Every four years since 1940, Scholastic Magazine has asked young readers to pick the next president. In all but two of those 'elections', the kids have chosen the candidate who went on to win the presidency (they failed to predict Harry Truman in 1948 and John F. Kennedy in 1960).
Because of that impressive record, some people put a lot of stock in the results of Scholastic's election results. So, who did about 250,000 pre-K through 12th grade students choose for our next president this time? Democrat Barack Obama. And not just by a little bit, either. Obama got 57% of the vote compared to Republican John McCain's 39%.
Now, you might be wondering just what do these kids know that would allow them to correctly predict our next president 88% of the time. Rebecca Bondor, editor in chief of Scholastic's classroom magazine, credits family influence. "Kids do listen to their parents, and they discuss politics in their families," she says . But she also says that with today's easy access to information, many kids are forming their own opinions.
As for the remaining 4% of the vote, those went to write-in candidates. Hilary Clinton got most of those, but Ralph Nader, Ron Paul, Stephen Colbert and "my dad" also garnered some votes.
So, there you have it. Like it or not, the kids have spoken. Do you think they've got it right?
While America waits on the edge of its seat to see who will win the Presidential election, teenagers everywhere are engaged in a much more "important" vote -- that of homecoming king and queen. Though Election 2008 may be anything but settled, high school homecoming results are usually far more predictable.
Not so at Aledo High School in Texas where teens recently voted Kristin Pass as their queen. What's so special about Kristin? Not only is she "the coolest kid in the whole wide world," according to her aunt, Chari Hust, she also has Down syndrome. "Everyone in the stands burst into tears -- I've never heard anything so loud in my life," said Hust. And Kristin? She mouthed the words "thank you" to the crowd while wearing "a smile as big as the state of Texas."
Hust says there was no campaign to elect Kristin, but that she's just a beloved friend among her peers. Making the story especially poignant is the fact that Kristin's dad passed away suddenly two years ago. Her grandfather stepped in for him to escort Kristin onto stage. "You can't measure how proud I was," he said. "Every fiber in my body was happy for her."
In a month that's been littered with economic crisis and political backbiting, those darn kids in Texas just restored my hope in humanity. Congratulations, Kristin.
It seems that expressing your views via signs, protests and letters to the editor has become passé. These days, it is all about using your name (or the name of your newborn child) to get your point across. Like this teen who decided that her given name, Jennifer Thornburg, didn't really convey her passion. To bring awareness to her opposition to the dissection of animals in schools, the 19-year-old legally changed her name to CutoutDissection.com.
Her family still calls her Jennifer, but to the rest of the world she is Cutout. She says that she first began opposing animal dissections in middle school and while in high school, helped create a policy that allows like-minded students to complete an alternative assignment rather than dissect an animal.
Having graduated high school, Cutout is now working as an intern at - you guessed it - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Her Web address name is the same as PETA's anti-dissection page, where you can learn all about the horrors of cutting up creatures in the name of education.
Cutout says that her name is a great conversation starter and that it gives her lots of opportunities to spread the word about alternatives to dissection. I am sure her name also provides lots of opportunities to be laughed at and made fun of, but I admire her willingness to suffer for her cause.
When San Francisco first graders took a special field trip to surprise their beloved teacher at her wedding, they learned a few things about marriage. "Marriage is people falling in love" said one student, "You stay with someone the rest of your life."
People who support Proposal 8 -- which would ban same sex marriage in California -- are using the field trip as "an example" of how kids would learn about same sex marriage in school if the measure doesn't pass. But school administrators and most of the classroom parents approved of the field trip, saying it was a "teachable moment" and an opportunity to make memories. Two parents opted out of the trip, and their children stayed behind with another first grade class.
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As a teacher who frequently had to justify my field trips to school administrators, I think this is a gray area, but not because of the gender of the people getting married. Is a wedding an appropriate learning experience for a first grader? As a member of a community, yes. As a school child, I'm not so sure, though the kids did get to take a city bus and visit City Hall, so there's that.
But as a parent, I probably would have let my child go. An hour and a half out of their day to share such an important occasion with a beloved teacher is worth the lost class time. What do you think?
If you're tired of the same old alphabets for your little ones (and Sweet Juniper's doesn't do it for you), have a look at this collection of twenty-three different alphabets. There is the well-known butterfly wing alphabet, of course, but also some very creative and fascinating new ones as well.
