What Would Happen If Somebody Told the Kids What To Do?
By NBP Editorial Board | January 21, 2017, 15:16 EST
When Worcester Superintendent Maureen Binienda heard about a planned walkout of students Friday to protest the inauguration of President Donald Trump, she made an announcement.
Walk out of school, and you’ll be punished.
Lo and behold, the expected dozens of students shrank. To dozen.
About 12 students in all ended up leaving school during the school day, according to a story in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
A reporter spotted the superintendent as she was passing by 40 or so people (total) at the Socialist Alternative protest on her way to Worcester City Hall.
Binienda noted that many students who stayed in school on Friday watched the inauguration on televisions in their classrooms.
That’s a good idea. Kids should see an inauguration. It’s an important part of our way of life in America.
But then there’s what she added. Here’s an excerpt from the newspaper story:
“What are they learning there?” she said, gesturing toward the protesters. “The kids learned a lot more by watching a peaceful transfer of power.”
Exactly right. But what do we learn from the superintendent’s actions?
First: Take a stand against bad behavior, and you may get less of it. Binienda issued a clear, persuasive edict that made students think twice. It worked.
Second: Always follow through on your threats. Word is that detentions are coming for the students who walked out. Good. (It’s a particularly apt result, too: If students are going to waste the time of teachers and others, they should have their time wasted, too.)
Third: If somebody really believes in something, he should be willing to pay for it. The students who walked out knew they’d get punished. Now they’re going to get punished. They learn something, too, as opposed to the consequence-free never-never land that some of our precious young people live in.
Congratulations to Binienda for taking a stand, for taking the right stand, and for following through. Her success should be commended and celebrated.
And emulated.