Food Fights and Mohawks

"A kindergarten student with a freshly spiked Mohawk has been suspended from school. Michelle Barile, the mother of 6-year-old Bryan Ruda, said nothing in the Parma Community School handbook prohibits the haircut, characterized by closely shaved sides with a strip of prominent hair on top. The school said the hair was a distraction for other students. "

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080227/ap_on_fe_st/odd_kindergarten_suspension

The suspension of the Indian-haired six year old coincided with a major food fight at my boys' middle school. The sporting of a Mohawk is less disruptive than throwing jello and sausages in the cafeteria. But in both cases, I come down on the side of the administration. There is much to dislike about school generally, such as the bored teachers, bureaucratic administrators, and the decaying buildings. However, there are many teachers and administrators who struggle to educate the bored children of indifferent parents day after day. And, for the most part, I think they do a fine job.

I tell my kids that their schooling should teach them out to think, and that sometimes that means thinking contrary to the status quo. There is much to celebrate about non-conformist, free thought. But there is a difference between thinking independently and acting foolishly and obnoxiously. In the later case, the kids are doing nothing to advance their long-term interests and their reputation. They are also violating the rights of others who want to learn. And, in the case of a food fight, they are also imposing on those who have to correct the situation, such as janitors, administrators, and teachers. The natural instinct of the child is to blend in and even get caught up in the emotions of the moment. But the more difficult thing is to defy the crowd and chose the hard right over the easy wrong.