The public school system turned one of my sons against government. The system has perverse incentives. He was talking to me about bullying.
In my experience and my son's, teachers turn a blind eye to bullying. Now and then teachers and administrators work around the edges, but they are reluctant to get serious. Here are the incentives.
If little Aristotle bullies little Socrates and the school lets this happen, what is little Socrates' parents' recourse? They can demand the school do something. Suppose the school does nothing? Probably nothing happens. Socrates' parents can sue. To the parents' attorney, the school presents the paper trail they left that showed they were doing something to try to stop the problem. The paper trail may be two sided, since the bully, little Aristotle, denied and lied at every stage.
Suppose the school expels little Aristotle? Little Aristotle's parents have ironclad evidence that the school expelled their son. Yes, the school has a paper trail, which may be two sided. But there is clear evidence that the kid was expelled. And maybe there is some theory by which the school singled out Aristotle.
Little Aristotle's case for being expelled is much stronger than little Socretes' case that the school should have done more. Bad incentives guarantee that most of the time the bullies win.
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JohnArkwright@thearchoftime.com
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- John Arkwright
- Southern, United States
- John's mother paid for his birth by digging potatoes during the final stages of her pregnancy; his father was in a body cast due to a train wreck. Mom recited The Raven to put John to sleep at night. The soles of his feet were thick and hard from going barefoot for eight months per year; his back was tanned from going shirtless. He loved to read fantasy and science fiction. John completed a PhD in economics from the University of South Carolina. He has published research on the economics of terrorism, education, gambling, corporate incentives, and other topics. John married Julia about the time he earned his first degree. They now live in a small southern mountain town with their three sons. John works hard to show his students how they can use rational decision making to enrich their lives. Julia works hard to raise three sons and an aggravating husband. John writes speculative fiction. He was published in Writers of the Future, Volume 27. Julia, the world's most voracious reader, edits his work. His mother is now deceased. His hero is his father, Scotty.
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