Michael is a scout and his uncle got him a penknife for his birthday. Or a pocket knife as he calls it because, apparently, we are all Americans now.
His uncle, observing the success of Michael’s penknife got one for Daniel for Christmas. He too was very pleased notwithstanding having given himself a nasty nick when he first used it.
The other morning, just as he was about to trip into school, Daniel mentioned that he had brought in his penknife to show to his classmates. I felt best not. “Don’t you trust me?” he asked mournfully as I put it into my bag. “It’s not you, it’s all the other children,” I reassured him.
Am I being an overprotective hovering parent or am I cutting down on knife crime in schools? Who knows? At least nobody will lose an eye, I suppose.
If a kid took a pen knife or jack knife or pocket knife to school here (US in general, but “here” is Texas), he’d be in the principal’s office in a New York minute once the teacher saw it or got wind of it. The knife would be confiscated and probably not given back, the kid would be in really big trouble and his parents would be called to come get him. He would probably be suspended from school for a couple of days, too. Everybody here is really hypervigilant because of all the school shootings and student violence and very “zero tolerance.” Some schools even make the kids go through metal detectors, and doors are locked once school starts.
That’s slightly terrifying. I am not sure what would happen here but I do know that metal detectors are not a thing.