“Debate is not allowed.” Well, why not?

The real problem with education around here is the adults who refuse to hold a civil discussion.

I hear this all the time around here:

“We're not going to get into debate.”

“We will not, however, debate you over e-mail.”

“There's been enough debate.”

“one more public meeting with 15 minutes of pros and cons and then hopefully that will be the end of discussion.”

“I'm not going to debate you about that.”

“Debate is not allowed.”

Well, why not? When did “debate” become a dirty word? What if we call it a civil discussion, will that make it sound better? Nobody seems to know how to do that, either.

And that, my friends, is the real failure of the local education system.

Next: how they do it in the best education system in the world.

-jsq