What If Everybody Understood Child Development by Rae Pica (Huffington Post).
But, we don’t want children to learn, to think, to be creative, to be motivated, to know how to participate in society, or to be decent human beings. Such things don’t benefit the rich and powerful, whose children will be provided the best learning experiences despite the dreadful things public schools are encouraged or forced to do.
When I was a teacher, the principal demanded silence in the cafeteria. She said she’d give a prize to the most quiet class. During our first lunch, my 5th/6th grade kids asked if they had to be quiet. I asked if they wanted the prize. They said, “no.” So, we talked. That was over 30 years ago. It’s just getting worse.
All of the child-strangling things you mention, which also include The Common Core Standards and high-stakes testing, are acts of psychological violence. As a society, we just ignore and ask for more.