There is the rather unexpected meat alphabet, the mind-boggling buildings and sky alphabet, and even a few found alphabets. I think my favorites are the matchbook alphabet (very creative idea), the pebble alphabet (amazing), and the truck rear end alphabet (just plain cool). You might like the whimsical beard alphabet or the binder clip alphabet more, however.
I have to say -- this makes me want to grab my camera and come up with my own set of alphabet photos. Anyone have any ideas for a creative alphabet?
In this country, sadly, we don't encourage advanced studies anywhere near as much as we should. In fact, it seems almost the opposite -- those who are passionate about hard science are the target of ridicule at best and victims of institutionalized physical abuse at the worst. And yet, while the stars of track and field can go on to become lawyers and own car dealerships, it is the nerds of the world that seem to make the difference -- people like Bill Gates and Steve Wozniak and, yes, Grace Hopper.
But can we afford this culture of anti-science where the brightest students are stuffed into lockers just for being smart? According to scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, we cannot. And when it comes to girls, doubly not. "It is deemed uncool," the researchers wrote, "within the social context of USA middle and high schools to do mathematics for fun; doing so can lead to social ostracism. Consequently, gifted girls, even more so than boys, usually camouflage their mathematical talent to fit in well with their peers."
The problem is that "a majority of the top young mathematicians in this country were not born here," says Janet Mertz, the professor who led the study. "We are wasting this valuable resource," Mertz noted. "Girls can excel in math at the very highest level. There are some truly phenomenal women mathematicians out there."
She's right, of course. Since men are no longer banging women on the head and dragging them back to their caves, we need every great scientific mind we can get, regardless of what type of body it might be in.
Many cities have alternative schools where kids who might otherwise drop out are given the opportunity to stay in school and graduate. These at-risk kids are often the victims of neglect or poverty and may have already found themselves on the wrong side of the law. But, according to a 2003 Chicago Public School District study, there is another group of at-risk kids who might benefit from an alternative school of their own: gay, lesbian and transgender teenagers.
Studies show that gay high school students are three times more likely to miss school because they feel unsafe. Because the stigma and fear of violence puts these kids at greater risk of dropping out altogether, the Chicago Public School District has proposed a school just for them. The School for Social Justice Pride would have a maximum enrollment of 600 students who would be admitted on a lottery basis. The school would have the same staffing and oversight as other schools, but would include lessons about sexual identity in literature and history as well as offering counseling.
"We want to create great new options for communities that have been traditionally underserved," said schools chief Arne Duncan. "If you look at national studies, you see gay and lesbian students with high dropout rates. . . . I think there is a niche there we need to fill."
While the idea seems to have plenty of support, it is not going over well with some gay rights advocates. They want to see schools focus on fostering acceptance, not segregation.
The Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the matter on October 22nd and if passed, Chicago's first gay high school would open in 2009.
As a teacher, here in the U.S., my wife is required to report suspected cases of child abuse or endangerment. If she sees or hears something that indicates there could be a problem, she is obligated to contact child protective services. I'm okay with that -- sometimes, kids need protection even from their own family. In England, however, it seems the government wants to take that a step further -- by having teachers report potential terrorists to the police.
The plan extends the "in loco parentis" responsibilities of teachers to include keeping an eye out for pupils who consider violent extremism an option. Francis Gilbert, a teacher who would have to watch out for these disgruntled teenagers (are there really any other kind?), has written a critique of the idea noting that students, aware that their teachers might turn them in, would be afraid to say anything that might be considered anti-establishment.
The teenage years, especially, are a time when kids rebel against the status quo, looking for ways to solve the problems they see and improve society. From the Beatles to Romeo and Juliet, this is part of growing up, part of becoming the next generation. Setting teacher out to crush that is a very bad idea.
The Kansas City Academy offers kids in grades 6-12 foods like pizza with whole wheat crust, hormone-free cheese and organic toppings. What salad with that? Help yourself to greens and veggies grown in a nearby organic, pesticide-free garden.
The school is one of three in the Kansas City area participating in Bistro Kids' Farm 2 School program, which replaces your basic, high-fat cafeteria fare like cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets with natural, locally grown food, such as free-range meats.
Whats that? You're vegetarian, you say? Vegan, even? No worries, just ask the chef to prepare you a special, fresh meal that meets your dietary requirements.
Bistro Kids' owner, Kiersten Firquain, believes kids' dietary habits contribute to poor physical and mental health, and she isn't alone in that belief. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of overweight kids has increased drastically in the past 20 years, which in turn has increased the number of kids with diabetes.
