Here's a vagabond dispatch from the front lines of public education:
Earlier this week, some sixth graders told a counselor that a few kids were calling people "dirty Jews." It was a teachable moment, so here's how she approached it:
"Is there anything wrong with being Jewish?" she asked the group.
They assured her there was not.
"Then why would you use it as a negative?" she wanted to know.
They were stumped.
"What about Muslim, or Christian, or any other religion-- anything wrong with them?"
No, no, and no.
"What other names do people call each other?" she wondered.
Gay was number one.
"Well, is there anything wrong with being gay?"
The consensus was no.
Wow. Most kids think it's okay to be gay-- or at least they say so-- and whether they actually believe it, or just think that's the "right" answer, things have changed a lot in the last few years.
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