Henry V is one of Shakespeare’s most appealing characters. He was rambunctious when young and courageous when older.
But suppose Henry went to an American school.
By about the third week of nursery school, Henry’s teacher
would be sending notes home saying that Henry “had another
hard day today.” He was disruptive during circle time. By
midyear, there’d be sly little hints dropped that maybe Henry’s
parents should think about medication for attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder. Many of the other boys are on it, and they
find school much easier.
By elementary school, Henry would be lucky to get 20-
minute snatches of recess. During one, he’d jump off the top of
the jungle gym, and, by the time he hit the ground, the
supervising teachers would be all over him for breaking the safety
rules. He’d get in a serious wrestling match with his buddy
Falstaff, and, by the time he got him in a headlock, there’d be
suspensions all around.
First, Henry would withdraw. He’d decide that the official
school culture is for wimps and softies and he’d just disengage. In
kindergarten, he’d wonder why he just couldn’t be good. By
junior high, he’d lose interest in trying and his grades would
plummet. Then he’d rebel. If the official high school culture was über-
If it valued cooperation and
nurturing, he’d be über-crude.
sensitivity, he’d devote his mental energies to violent video
games and aggressive music. If college wanted him to be focused
and tightly ambitious, he’d exile himself into a lewd and
unsupervised laddie subculture. He’d have vague high ambitions
but no realistic way to realize them. Day to day, he’d look
completely adrift.

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