Schools have responded by trying to offer fresh-food alternatives, but are often stymied by cost. Those with high poverty rates suffer the most -- the federal government reimburses schools about $2.57 per free meal served, but most districts say an average meal costs $2.88.
Students who participate in free-lunch programs are often the ones most in need of a nutritional boost. I, for one, would be more than willing to put a few more bucks in my school-tax bill to help children in my neighborhood eat a healthier diet. How about you?
This week there was frost on the ground and the sky was strewn with wind-tattered clouds, V's of honking geese, and the last wayward monarchs heading toward
. At recess the kids would pause for a second, mid soccer game, to look up at the sky and yell LOOK! LOOK! Their faces full of wonder and glee.
It was the kind of weather that called us outdoors every day for an extra mid-morning recess.
Even though I'm theoretically sacrificing academic time by heading outdoors for a handful of minutes with my class, I find I mostly gain time because the children are less restless and more willing to settle down with a good chapter book or a math activity when their bodies have had some time to run outdoors. But I also like going outdoors with them because it gives me a chance to watch them interacting together in an unstructured way.
I keep noticing how uncertain they are in their play together without an adult intervening for them whenever something doesn't go their way.
I know. I've probably exhausted you with my posts about play and children, but it's my obsession. I can't let it go.
Last week, when a student at Trinity Lutheran School in Monroe, Michigan found she was missing $42, the principal of the school assumed the money must have been stolen. Determined to find the thief, principal John Hilken ordered teachers to strip-search a group of 7th grade girls.
According to one mom, this treatment was uncalled for and she and others have filed police complaints. "Some were taken down to their bra and panties and some had to pull their tops out and shake them," said Martha Feller, whose daughter was among the stripped and searched suspects. "They treat criminals like that, not 12-year-old innocent children," she said.
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In hindsight, principal Hilken realizes that perhaps this wasn't the best way to handle the situation. He has apologized, but some parents feel this isn't enough. Martha Feller's daughter is so upset about it that she hasn't returned to school since the incident. "I hope that they will take them out of that school and make them pay for what they did to the children," Feller says.
I remember an incident in third grade that made me not want to return to school. After complaining to my teacher about an itchy chest, she unbuttoned my top to have a look. Right there in front of the whole class, she opened my shirt wide and examined my body. The fact that all these years later I can still vividly recall that humiliation is a testament to just how mortifying it was. I agree with Feller and think the principal owes more than an apology to these girls. Maybe he should be strip-searched to see if his compassion and common sense can be located.
A team of scientists at Oxford University in England have identified a gene linked to dyslexia, a learning disability that often leads to reading and spelling difficulties. If not addressed early on, children can fall behind in literacy skills and spend the rest of their lives trying to catch up. With this new discovery, however, children may be able to get help in coping with the condition sooner.
"On average," notes Dr. Silvia Paracchini, of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at Oxford, "people carrying this common genetic variant tended to perform poorly on tests of reading ability. However, it is important to note that this is only true for reading ability and not for IQ, so it doesn't appear to be connected to cognitive impairment." In other words, dyslexia does not affect intelligence, just the ability to process certain types of information.
It's estimated that about fifteen percent of the people in the UK carry the gene, so it seems to me that identifying it and being able to check for it is a very good thing.
Three years ago, Lindsay Burke didn't know about abusive relationships and it cost her her life. She was killed by her boyfriend who was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Lindsay Burke may not have recognized the signs or known what to do, but other teens will, thanks to a new law that bears her name.
The Lindsay Ann Burke Act requires that the topic of dating violence be a part of the health courses in all public middle and high schools. "You teach sex ed, you teach `don't do drugs,' you teach `don't drink,' you should also be teaching `don't be a victim of domestic violence,'" said Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch who helped get the act passed by the legislature.
"If this could happen to her, this could happen to anyone," said Lindsay's mother, Ann Burke. Burke and her husband, Chris, started the campaign to pass the new law. Texas also has a requirement to include awareness of dating violence and several other states encourage it, but Rhode Island's law goes the furthest, requiring the subject be taught annually from seventh grade through twelfth.
Personally, I can't imagine anyone who wants to be considered human hurting another, especially one they care about, but I know it happens. I'd also like to think my kids will be strong enough -- physically and mentally -- to not permit such treatment. I also know, however, that strength is worthless without training, so I'm all in favor of this. I hope that when my kids get to middle school, this will be a part of their classes too.
