To combat crime, San Francisco will enforce teen curfew

Naming a growing crime problem as the cause, San Francisco police will start enforcing teen curfew laws.

Arguments against homework growing

Homework has been a part of American schools for as long as they have existed, but arguments against it are growing, according to a Washington Post article.

Athletes now taunting each other on-line

It's another one of those problems schools did not have just a few years ago.
Massachusetts school officials are concerned because athletes from rival schools are trash talking each other on-line.

List of school supplies continues to grow

There was a time when all parents had to buy to prepare for the school year was clothes, pencils and paper.
The list now includes everything from glue sticks to disposable cameras, according to an article in today's Washington Post.

White school bus driver suspended for putting black students at the back of the bus

Each year in third quarter in communication arts in Room 210 we research the American civil rights movement, including such important developments as the Brown v. Board of Education decision and the Freedom Riders.
One event many have researched is the Montgomery Bus Boycott, led by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and started by Rosa Parks' refusal to move to the back of a bus.
Apparently, the kind of racism that required Mrs. Parks to give up her seat at the front of a bus to an able-bodied white male still exists. Associated Press reports a white school bus driver ordered nine African American students to move to the back of the bus:

One of her children, Jarvonica Williams, 16, said the bus driver allowed many white students to have seats all to themselves while some blacks were forced to stand or sit in others' laps.

Iva Richmond, whose 14- and 15-year-old children were on the bus, said Thursday that they previously had a black bus driver, but their bus assignment changed this year. When school started this month, the white driver told them she had assigned them seats, with the black children at the back of the bus.

(Photo information: Janice Williams, left, was one of the mothers who complained to school leaders about the bus driver. Photo by Associated Press)

New driving restrictions for teens become law in Missouri

More restrictions for teen drivers go into effect Monday, Aug. 28:

Starting today, for the first six months a teen has an intermediate license they may carry no more than one passenger younger than 19 who is not a member of their immediate family. After the first six months, the maximum number allowed increases to three.

Website allows students to rate teachers

Teachers are not going to be happy about this, but a website, ratemyteachers.com, allows students to rate their teachers.
According to an article in today's Houston Chronicle, many students are finding out about their new teachers by going online.

Hoodies banned in Boston schools

Saying that they hide the faces of those who wear them, Boston-area schools have banned hoodies.

Students return to school with more gadgets than ever

Laptops, calculators, you name it, students are carrying it back to school as the 2006-2007 school year begins. For more, check out the New York Times article below:

Back to School, With Cellphone and Laptop
By JEFFREY SELINGO
It used to be that getting ready for another school year meant buying a few new No. 2 pencils, spiral notebooks and a lunchbox. Not anymore. Young children and teenagers, as well as college students, are going to school with more electronic gadgets than ever.

“Tech-based products are so much less expensive that the price point now allows kids to nag their parents to buy a particular product or buy one themselves,” said Peter Grunwald, president of Grunwald Associates, a consulting firm in Bethesda, Md., focusing on school technology.

As a result, the back-to-school season is one of the busiest for electronic retailers like Circuit City or Best Buy, rivaling only Christmas. “Purchases are more necessity-based at this time of year,” said Stephanie Gooch, product process manager for Best Buy. At Christmas, purchases “tend to be more gaming, entertainment-based,” she said.

Another change is that the newest tech devices are not aimed at just older students anymore. While laptops are still most useful for those going off to college, Mr. Grunwald says that as prices drop on a wide variety of products once meant for an older crowd, younger students start using them as well. “Kids are aging up,” he said.

Elementary/Middle School

Preteenagers are increasingly asking for cellphones of their own. While cellphones give parents a sense of security and help them keep track of their children’s busy lives, adults often resist buying them, concerned that younger children will use them as their older siblings do: to talk to friends, send text messages and play games.

The LG Migo VX1000 from Verizon Wireless ($49.99 with a two-year contract) addresses most of those worries. It is a child-friendly, simple phone: no text messaging, no games and no camera. It is also very small and light, well suited for child-size hands. The Migo has only four numbered buttons, which can dial four preprogrammed phone numbers. Those numbers cannot be changed without a password. To place a call, the child simply presses one of the numbered keys and the talk button. In the middle of the phone pad is a large key for emergency calls.

