It takes grant money to teach kids to cross the street? Are you kidding me?

Apparently, the Morris County DOT received a $150K grant from the NJ Transportation and Planning Authority to teach kids to walk to school in Wharton, NJ.

Twenty-three seventh-grade students from a pre-algebra class at MacKinnon Middle School took part in a “walkability” study in March to evaluate three routes to school that were designated safe by the borough police department.

Is this for real? I really want to see what the other routes that weren’t designated safe actually look like. What, are there potholes at the crosswalks or something?

This kind of modern parenting is making me sick to my stomach. If you can’t adequately teach your child to navigate reasonable risk: crossing streets, walking less than 3 miles to school, etc., then how do you ever expect to teach them to handle dangerous risks, like drugs and violence? I’m in favor of reducing unnecessary risks, but you also have a responsibility to teach kids respect for danger and risk by exposing them to it in safe and controlled ways. If you make generally safe activities too safe, you reduce the opportunities for your children to develop the emotional and intellectual tools required to handle danger in situations where it really matters.

I am ashamed of being a parent today, watching what is ridiculous stupidity become “normal.” When it takes $150K to teach a school full of kids to walk less than 3 miles to school safely, we have failed them as parents and educators.

Tags:
education,
child,
safety