How No-Consequence Schooling Turns Kids Into Killers

We lower expectations, excuse bad behavior, and pretend that endless second chances build character. But they don’t. - Tillman Plank 

Earlier this month, 17-year-old high school student Austin Metcalf was stabbed to death at a track meet in Frisco, Texas...
Some have tried to make this about race — Metcalf was white, Anthony was black. 

But let’s not make this about race. 

This is about human decency and the culture that has eroded it.
A dangerous mindset has won over many young men today. 

• It tells them that nothing really matters — burn it all down and take what you can. 
• It demands respect while offering none in return. 
• It scoffs at authority, mocks standards, and justifies any action that serves one’s immediate desires. 

I have seen this mindset spread in my years working at a relatively well-off suburban high school down the road from Metcalf’s school. 

Countless examples come to mind.

Students today know they can get away with almost anything. Last year, a 16-year-old student-athlete pushed me, cursed me out, and walked out of class. 

A few days later, I sat across from him in the assistant principal’s office. The assistant principal gave him candy and spoke to him like he was an upset eight-year-old. His father tried to blame me for the altercation. After a half-hearted apology, the young man was allowed to return to class without a disciplinary referral.

This has been standard protocol in education for more than a decade...