One Migo feature attractive to parents is the Chaperone service offered by Verizon Wireless ($9.99 a month extra). Using the phone’s Global Positioning System receiver, parents can keep track of their children through a Web site or on their own Verizon phones. For an additional $10 charge, the Chaperone service comes with a feature called Child Zone, which notifies parents when a child arrives in or leaves the vicinity of a specified location, like school or a playground.

Catherine Poling, the assistant principal at Kemptown Elementary School, near Frederick, Md., suggests that students also get a flash drive for portable storage of their computer files. “With the volume of files that students work on, including video and images, it would be helpful if they all had a mass storage device to transport files between home and school,” Ms. Poling said. One inexpensive option is the 512-megabyte Lexar JumpDrive FireFly ($29.99).

High School

The Hewlett-Packard 39gs graphing calculator, which is to go on sale this fall ($79.99), is likely to appeal to image-conscious teenagers with its sleek silver-and-gray design. The calculator offers an infrared option to share data with other H.P. devices, a U.S.B. port to download files to a computer, and a double screen that allows users to see two sets of information at the same time.

Teenagers were among the early adopters of cellphone cameras. Now they have the option of using a better camera — cellphone not included — to take photos and share them quickly with their friends: the Nikon CoolPix P1 ($549.95 suggested retail price, but much lower prices can be found online). It has Wi-Fi capability, allowing users to transmit high-quality photos through a wireless network. That means users need to be within range of a wireless hot spot, which is not as easy — at least not yet — as snapping a photo on a cellphone and sending it to a friend. It also takes some time to set up the wireless connection, because the device is not able to join a network automatically, as laptops can.

Of course, photos can still be shared the old-fashioned way — through prints. An all-out price war among retailers and online companies on photo printing has meant that fewer people have favored doing it themselves at home in recent years. But high school students typically like to fiddle with the look of their photos before printing them.

The Hewlett-Packard Photosmart 3310 All-in-One Printer ($349.99 after rebate) not only allows users to manipulate images, but also lets them play digital video clips on the printer’s image display, freeze a favorite scene and print it. Like many other H.P. printers, the model contains six separate ink cartridges, which saves replacing a single color cartridge regularly.

College

“You can’t go to college without a computer, and anymore that means a laptop,” said Ms. Gooch, the Best Buy manager.

Among the popular options this year are laptops that flip around to turn into tablet PC’s, like the Gateway CX210X convertible notebook ($1,299). The stylus that comes with the laptop can be used like a pen. For those unfamiliar with tablet PC’s it can take a little time to become comfortable with the smooth display, however, and the screen is sometimes difficult to see under certain lighting conditions. But the laptop could prove to be a big timesaver for students putting together study guides. For example, students could download a professor’s lecture notes to the laptop, write their own notes in the margins using the tablet PC, then print out a set to study.

For the Apple crowd, all MacBook models (starting at $1,099) feature not only a 13-inch wide-screen display, but also a built-in iSight camera for video chats over the Internet. By simply starting the iChat software and clicking on an icon to turn on iSight, homesick college freshmen can see and talk with relatives and friends anywhere who either have the same software or AOL Instant Messenger. The best part for cash-starved college students is that iSight is free with a broadband Internet connection.

Mr. Grunwald, the education consultant, also suggests that college students going off to a new campus — and a new city — might find a portable Global Positioning System device useful. Several manufacturers make the devices for mounting on the dashboard of a car, but add-ons to hand-helds are the best bet for college students, Mr. Grunwald says, since many students may already have the devices.

Earthcomber offers free, downloadable maps and directories on the Internet at www.earthcomber.com. For users with a G.P.S. unit, Earthcomber provides maps and other information. Those without a G.P.S. must tell the hand-held device where they are located. The Web site provides access to a range of information based on location: about movie showtimes, bars, teller machines, Wi-Fi hot spots, restaurants, live music and more. Free maps are also available for every city and county in the United States.

