What’s going on in the Gulf of Mexico is sickening.  The dead sea life, the challenge to fishermen’s livelihoods, the damaged corals.  The oil is so far down in the water, too, that the ole’ “oil floats” rule learned in elementary school science classes is no longer true.  The disaster has reached drastic proportions; yet we still sit on the sideline, listening to BP and other companies play the “I’m not Responsible Game” with each other, and the federal government. I’m not responsible.  We’re not responsible. Is that what we teach our children?  A blame game? That’s what happens when we approach school and learning as a zero-sum game – as an either-or proposition, for example.  Who is to blame for your child not reading?  “It’s in his brain,” one parent might answer.  “It’s because he’s lazy,” a teacher might whisper.  “It’s the … [Read more...]