Public School WORKS !
...(almost)


One of the most detestable practices in public pedagogy is "classroom management". This is not merely seating arrangements and who-gets-to-clean-the-blackboards; rather it is a vicious psychological tool utilizing pressure and ridicule to keep the kiddies in line. Making the class miscreant "an example" is key, holding him to scorn before the rest of the class, so as to make him think twice before his next infraction. This has been around for awhile: my sixth-grade teacher was a master of the technique. Don't ask how I know....

We attended MTAC a couple of weeks ago. We print the con shirts, as well as selling our designs in the dealers room. Now, most anime conventions make it VERY clear that
vendors are NOT to sell bootleg merchandise (Hong Kong imports of DVDs and soundtrack CDs, f'rinstance.) We had a phenomenal weekend of sales, and Saturday afternoon was rockin' along when one of the staffers bullhorned for all customers to clear the room. "There has been a Dealer Infraction.", he bellowed. I snagged the con chair as he walked by, and he told me someone had been selling bogus goods, and that by punishing the whole room , pressure would be brought to bear on the bootleggers. When the room cleared, the con pooh-bahs met with all the dealers, explained the situation, and this was their one-time warning. If the illicit sales continued, the bootleggers would themselves be booted. I was all set to focus my Ire and Righteous Indignation upon the scofflaws for halting my Getting of Gain, but was frustrated. I had the hammer pulled back, finger on the trigger, but I had no target . Their little exercise in Classroom Management was likewise rendered pointless.

They did not ID the vendors. All that irkedness gone to waste from every honest dealer.
No target, and thus, no point.

It is sad when government schools do something -anything - better than anyone else.