With cellphones nearly everywhere on college campuses, several mobile providers have services that provide most of the features of a navigation system. Cingular, for instance, offers access to Mapquest for data-enabled phones (normal data charges apply).

While some high school students are accustomed to having their own rooms at home, as freshmen in college they often have roommates in tight quarters. To save on space with all the electronics that students bring with them these days, Ms. Gooch at Best Buy recommends the Insignia combination TV/computer monitor ($320). The 15-inch television is handy for small spaces because it also has a built-in PC input that lets users connect a computer.

Back-to-school spending on the increase

Back to school spending continues to increase, according to an article from the National Retail Federation. It's not like the old days, however. Nowadays, lists don't just include clothing, but everything from graphic calculators to chalk.

CDC study shows fewer students are having sex

A study released Thursday by the Center of Disease Control shows fewer American high school students are having sex.

Study says teens who listen to raunchy music have sex sooner

Teens whose I-Pods feature songs with raunchy lyrics start having sex sooner, according to a newly-released study.

Students should learn to change diapers, bathe babies

The Professional Association of Teachers in England is hearing a proposal that students should become prepared for life experiences by learning to change diapers and give babies baths, according to a BBC article.

Study links teen sex, depression

A University of California-San Francisco study is linking teen sex and depression.

There are many possible reasons why teens with symptoms of depression might be more likely to take sexual risks, study author Dr. Jocelyn Lehrer noted. "Youth who are both emotionally distressed and socially isolated may be more likely to seek or be successfully pressured into sexual activity, in the name of some kind of shared intimacy, or to maintain relationships that they value," she told Reuters. Teens may also use sex as a way to cope with their symptoms of depression, Lehrer added.

New York City schools ready to punish students for MySpace comments

If New York City students plan to write about their fellow students, teachers, or principals they had better be careful. In what is sure to become a First Amendment showdown, new rules have been put in place that would regulate what students can put on their websites, even when they are doing their writing from home.

British school reinstalls mirrors

A British school is reinstalling mirrors after removing them to keep girls from spending time fixing their makeup. Wouldn't it be nice if that were the major problem facing our schools?
Find out more by checking out this link from the BBC.

Cairo, Ill., students to be tested for drugs, alcohol

Students who plan to participate in extracurricular activities will have to undergo drug and alcohol testing at a Cairo, Ill. High School.
The school also plans to go to school uniforms for everyone.
Please read the Cape Girardeau Southeast Missourian article.

Schools expanding number of students being tested for drugs

A USA Today article indicates that testing for students is growing to include more and more of the student body, not just those who are involved in extracurricular activities.

Lawsuit says cell phone ban violates students' rights

A lawsuit has been filed in New York saying that the schools' ban of cell phones violate students' rights.

The parents argue, in papers filed in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, that the ban is so broad and blunt that it violates their constitutional right as parents to keep their children safe and to raise them in the way they see fit. The ban violates their due process right to personal liberty under both the state and federal constitutions, they said, because it interferes with the relationship between parents and their children, without a compelling education reason for doing so.

Edgar Ray Killen to stay in prison

A federal court judge ruled Friday that convicted killer Edgar Ray Killen will not be freed while appealing his conviction on the 1964 murders of civil rights activists James Chaney, Michael Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman.
Killen, 81, was convicted of the murders last year.

Bullying victims may experience behavior problems later in life

A new report indicates problems for bullying victims may not end when the bullying ends.
Follow this link to the MSNBC article.

Columnist warns of dangers of social networking sites

Springfield News-Leader columnist Sarah Overstreet says it is just as important for teens to be taught about the dangers of social networking sites as it is to have them taught about drugs.

MySpace is most visited U. S. website

This probably will not come as a surprise to some of you, but according to a Reuters article, MySpace.com is now the most visited website in the United States.

More reading instruction needed for middle school, high school students

More reading instruction for middle school and high school students is being called for by educators after the release of a report which indicates only 51 percent of high school graduates are prepared to do college-level reading.
Fortunately, the Joplin R-8 School District has been ahead of the curve on this, with extra classes and emphasis on reading at both levels.

