Two years ago, I spent eight weeks teaching high school students about the legal system through a juvenile diversionary program called Street Law. One would thi

Two years ago, I spent eight weeks teaching high school students about the legal system through a juvenile diversionary program called Street Law. One would think that this would be prime time for what you described, what with me being essentially a substitute teacher for a classroom of only students who had all at some point been charged with a crime. It was not. In fact, the exact opposite occurred. Students engaged in thoughtful discussion on a wide range of complex issues on which reasonable minds frequently disagree. We debated constitutional rights and justice reform. We shared personal experiences with racism and bigotry. We searched for ideas to stop it. One or two times, I think I even saw someone consider changing their mind. You probably think I am making this up. I am not. It happened, and I think it happened because I didn't treat them like children. I spoke to them with honesty. I asked them what they thought, and it took them by surprise. Perhaps if we stopped treating them like small children, they will stop acting that way. let's just be honest and call school what it is: baby-sitting Oh.