They are not vikings

Your Students’ Culture is Not an Excuse for Constant Disruption.

The Viking world was built for survival, not civility. Life in early Scandinavia was harsh, unstable, and unforgiving, and the culture that emerged reflected that reality. Violence was not a random occurrence, it was expected.

Raiding and robbery were the accepted means of acquiring wealth. Coastal villages were attacked, monasteries were looted, and fear was a tool used to establish control.

Masculinity was tied to dominance and aggression. Men were expected to be masculine. Women were expected to be masculine.

Coarse language, intimidation, and violence were not corrected because it all worked in a world with little law, limited protection, and constant threat. That culture made sense then. But it makes no sense now… Especially in our schools.

Somehow, within urban schools (buildings that were built for learning), educators have begun excusing disrespect, profanity, and aggression. Somehow, these behaviors are mislabeled as culture instead of confronted as behavioral choices.

Educators explain away conduct that would never be tolerated from adults, professionals, or from students within private schools. We lower expectations in the name of empathy, and we confuse ‘cultural relevance’ with loudness, rudeness, and unruliness.

Let’s be clear: Culture is not an excuse for Chaos.
And school culture is created by what adults consistently allow.

• When educators tolerate disrespect, they teach disrespect.

• When educators ignore profanity, they legitimize profanity.

• When we excuse violence, we cement it as the culture of our schools.

Educators, our students are not Vikings. They are teenagers. Teenagers who need high expectations, clear boundaries, and adults willing to enforce those boundaries.

Stop treating bad behavior as normal. Stop calling lack of boundaries, "grace.” Stop confusing chaos, with culture!

They are not Vikings. We are not Vikings!