Locally, in Hillsborso: Character Education

The newest fads at Brookwood Elementary School: saying "please" and "thank you," opening doors for others and stifling those moans when teachers assign homework.

Brookwood joins a manners movement that started sweeping across the nation a few years ago. The reason is simple, educators say: Good behavior shows respect, which in turn wards off violence and leaves more time for learning.

That sounds ok but in my book it's just another item that public schools add that takes too much time and money.