[evrydayhustling]

I'm all for limiting data collection from kids, and for making our schools less like jails. But I don't think the author does a good enough job defining "cop shit" for discussion.

"Anything that presumes an adversarial relationship..." is an elegant description that might work for adult relationships, but it's harder to say what presumptions are baked into the structures you use with kids. My experience as the parent of two toddlers is that they are way happier with some forms of structure and discipline, including evaluations and positive and negative rewards. Humans actively seek that kind of "cop shit" out in their games and even personal relationships.

This essay seems to reject some pretty simple forms of structure and discipline (e.g. "badges"), which is a really presumptive thing to do. Try it at your school / on your kids and let us know how it goes. See how it interacts with kids having different needs, backgrounds and social environments. Not that there aren't many kinds of "cop shit" that is just as untested or which makes things worse, but assuming a (philosophically) simple solution is bogus.

[jessaustin]

Yes it's true that badges appeal to children. I remember they appealed to me when I was a child. I'm wiser now, and I realize they were never beneficial to me or to the other children who got fewer gold stars. Adults owe it to children, not to exploit their weaknesses in ways that are not beneficial.