Virginia board debates relaxing rules on piercings

Board members at a school in Virginia are debating whether to change the dress code to relax the rules against body piercings. Apparently, this is taking up a lot of the administrators' time and it has been a losing battle.

Article examines parents and youth sports

A CNN article examines the positive and negative effects parents have on children's enjoyment of sports.

Columbine counselor: Nation better prepared for school violence

Interviewed after the release this week of documents seized from the homes of Columbine killers Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, Columbine counselor Harriet Hall told CNN she still isn't sure what sparked the shootings in 1999, but she believes the United States is better prepared to deal with school violence.

New teen driving restrictions cause problems

New Missouri limitations on teen drivers will cause problems for students who carpool to school. Check out the article in today's Springfield News-Leader.

Former athletes find it hard to stay in shape

A New York Times article indicates that some former top high school and college athletes find it difficult to stay in shape when they no longer have a coach to push them.

Study says restricting teen drivers can save lives

States that have put restrictions on teen drivers in place have reduced deaths by 20 percent according to a new study.

Younger generation opting for online yearbooks

Traditional school yearbooks may be on their way out.
CNN reports more and more young people are choosing video yearbooks.

King works will be available for research

Martin Luther King's family and Morehouse University officials say the late civil rights leader's papers will remain available for research, not only to historians, but even for high school students.
The King family has been under criticism for years for its diligent protection of the copyright to his works, including the famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
The articles I have read on this did not mention how soon documents would be available on the Internet.

Rowling: At least two will die in Harry Potter finale

Author J. K. Rowling is not saying who, but she has said that at least two characters will die in the upcoming seventh and final volume of the Harry Potter series.

Flag-burning amendment to be debated

This week, the U. S. Senate will begin debating whether to have an amendment banning the burning of the American flag.
Those in favor of the amendment note that the flag is the symbol of our country and should be treated with respect.
Those against it note that the U. S. Supreme Court has ruled that burning the flag is an expression of free speech, protected under the First Amendment and this would be the first time the government has repealed one of the Bill of Rights. Also, opponents have noted that the only countries that have laws against burning the national flags are countries such as Cuba, China, and Iraq, when it was under the control of Saddam Hussein...in other words, countries where freedoms were strictly limited.

New York senior has never missed a day of school

Nothing, not illness, injury, skipping, or family vacation, has ever caused New York high school senior Steven Reneau to miss a day of school. His streak has reached approximately 2,160 days, according to a New York Post article.
Reneau said he never thought about having perfect attendance until it was mentioned to him when he was in the eighth grade. After that, he said, it became important to him.

"From that point, my perfect attendance drove me to keep going," Reneau said. "There were days when I didn't want to go, but after not missing any days for so long, I didn't want to mess it up."

Representative: New York Times should be charged with treason

Last week's New York Times scoop that Americans financial records are being searched by the government in its quest to stop terrorism has upset many people.
Some believe the Times did the right thing by informing Americans that their privacy might be violated. Others, including Rep. Peter King, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, believe the Times and other newspapers have tipped off the enemy to U. S. strategy.
King says the Times should be charged with treason.

Hackers target Instant Messenger

With the popularity of Instant Messenger increasing, it was only a matter of time before it became the target of hackers. A Cox News Service report says more and more computer viruses are being sent via instant messages.

Cell phones not necessary in class

New York school officials who tried to eliminate cell phones from classrooms were in for a rude awakening. It wasn't students who opposed the ban, but parents and politicians. That's not the way it should be, columnist Armstrong Williams says.

Southwest Missourian Congressmen offer views on staying the course in Iraq

The U. S. House of Representatives voted Friday to stay the course in Iraq as a means of fighting the war on terrorism. Our congressman, Roy Blunt, and neighboring Congressman Ike Skelton, spoke on the House floor, offering their views on the resolution.
Roy Blunt speech
Ike Skelton speech

Should students receive extra credit for not going to the bathroom?

In an attempt to discourage roaming in the halls, teachers at a Washington, D. C. area school are offering extra credit in exchange for not using bathroom passes. Check out the Washington Post article.

