DC Mayor Adrian Fenty

My wife and I just dropped off our four year-old son for his first day of school. I was running a bit late, and we got there just in time for him to start his day with the Pledge of Allegiance and the Lord’s Prayer (we are sending him to the local Parochial school).

It is emotional for parents to send their kids to school for the first day.  They want their kids to thrive (my wife likes that word), to learn, to become good citizens, and maybe to someday grow up to President.  (If there is one thing we have learned from Barack Obama, it is that anybody can grow up to be President, no matter what their qualifications.)

But they also want their kids to behave, and on that first day, when your little boy is four years old, it is an open question if he is going to behave like he is supposed to behave.  I could see the panic in other parents’ eyes as they left their little ones in the hands of the two teachers who now face the daunting task of corralling a bunch of little munchkins for the seven hours of school each day.  That made me feel better, because surely, there was an element of panic inside me.  There is strength in numbers.  Read more...