The image of the schools and the teaching profession according to the media is usually negative. The negative picture is one reflecting the social problems of society and the failure of schools to educate, that is, drop-outs, teenage pregnancies, substance abuse, guns, knives, and attacks on students and teachers. Occasionally, the positive…

There are some children that teachers just do not feel the same way about as they do others in their classrooms. In fact, there are some children that teachers may actively dislike. This is not uncommon. But what can a teacher do when this is the case? In this article, the author gives advice to teachers who have problems with negative feelings…

Reviews the name changes of schools, associations, and state departments trying to overcome the negative image of vocational education. Questions whether a name change is cosmetic or useful. (SK)

The numbers of disconnected youths (adolescents and young adults aged 16 to 21 who have dropped out of school and who don't have jobs) in adult education programs continue to grow at the Turning Point Educational Center in Brooklyn, New York. These youths can be particularly challenging to teach. They often have negative attitudes toward what they…

Some amount of genuine computer fear exists, but it should not be confused with concern over ability to master computer use. Resistance to change is natural, but doing and knowing will overcome anxieties in those reluctant to use computers. (SK)

Presents selections from three Christian sermons that explore the evils of secular humanism. The selections cover the definition and philosophy of secular humanism, its relationship to Communism, and its influences on public education and abortion. Methods for counteracting humanistic influences are discussed. (AM)

Describes the traits held by "elitist humanists" who attack the teaching of English today. (DD)

Teachers in traditional bilingual settings confront strict program requirements under the guise of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), excessive assessment demands (state, district and program assessments in both English and Spanish), and negative attitudes about bilingual education from many in the political and public spheres. Since 1998, the passage…

Designed to reveal the nature of widespread pejorative orientations faced by youth in an adult world, the diagnostic tool consists of a 9-item inventory which is to be self-administered in group situations and self-analyzed by the subject. The tool provides a means of measuring and investigating the patterns of coexistence among three different…

Focuses on three misconceptions about mentally retarded persons commonly held by the general public: mentally handicapped persons have little awareness or understanding of their handicaps; are indifferent to the language used to refer to them or their handicaps; and are largely unaware of and unaffected by stigma-promoting practices of society.…

Identifies and briefly discusses three aspects of the problem of ageism: (1) prejudicial attitudes; (2) discriminatory practices against the elderly; (3) institutional practices and policies that perpetuate stereotypic beliefs about the elderly and undermine their personal dignity. (Author/GC)

Directs attention to a number of theories about African-American-white interracial marriage found in the literature of the social sciences. Notes that theories suggest that couples who marry interracially generally have ulterior motives for doing so. Soundness of these theories is refuted, and suggestions are presented for clinicians working with…

Comments on "Psychotherapy, classism, and the poor: Conspicuous by their absence" by Laura Smith (see record 2005-11834-002). Smith suggested that social psychology theories might explain how a negative attitude toward the poor has reduced the interest of practitioners in poor patients. The current author was impressed by Smith's comments when …

This paper provides a conceptual frame for ways in which the fields of educational technology and teaching can and do interrelate with each other. Three types of relationships are described. They call for educational technology to (1) assume a more open and attentive posture toward teachers, teaching, and classroom communication processes in order…

Increasing violence in sports is deplored, and a warning is issued on an apparent trend toward antisocial behavior. Contact sports such as hockey and football are cited as typically engendering aggression among athletes, but spectator sports (boxing, car racing, basketball, and baseball) are also singled out as eliciting increasing violence on the…