophiliac?) The child is steered into the principal's office, where she continues her destruction. Eventually the police arrive and handcuff the five-year-old. The tape ends.
For as long as there have been schools, teachers have had to deal with unreasonable five-year-olds. But calling the cops isn't the time-tested way. Let's rewind the tape and think. Problem: Temper tantrum in kindergarten classroom. Solution: Ask child to stop tearing up classroom. When she refuses, hold her by the arm, preventing more destruction. If necessary, take her to another room until she calms down. But the teacher can't do this. Taking hold of the child's arm is verboten, a violation of the child's rights. Touching is taboo, except to prevent harm to others. Doing that could get you SUED. So the five-year-old ends up in handcuffs...
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