Web-based plagiarism causing teachers to abandon research papers

The 10-page research paper may soon be a thing of the past.
According to a Los Angeles Times article, teachers are abandoning them because the world wide web has made it too easy to plagiarize.

Safe social networking sites emerging

It appears that safer alternatives to MySpace, Facebook, Xanga, and other social networking sites are beginning to emerge. Some of those are featured in an article from eschoolnews.

Students sue to be allowed to air Christian views at school

High school students in Pennsylvania who want freedom of expression for their Christian group have sued their school district. Find out more in the Philadelphia Inquirer article.

Pennsylvania principal stirs controversy with underage drinking policy

A new principal at a Pennsylvania high school has the town up in arms over his new policy attacking the problem of underage drinking. See if you agree with the principal or his opponents by checking out the Philadelphia Inquirer article.

When fear is part of school

In the Joplin area, we are accustomed to having schools that, for the most part, are safe, and inviting to students. Unfortunately, that is not always the case elsewhere.
A Philadelphia Inquirer article takes a look at students who are afraid to go to school...and many of them don't, either getting nailed for truancy or transferring to charter schools or private schools.

Violence is uninvited guest at graduation

For one Pennsylvania school, graduation became a lesson about violence. The following article is taken from the New York Times News Service.

By David Kocieniewski
New York Times News Service
Published June 11, 2006

LEVITTOWN, Pa. -- For the 415 seniors at Harry S Truman High School, graduation day offered one final lesson--unplanned and most unwelcome--about gangs, violence and intimidation.

Members of the Bloods street gang reportedly threatened to kill the school's class president, who is a star athlete and honor student. And given the outbreak of gang-related shootings here in recent months, that threat transformed the annual commencement ceremony in this rough-hewn Philadelphia suburb into an odd pageant of anxiety and heightened security.

The 4,500 friends, relatives and spectators who arrived for the ceremony were forced to pass through metal detectors before they could enter the outdoor stadium, which was decorated with banners, bunting and sprays of yellow carnations. Undercover police detectives milled through the crowd.

Yet when the ceremonies began Friday afternoon, the class of '06 was missing its president, Tyrone Lewis, whom police had banned from the ceremony because they believed that he and his family were in danger from the Bloods.

Lewis' sister had agreed to testify against gang members in a New Jersey murder trial, and Lewis recently was shot at by men the police said they believed belonged to the gang.

Also absent from the ceremony was Ahman Fralin, 18, a senior who has been hospitalized and paralyzed from the neck down since April, when he was shot in the spine as he sat beside Lewis.

Despite protests from Lewis' mother, who threatened to sue the school district unless her son was permitted on stage, he delivered his speech from a secret spot via a video hookup.

After being welcomed with raucous applause by the crowd watching a large television screen in the stadium, Lewis, 18, made only passing reference to the circumstances that made him an exile at his own graduation.

He asked the crowd to pray for Fralin and suggested that the police lockdown surrounding the graduation ceremony should come as little surprise in an age when police dogs search school lockers for drugs and students have their knapsacks checked for guns each morning.

"We've had some crazy days, but we've also had inspiring days as well," he said.
(Follow this link for more information about this graduation and the audio to the valedictorian's speech.)

With text messaging, IM, teens no longer have a time to talk

Robert Frost wrote a wonderful poem, "A Time to Talk," about a man who had chores to do but gladly put them aside when a friend stopped by and wanted to talk. If a USA Today article is correct, teens are not taking the time to talk; instead, they are text messaging and instant messaging.

Officials fear websites increasing gang activity

As if there's not enough to worry about in cyberspace, the Thursday Dallas Morning News reports teen gangs are using social networking websites like MySpace.com to brag about their activities and to recruit new members.

California law requires schools to teach historic contributions of gays

California school districts are now required to teach children about the contributions of gays and lesbians to the state, country, and world, thanks to a law that was passed by the state legislature.
Syndicated writer and host of television's O'Reilly Factor, Bill O'Reilly writes about the law in his most recent column.

MySpace: a parking place for pedophiles, porn pushers

Syndicated writer Rebecca Hagelin offers a frightening look at the dangers of MySpace in her most recent column.

