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Let’s applaud students who speak up, speak out
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BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Annapolis High School students learned a little lesson about social awareness. They were taught that we, adults, want children to care about world issues — as long as they don’t rock any boats along the way.

Brothers Will and Sam Sharkey and their friend Kit Whitacre were arrested at Annapolis High two weeks ago — and initially suspended for 10 days — after staging a brief sit-in to protest the war in Iraq. Their 15-minute display of civil disobedience didn’t sit well in an era when any school disruption ignites concerns over safety.

Eventually the boys’ suspensions were reduced to three days, criminal charges were dismissed and the boys gained 15 minutes of fame for the reaction — or overreaction — of school officials.

But what this episode demonstrated is a shift in how young people are expected to be involved in world affairs.

At Annapolis, Will and Kit are enrolled in the prestigious International Baccalaureate program. “It’s supposed to be for the smartest students the county has,” said the Sharkey’s attorney, Richard Duden, of Annapolis. “As part of a well-rounded education, the curriculum encourages free expression of ideas. In this instance, as soon as the administration of Annapolis High School got a whiff that there was an independent expression of ideas, they stomped it out.”

Duden said the boys are fine, even though Will Sharkey, 18, initially faced charges as an adult. “He spent 12 hours in a cell.”

Will, Sam, 17, and Kit, 16, have drawn support from friends and strangers who have been saluting their expression in letters, e-mails and blogs.

The boys’ protest is mild compared to those of the 1960s and early ’70s, when young people burned U.S. flags and shut down universities to protest the Vietnam War. Parents of current teenagers were a little young to participate in those protests of the ’60s. But we were old enough to admire their spirit — while still being wary of their radical approach.

So we grew up determined that our children must be globally responsible but they must do it in safe, structured ways.   

It’s acceptable for today’s children to go on mission trips — working vacations for which we pay. It is fine for them to spoon up soup at homeless shelters. But apparently it is not fine for kids to criticize authority and select their own means of peaceful protest.

The state education department is committed to producing well-rounded adults with social consciences. Maryland public schools require service learning for students, beginning with five hours in fifth grade and 10 hours each year from sixth through 11th grades. All these requirements are completed through academic courses, not independently. They are controlled by the school system and monitored by teachers.

Additional requirements exist for specific clubs, such as national honor societies, and follow organized, adult-approved activities. In Anne Arundel, for example, some children receive honor society credit for each can brought in for a food drive, and others compile hours dressing up as Frosty at a holiday breakfast at the Maryland Zoo.

Annapolis High administrators lost out on a great educational opportunity when they called the police on their young protesters, Duden said. They could have enlisted the boys to organize an assembly for a discussion of the war or directed them to a letter-writing campaign.   

Instead, the message we are sending kids is it is good to become philanthropists — to raise money for important causes, mail care packages to soldiers or go on eco-vacations. Basically, we encourage structured involvement and fundraising versus “taking it to the man.”

Are we raising a generation to address social problems or have we created steps to fulfill an academic requirement? Social responsibility should not be just one more check-off in overstructured lives.


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4:21 AM MST on Mon., Jul. 21, 2008 re: "Jousting: An age-old tradition is alive and well in the land of pleasant living"

Examiner Reader said:
Thank you for a wonderful article and capturing the spirit of an equine sport we love. Vicki Betts, President, Maryland Jousting Tournament Association

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7:41 PM MST on Sat., Jul. 19, 2008 re: "Jousting: An age-old tradition is alive and well in the land of pleasant living"

Examiner Reader said:
Effie- What fun to read- What a great Maryland tradition that is being kept alive-Thanks this was fun to read.

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3:21 PM MST on Fri., Jul. 4, 2008 re: "Superstars not needed for family sports fun"

Attila the Hon said:
Please disregard the previous comment. He didn't even explain himself. Pretty gutless, I think. It's great to see a Baltimore-area newspaper columnist finally show some love for Crystal Palace Baltimore. I always look forward to the Examiner's refreshing coverage of this very highly deserving team. Puts to shame The Sun which almost always ignores Palace and deserves its declining readership. Keep up the good work. GO PALACE! UPSET NEW ENGLAND!

