I think it a little beneath the dignity of a well-adjusted adult to slap the kiddies around even when they're patently idiots. Sometimes I cringe to see it happen on FR. Sometimes I do it. So shoot me.
When the kids think they know more than the adults, they sometimes need a reminder.
You're right that "the smart ones" know that they need some of life's experiences before they lose some of their ignorance. Not all of them "get it" before they graduate.
I'm not sure he was slapping the children but rather the adults in charge of setting the curriculum. Where are the adults in charge? Why aren't they defending their curriculum? Instead, they let the children cry and whine to the public about the big ole meanie Rush Limbaugh. Pathetic but predictable.