We could have had an army of teenagers cleaning up parks or beaches instead of striking and making signs. Teens could have led the way by not using cars or plastic utensils for the day.

Or how about something as simple as this: Give up their phones for a day (or, heck, 15 minutes!) to save energy. (Right!)

Instead, expect stories on Saturday about how much garbage the protesting kids left behind.

In my Russian-speaking community, people took to Facebook to discuss the similarities they saw to their time in the Soviet Union. One mom posted that the strike is “Soviet-style brainwashing and propaganda” Another mom wrote that the particular issue doesn’t matter; “having children demonstrate on school time was the Soviet way.”