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1:27 AM MST on Fri., Jul. 4, 2008 re: "Superstars not needed for family sports fun"

Examiner Reader said:
Worst. Column. Ever.

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4:37 AM MST on Fri., Jun. 13, 2008 re: "Stressed out? Out of shape? Go for a run"

The Undertaker said:
People in this country are too fat, lazy, and stupid.

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9:46 AM MST on Mon., Jun. 2, 2008 re: "Baltimore needs to expand its proud lacrosse tradition, advance the sport"

Examiner Reader said:
"These days Maryland kids often get their first sticks before their first tricycles. College coaches flock to the state for showcase camps and recruiting tournaments. And lacrosse has deep roots in the business and political communities, where former players maintain connections far stronger than academic degrees." Laugh out loud. This is a paragraph supporting lacrosse? In truth it is an indictment of all that is wrong with the sport. Kids SHOULD get trikes before sticks. Most lacrosse families consist of semi-talented white athletes (who couldn't compete in other sports) pushed hard by parents who live vicariously through them, and hope to achieve greater social status through their "Excellent play". So sad.

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10:24 AM MST on Fri., May. 30, 2008 re: "Baltimore needs to expand its proud lacrosse tradition, advance the sport"

Examiner Reader said:
Please don't say the l word around baseball people.

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10:51 AM MST on Fri., May. 9, 2008 re: "History vanishes into the night"

Examiner Reader said:
This Annapolis woman, who has taken Rafael Alvarez spot on page six is BORING. BRING BACK ALVAREZ, he is from Baltimroe, where we who live in BALTIMORE can read about our town.

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11:49 AM MST on Wed., Apr. 23, 2008 re: "Who’s No. 1? We’ll probably never know"

Examiner Reader said:
Bravo! I totally agree! With a daughter on the John Carroll team, I know they'd welcome a game to determine the mythical "champion"! What a blast that would be.

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6:42 AM MST on Wed., Mar. 26, 2008 re: "Sometimes life’s lessons are the hardest to learn"

A Mother of Boys said:
Thank you for your insights on the life lessons for this young man. He has carved a hard road for himself, and forced the grown ups around him (parents, coaches, authorities) to make hard choices about his future. We, like you, are praying that he gets a second chance, and makes the most of it. That's another life lesson.

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9:02 PM MST on Wed., Feb. 13, 2008 re: "A sad tale everyone should take to Hart"

examiner reader said:
This guy should be hillary's running mate

68 agree | 51 disagree
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7:28 AM MST on Tue., Oct. 23, 2007 re: "Let kids be kids first"

Not...paying attention said:
The writer actually points out the fact that children know the score and are competative. She is correctly trying to make the point that youth sports should be about learning the fundamentals of the game and sportsmanship. For young children, the experience should be FUN. Winning is much less important to most 6-7 year olds than their parents. Most children would much rather play in the game than watch their "team" win. Children who enjoy the experience will be much more likely to develop a passion for the sport and a commitment to self development. This provides a much stronger mental foundation for the player when they hit High School and College when sports are rightly focused on winning and losing. It is a shame that children no longer experience the sand lot version of sports where parents are no where to be found. Yes, we kept score but it was forgotten as soon as we started the next game. We played because it was FUN!

98 agree | 122 disagree
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5:47 AM MST on Tue., Oct. 23, 2007 re: "Let kids be kids first"

Not said:
"But those wonderful first years of athletic participation are not the time to teach kids that sports are all about winning." They do not have to be taught this. Kids keep score on everything competitive and naturally seek to win. This mamby-pamby false protectiveness of children is precisely the kind of crud that is counter intuitive for chidren.

114 agree | 121 disagree
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7:51 AM MST on Wed., Oct. 10, 2007 re: "Parents need to be positive or silent"

Don said:
I'm glad I am done with all of that sports stuff, and competition dance is even worse....been there, seen it done it. Its no small wonder why older people have grey hair.

136 agree | 134 disagree
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