The practice of paddling students for misbehavior remains legal in 19 states. The practice was quite prevalent in the mid-to late-20th century and was implemented in order to instill fear in students, so that they would behave properly. To public school students, this was as normal as recess. To an observer with no former frame of reference,…

Living on fixed incomes and faced with increasing taxes, senior citizens frequently feel the squeeze of a tightening economy more than other populations. Their retirement dollars buy less as their property taxes inch upward, despite the fact that they don't have school-age children. The Hempfield and Manheim Township School Districts in…

Teaching technology is awesome! The author very rarely uses the word awesome, but there are few words in the English language that can convey the author's feelings concerning his teaching experience. Before becoming a technology teacher, the author served 27+ years in the US Navy. He graduated from Old Dominion University with a Virginia teaching…

The increasing importance of the paraprofessional as part of an education team warrants carefully contructed certification programs. This article (1) recounts the history of paraprofessionals; (2) provides four arguments in favor of certification; (3) describes one existing program; (4) suggests characteristics of effective programs; and (5) warns…

Describes the unexpected benefits of a reading incentives program in which adult volunteers listen to students' oral book reports in a one-to-one situation. Benefits include (1) oral skill development, (2) increased student confidence, (3) heightened interpersonal understanding between members of different racial groups and generations. (SA)

A program was designed to prevent school adjustment problems in primary school children by identifying at-risk children using a behavior rating scale and training them in coping and self-expression skills. A study of the program's effectiveness with 26 children found no significant differences between experimental and control groups on behavioral,…