Chicago valedictorian can't be stereotyped

The Chicago Sun-Times posted an article earlier this week about a valedictorian who is extremely hard to label. He's into rap music, he plays on the baseball team, and he is also on the school chess team.

Student's dress causes eviction from prom

Officials at West Side High School in Gary, Ind., tossed one senior out of the prom after taking one look at the clinging gown the student wore, even though there were others that revealed more.
"I have no formal pictures, no memories, nothing. You only have one prom," the student said. The problem was, well, the student's name was Kevin Logan and he was the only guy trying to enter the prom wearing a slinky gown.
Now, of course, he is planning on suing the school. Check out the Associated Press article.

Heavy cell phone use could indicate anxiety

A medical study indicates excessive cellphone use by teens may be an indication of unhappiness and anxiety. The Los Angeles Times' article on the subject is reprinted below:

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

The teen obsession with yakking, text messaging and ring tone swapping on their cellphones might mean more than a whopping phone bill. For the most crazed, it's a sign of unhappiness and anxiety, according to a new medical study.

A survey of 575 high school students found that that the top third of users – students who used their phones more than 90 times a day – frequently did so because they were unhappy or bored. They scored significantly higher on tests measuring depression and anxiety compared with students who used their phones a more sedate 70 times daily.

The study, presented Tuesday at a meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in Toronto, was among the first to explore the emotional significance of teens' cellphone habits as the device becomes more entrenched in today's youth culture.

Two of every five youths in the U.S. from ages 8 to 18 own a cellphone, according to a recent survey. Students in grades seven through 12 spend an average of an hour a day on their cellphones – about the same amount of time they devote to homework.

Some earlier studies involving college students have suggested a link between heavy cellphone use and depression. Other research has shown that students incorporate cellphones into their personal identities.

For teens, cellphones were "not just objects or communications tools. They were portals for being in touch with other people – extensions of themselves," said Christina Wasson, an anthropologist at the University of North Texas who has studied cellphone use.

Dr. Jee Hyan Ha, lead author of the latest report, said heavy cellphone users involved in his study weren't clinically depressed. Rather, Dr. Ha said, the students probably were suffering from some serious cases of teen angst. The youths may have been unhappy because of a problem in their lives or anxious about their social status.

"They are trying to make themselves feel better by reaching out to others," he said.

Dr. Ha, a psychiatrist at Yongin Mental Hospital in South Korea, surveyed students attending a technical high school in that country about their cellphone habits and attitudes. Most of the participants were boys, and their average age was 15.

The heaviest users were communicating with their phones on average about every 10 minutes during waking hours. The majority of their usage was in text messages.

They continually checked their phones for messages and often became irritated when people didn't call them right back.

Based on the popularity of the devices in South Korea, where three-quarters of residents have cellphones, Dr. Ha expected to find students had become addicted to their phones.

"I thought that there would be some kind of craving, but that is not what I saw," he said.

Instead, Dr. Ha found that cellphone use appeared to be linked to self-esteem.

Students in the highest third of users scored significantly worse on scales measuring depression, anxiety and "alexithymia," or the ability to express emotion, compared with students in the bottom third of cellphone users.

Dr. Ha used a psychological test to measure the mental state of the students. In the test, a score of 21 marked a clinical depression. The heaviest cellphone users scored 12, well below that point, while the lighter users came in at 7.

Blog: Unwed parents not welcome in Missouri town

If you're not married, you had better live somewhere besides Black Jack, MO., according to a post on the brettbart.com blog Local officials are only welcoming traditional families, the post indicates.

High school students in trouble for Internet list

When you think of Internet lists created by high school students, the first thought are the hit lists that have been reported in some areas.
That was not the case at Kirkwood High School in the St. Louis area where students are in trouble of creating a list purportedly telling "who's hot and who's not" among girls in the junior class.

How do these people get into teaching, part 4?

Today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch tells the story of a veteran teacher who was arrested after arriving at school drunk and fondling a 13-year-old girl. No mention is made of previous instances of misbehavior by the man, but he has been teaching at that school for 22 years, the article said.

