So let's start with an anecdote about a school district in New York State. In this particular district, the middle school had developed extraordinary renown over the years for developing a communal and inclusive approach to education. This school had extremely dedicated administrators for years. They made a point to bring all students on a special educational school trip each year. And for students who could not afford the trip, fundraisers were held. The basic premise was that no student was to be left behind.

The same three basic school trips (three days, two nights) were held for cohorts across decades. Thousands of alumni of this storied program, many now in their 30s and 40s, sing its praises.

The 8th-grade field trip was to Washington, DC. And it (by design) ended with a trip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The administration wanted the students to enter high school armed with an appreciation for the totality of the human experience and to be motivated to empathize with others from all walks of life—and to work toward positive change.

Well, that all fell apart once cellphones entered the picture. Within just a few years of phones emerging as functionally required for middle-school students around the nation, problems with this district's field trips emerged. The administration did not know what to do. At first, they barred cellphones from the trips. They then allowed them only during the day. But as cellphones came to permeate the entirety of young people's lives—amid pressure largely exerted by parents—the administration was essentially forced within a few short years to allow all students to have their phones on them during the entire trips. And the result was not good.

Near the end of the Holocaust museum tour is a space for people to write and post personal notes on a wall. These notes are generally thoughtful in tone. This part of the exhibit is clearly designed to get people to really think. And to feel. But given that 8th-grade boys are who they are, one particular student made a bad choice: He wrote something inappropriate and posted it on the wall. And he then posted a photo of it on social media. By the time the students hopped back onto the buses, only moments later, each and every student, administrator, and chaperone on the trip had seen this post. And, of........

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