Although lack of professional support is usually cited as one of the main reasons for the high attrition rate among new teachers, evidence shows that even when such support is available teachers continue to leave the profession. Meanwhile, it is the lack of attention to the personal needs of the novice teachers that leads to frustration and it is…

Special education literature abounds with a challenge to special educators to promote the acquisition of self-determination skills in their students. A critical component of self-determination that can be readily addressed in the school setting is self-advocacy. The authors believe that meeting the challenge of enhancing student's self-advocacy…

The document contains two articles based on papers presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association on Mental Deficiency (Detroit, 1981). The first paper by D. Mott, et al. is titled "Emotional Needs of People with Mental Retardation--A Preliminary Review." Based on discussions held by staff at the Western Carolina Center (Morganton),…

The author describes her experiences in teaching her mentally retarded daughter about sex and the changes happening to her body. She suggests the needs of disabled young people extend beyond preventing unplanned pregnancy and preparing them for their menstrual period. (CL)

Teachers are being reassigned outside their primary specialities because of budget cuts, declining enrollments, school closures, and teacher layoffs. This article offers guidelines for developing a program, based on one implemented in Garden City (Michigan), that serves the retraining and emotional needs of reassigned teachers. (WD)

Describes urban school districts' efforts to improve student learning by addressing the social, emotional, and physical needs of their students. (PKP)

Studies reveal that potential health values exist in use of pets in the rehabilitation process. Animal therapy can be a salutary form of rehabilitation if the program is organized, supervised, and implemented in a professional manner. (JD)

Explores why the most therapeutic books for children are the ones they choose themselves, based on the experiences of a psychoanalyst. Presents several examples of children who chose unexpected books that helped them deal with their problems and explains that books need to fit the child's emotional needs. (LRW)

Staff morale is part of all aspects of the camp operation. Six components of camp operation are reviewed in terms of how they affect staff morale. They include: scheduling, training, food, facilities, staffing pattern and program. Each of these aspects is presented in terms of physical needs, or emotional needs, or the subtle, underlying ideas…

A panel of eight experts discuss the cardiovascular, lipoprotein, weight control, and psychological benefits of exercise on health. The challenge of motivating people to exercise regularly is explored. (Author/MT)

An athlete's emotional response to injury is as important as the injury. Techniques used by physicians and sport psychologists to help athletes overcome emotional distress and play again are discussed. (Author/MT)

Inadequacies of the 5-stage model of grieving as it applies to parents of mentally retarded or physically disabled children are discusssed, as is a revised stage model which accounts for parental adjustment to loss of the idealized child and to rearing the disabled child. Professional support practices are noted. (Author/MC)

Describes the resolution scrapbook as a therapeutic technique in which traumatized children complete treatment activities and compile them in the form of a scrapbook. Describes how scrapbook activities facilitate children's resolution of trauma effects, and how children's progress through the phases of treatment becomes a lasting record for the…

Florida elementary school principal Jack Currie believes in unorthodox loving behavior toward children, including cuddling, kissing, and telling them he cares. Unconcerned about litigation risks, Currie is an outspoken advocate for personalized child protection services and bearish about disrespectful behavior and bureaucratic red tape. He…

Humans move through difficult transitions best when guided by ceremony and ritual. The components of traditional rites of passage mirror exactly many of today's most promising psychological theories. Four components of rites of passage that comprise life transitions are discussed: letting go of an old identity, the wandering, the new identity, and…