According to the Times, one in five teachers in the UK would like to be able to use corporal punishment in the classroom. Children's behaviour, they say, has deteriorated so much that they feel the need to hit the children. "There is justification ... for bringing back corporal punishment, if only as a deterrent." claims Ravi Kasinathan, a primary teacher. "I believe some children just don't respond to the current sanctions."
"Children's behaviour is absolutely outrageous in the majority of schools," says supply teacher Judith Cookson. "There are too many anger management people and their ilk who give children the idea that it is their right to flounce out of lessons for time out because they have problems with their temper. They should be caned instead." So I guess the idea is that if a kid is having issues with anger, instead of teaching them to remove themselves from the situation and calm down, they should just hit.
There are times, believe me, when I feel like whipping my kids but that doesn't mean I should. Whether it's in spite of my parents using corporal punishment or because of it, I simply don't think hitting kids will solve anything or set a good example.
Show and tell at school is great. Kids love it because it is a chance for them to bring something personal from home and show it off to all their classmates. Choosing just what to bring for show and tell can be difficult, but favorite toys and vacation souvenirs are always good ideas. But if you are looking for bad ideas of what to bring for show and tell, look no further than this mom in Stevensville, Montana. She brought a dead bat to her kid's elementary school. And if that wasn't bad enough, that bat was dead because it had rabies.
Now, I don't know if it was really show and tell day for her two kids at Stevensville Elementary, but she did more than show and tell about it anyway. She allowed the students in one kindergarten class and four fifth grade classes to actually handle the dead creature.
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According to Superintendent Kent Kultgen, her bad idea was well thought out. She presented the bat along with "good information" and even brought hand sanitizer for the kids to use after touching it. Maybe she thought this would be a really cool Halloween-related presentation, but clearly it was not. Although the risk of contracting rabies from touching the bat is fairly small, the school is taking no chances. About 90 kids are now receiving rabies shots just in case they came in contact with the bat's saliva.
Those shots could end up costing over $70,000, which will be paid for by the school's liability insurance. As bad as that is, the worst pain will be felt by the students themselves. Over the next few weeks, they will undergo a series of six shots to ensure that they are not infected with a potentially fatal neurological virus. Way to go, mom.
Every four years since 1940, Scholastic Magazine has asked young readers to pick the next president. In all but two of those 'elections', the kids have chosen the candidate who went on to win the presidency (they failed to predict Harry Truman in 1948 and John F. Kennedy in 1960). 
While America waits on the edge of its seat to see who will win the Presidential election, teenagers everywhere are engaged in a much more "important" vote -- that of homecoming king and queen. Though Election 2008 may be anything but settled, high school homecoming results are usually far more predictable.
It seems that expressing your views via signs, protests and letters to the editor has become passé. These days, it is all about using your name (or the name of your 
If you're tired of the same old alphabets for your little ones (and 
In this country, sadly, we don't encourage advanced studies anywhere near as much as we should. In fact, it seems almost the opposite -- those who are passionate about hard science are the target of ridicule at best and victims of institutionalized physical abuse at the worst. And yet, while the stars of track and field can go on to become lawyers and own car dealerships, it is the nerds of the world that seem to make the difference -- people like Bill Gates and Steve Wozniak and, yes, 
Many cities have alternative schools where kids who might otherwise drop out are given the opportunity to stay in school and graduate. These at-risk kids are often the victims of neglect or poverty and may have already found themselves on the wrong side of the law. But, according to a 2003 Chicago Public School District study, there is another group of at-risk kids who might benefit from an alternative school of their own: gay, lesbian and transgender teenagers. 
As a teacher, here in the U.S., my wife is required to report suspected cases of child abuse or endangerment. If she sees or hears something that indicates there could be a problem, she is obligated to contact child protective services. I'm okay with that -- sometimes, kids need protection even from their own family. In England, however, it seems the government wants to take that a step further -- by having teachers 
Chef-prepared vegan meals? Organic salad bar? Free-range meats?
Last week, when a student at Trinity Lutheran School in Monroe, Michigan found she was missing $42, the principal of the school assumed the money must have been stolen. Determined to find the thief, principal John Hilken ordered teachers to 
A team of scientists at Oxford University in England have 
Three years ago, Lindsay Burke didn't know about abusive relationships and it cost her her life. She was killed by her boyfriend who was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Lindsay Burke may not have recognized the signs or known what to do, but other teens will, thanks to 
According to the Times, one in five teachers in the UK would like to be able to use 