Illinois school district to monitor student blogs

It's a policy that seems to be crying for a lawsuit.
The Libertyville, Ill., School District Board voted unanimously Monday to begin monitoring student blogs and have students who participate in extracurricular activities sign a pledge agreeing that any type of "illegal or inappropriate" activity on the net can be grounds for disciplinary action.
Please read the Associated Press article.

Columnist: Forget privacy, we need to spy more

Syndicated columnist Max Boot offers a provocative commentary suggesting that we need to forget about privacy concerns and increase spying to protect us against terrorism.

Senate passes bill making English our official language

During debate on the immigration bill this week, the United States Senate passed an amendment making English our official language. Is this a good move, please read the BBC article and let me know what you think.

England to eliminate junk food from school diets

In America, the publicity the past couple of weeks has been about an agreement to remove soft drinks from schools, but the United Kingdom has plans to go much, much further.
British officials are talking about not only removing soft drinks, but junk food snacks, and even "low quality" meat.

You can't just ask a girl to the prom any more

It appears approaching a girl and asking her if she wants to go the prom with you is too boring these days. The whole thing has become a grand production number, according to an article in this morning's San Diego Union-Tribune.

Nebraska plan goes against Brown vs. Board idea

Each year during the third quarter, students in my communication arts classes at South Middle School research major events in the civil rights movement, including the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education decision which paved the way for the desegregation of American public schools.
Now, Nebraska appears to be heading in the opposite direction with schools divided by racial makeup, according to an article from the New York Times.

Discussing having the National Guard protect our borders

Earlier this week, President Bush announced a plan to have the National Guard protecting our borders. A Washington Post editorial criticizes this plan. What do you think?

Columbine massacre video game criticized

It appears as if there is nothing that people desperate for a buck won't do, including fashioning a video game based on the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo.

Teen abuse of prescription drugs increasing

Teen use of alcohol and illegal drugs is down, but abuse of prescription medicatin is on the upswing, according to a new study.

Study says fewer teens are dating

A newly released study indicates fewer teens are going out on dates. Please read the Chicago Sun-Times article.

Do computers really help school performance

Though I have tried to help the educational process through websites such as those in the Room 210 family, online MAP practice tests and other use of technology in the classroom, I do sometimes wonder if we are not sacrificing basic educational concepts in favor of keeping students entertained with computers.
Apparently, I am not the only one who has these kinds of thoughts. Jay Mathews of the Washington Post, in his most recent column, asks the same question with some fascinating results.

Bill would eliminate MySpace, similar sites from school, library computers

The recent wave of publicity surrounding sites such as myspace.com has led a Congressman to propose that such social networking sites be prohibited on school library and public library computers. Educators and librarians are fighting the bill, noting that it restricts the educational use of such websites.
It should be noted that if this law passes, blogger.com would be one of the sites blocked on school computers, meaning sites like this one and Room 210 News would not be available on any school computers.

Minnesota to try MAP-like tests online

Minnesota students will try a new method of taking standardized test, according to an article in E-School News. The students will take their achievement tests online on a trial basis. If it works, this could become the wave of the future.

How do these people get into teaching, part 3

A St. Joseph teacher has been suspended after giving his students a writing assignment which had them tell what person they would like to kill and how they would go about doing it...and this assignment was for an industrial technology class.
Please read the Associated Press article.

Scientists say anti-drug programs do not work

Scientists claim that anti-drug programs in schools not only do not work, but may have a harmful effect on students. Please read the Los Angeles Times article.

More teachers using e-mail, but students have moved beyond that

Just as teachers have finally started using e-mail to communicate with students, students have advanced far beyond that and prefer instant messenger.
According to an ESchool News article, the only time many young people use e-mail is to communicate with adults or to save documents.

Visiting Mom in prison

Hopefully, it's something the teenagers who read this blog will never have to worry about, but today's Los Angeles Times includes a feature story about a 15-year-old visiting her mother in prison, where she is serving a life sentence for charges that include kidnapping and armed robbery.

