His teacher made it very clear that self-defense would not be tolerated. Her rule gave rise to the biggest, meanest bullies one could imagine. My son had been taught to obey the teacher. His moral dilemma was serious. Naughty middle schoolers know they get a free ride home for the day . . . and take out a good student at the same time .
Smart students learn to hide the fact they can learn.
Historical documents are filled with the comments by adults who wanted to affect the behavior of children. Strangely, the most influential education advocates were wealthy men who were not married or who did not have children. For example, Jean Jacques Rousseau has influenced the entire public education system. He personally suffered from severe emotional distress, marked by deep feelings of inferiority with guilt. He was unable to find a marriage partner, spoiled friendships with suspicion and hypersensitivity, and remained an outsider most of his life.