Found these two interesting news items yesterday:

From the CBC - In Nova Scotia, two students bought and distributed 50 pink t-shirts after a fellow classmate was bullied and threatened for wearing a pink shirt on the first day of school. In addition to the purchased shirts, the next day, hundreds of students showed up in pink clothing to show their support. I always find news like this incredibly inspiring. Progressive educators often talk about engaging students with projects that focus on social issues or civic action. However, the problem is that 'planned' social activism can often ring false. Its hard to impress the importance of an issue when it can wait until November when the unit comes up, and fits nicely into an 8:15-9:30 time slot, Mondays through Fridays. A large part of teaching social action is to seize upon an opportunity when it arises, and bring the response outside of the classroom. Maybe then we'll have more students like the ones in Nova Scotia. Now let's get these forward thinking kids some new macs!

Meanwhile, in Brooklyn, a six year old girl is facing a $300 fine for drawing on the chalk in sidewalk. You really have to appreciate her parents' sense of humor about the situation.

Mom:

“He could have just asked!” Pepperman said. “This whole thing is ridiculous. Admittedly, this drawing was not her best work — she usually sticks to cheerful scenes, not abstracts, frankly — but to send a warning letter like that is outrageous.”

Dad:

“I do love that kid,” Shea said, “but I wish she would stop capping my tags.”

Speaking of the horrors of chalk graffiti, Stencil Revolution (no relation) used to have a great tutorial about making chalk stencils for non-'offensive' street art (unless you live in Brooklyn). Its currently not on their site, but the explanation is simple. Cut your stencil, use an adhesive spray instead of paint, and use a paint roller to spread some pulverized chalk dust over your design.

They also have a great series of stencil fonts.