Bill adds restrictions for teen drivers

Teen drivers face additional restrictions under a bill passed Friday by the Missouri General Assembly. Teens will now have to have 40 hours of behind-the-wheel practice, up from 20, and will have limits on the number of teen passengers they may have. Please read the article from the Jefferson City News-Tribune.

Neosho teen turns her life around

The Friday Neosho Daily News included a feature written by Wes Franklin about a Neosho High School student who turned her life around after being in trouble with the law at her former school. The article is reprinted below:

By Wes Franklin / Daily News Staff Writer

Krystil Steffen, a junior at Neosho High School, doesn't think of herself as necessarily special, but she realizes she's come a long way.

Today she received the Better Choices Award from Newton County Presiding Circuit Court Judge Timothy Perigo in recognition for having the courage and fortitude to change her life for the better.

But it's been a rocky journey.

About a year ago, while living in Stone County, Steffen found herself in more trouble than she would like to admit. Only 16 at the time, she became involved in drugs which eventually landed her in a rehabilitation center. Brazenly “escaping” with an accomplice from rehab, she stole a car but ended up getting caught.

Afterwards, when Steffen was placed into foster care with Neosho couple Kathi and Roy Stephens, she said she wasn't too enthusiastic about going back to the normal routine of high school.

“When I got here I could really care less,” Steffen related. “I didn't even want to be back in school.”

But on advice from her caseworker, Steffen re-enrolled in class. And that's when she noticed things starting to turn around.

“I've made straight ‘A's all my life, so obviously I was kind of obligated to make ‘A's, and I got into some accelerated classes that started motivating me a little more and things just kind of came alongŠ,” she said. “There's a lot more opportunities for me here than I had before so I just kind of went for them all as I get more motivated in school.”



However, education can only do so much. A negative perception on life can void whatever attributes may be gained through attending even accelerated classes. It takes a different world outlook to lift one's self up out of whatever funk they've fallen into - something Steffen said she realized soon after arriving in foster care and enrolling at Neosho High School.

“It was kind of a wake-up call,” she described. “I mean, my (real) parents were abusive so, before, I could really care less what my life was like. And then when I got here I realized, you know, life's not all crap. It can be fun if you make it and you can have a lot of opportunities thrown at you.”

Besides being involved as a tenor saxophonist in the Wildcat Band, Steffen's high grades and changed attitude about life have created a domino effect of consistent honor roll awards, a selection by a committee of teachers to represent Neosho at Missouri Girl's State this summer, an April Student of the Month award and a vote by her fellow classmates to the Neosho High School Student Council.

Applying to run for council was something she almost didn't even go forward with, but was strongly encouraged by her new friends - an example, Steffen believes, of her changed life.

“All my friends were like ‘dude, if you don't apply, what are you going to say if nobody else applies and you could have made it, a shoe-in; you're going to be kicking yourself all next year,' ” she related.“I definitely got that support system there that's like, you know, ‘if you don't do something that's going to put yourself in a better position, don't talk to us. If you're just going to be a bum, leave us alone.' I didn't like that. I wanted to keep the friends I had made here. They're really good friends.”

According to Rob Lundien, high school A+ coordinator and guidance counselor, Steffen was recommended to receive the Better Choices Award by high school resource officer Cameron Kruse, a corporal with the Neosho Police Department. The nomination was seconded by high school teachers and faculty.

“Earlier in the year, I knew this award was coming up and I kind of thought, ‘of any student in this school that I know of, Krystil is definitely a student who has made better choices,' ” Lundien said. “She's self-determined, she's self-motivated. She's very unique in the sense that she's had a period where she's made some not so good choices and she's decided she's not going to do that anymore. I think that's what that award is pretty much all about.”

Steffen said she was completely taken by surprise when Lundien called her into his office last Monday after lunch and told her she was chosen to represent Neosho by accepting the honor.

“When he told me I was like ‘oh, that's so sweet,' ” Steffen related. “I didn't really expect to be picked, you know. I'm just your average juvenile delinquent trying to get her life straight.”

After graduation next year, Steffen hopes to be accepted into the United States Army Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

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column.

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