Filed under: Health and Safety, Teachers, Elementary school

A substitute teacher in Milan has been fired after injuring a student with a pair of scissors. Apparently the child was misbehaving in class, and in what the teacher claims was a joking manner, she threatened to cut the child's tongue. While the teacher was "mimicking the action with a pair of scissors, the pupil made an unexpected move and cut his tongue on the scissors," according to the police report. She then apparently tried to convince the boy not to reveal the exact details of what happened to his parents.

The teacher was suspended and charged with assault. Apparently, the parents plan to sue both her and the school "for moral and material damages."

As for the boy, he was rushed to the hospital and received five stitches in his tongue. He will have to remain on a liquid diet throughout the healing process, which doctors are estimating will take about ten days. The mother has left her job to care for her son as he remains in shock since the incident, too frightened to return to school.

This isn't about one person being a bad teacher, or even teachers in general. This is about an adult who made a very poor decision. I can not think of one circumstance where it is ok to threaten a child with intent to harm, joking or not. I honestly believe that the challenge in parenting, educating, or (for some) simply being around children is dealing with our own behavior. It is about controlling what we may think or say, and controlling our actions. Kids will be kids. Sometimes they are angels, other times they are naughty as can be. That is what they DO. An adult, who puts themselves in the position of being around children, has the responsibility to control their actions in front of those kids and never, ever threaten them with harm. Joking or not.

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Filed under: College

Not surprisingly, heavy drinking is still so common at universities that Sonia Minden, writing in UC San Diego's The Guardian, calls is a "rite of passage." Until recently, it's been assumed that the binge drinkers are mostly men, but research at Loyola Marymount University indicates that female students drink as much -- if not more -- than their male counterparts.

In addition, the study found that women were more likely to experience alcohol-related consequences, like missing class, having unprotected sex -- even undergoing a change in personality.

According to researchers, they also drink for different reasons. While men drink "out of competitiveness," says Loyola University psychology professor and study co-author Joseph LaBrie, women drink out of social pressure from male students. "A woman who plays drinking games and puts down many drinks is held in high esteem by males," says Eric R. Pedersen, another co-author of the study.

So do women feel empowered by drinking with the guys? Lisa Nunn, a sociology graduate student and teaching assistant isn't so sure. Says Nunn: "I'm interested in whether the consequences of the reward is something healthy, such as a feeling of empowerment in gender equality, or whether it is something destructive. We shouldn't feel that we need to be intoxicated to be socially viable."

What do you think? It is this old news, or is it true that more young women are suffering from the culture of college binge drinking?

[via The Paper Trail]

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Filed under: Infertility, Making a Difference

At the end of each school year, my husband and I give our sons' teachers a small gift, to thank them for the hard work they do every day. Typically, we give something they can use in their classrooms. One family in San Diego went above and beyond this token gift, however, and gave their first grader's teacher the gift of a baby.

The teacher and her husband had been trying to have a baby, and had opted for IVF. While they were saving up for the procedure (which can cost upwards of $15,000.00), the parent of one of the woman's students called the San Diego Fertility Center. The parent, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Center's financial coordinator that she wished to pay for the couple's IVF.

In June of 2006, the teacher and her husband had a baby girl. "The donation family is still in our daily prayers and we hope that one day, we too can help out another family like they have done for us. We have been blessed beyond our wildest dreams with a precious gift from above."

The teacher and her husband still have no idea who the donor family was.

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Filed under: Public school, Private school, Dads

In light of recent research indicating that absent or disengaged fathers are a significant part of the reason boys fail in school, the UK is hoping that fathers-only parent evenings at schools will get dads more involved.

Especially when parents are separated, fathers are less-likely to attend co-parent functions, or wind up spending the evening arguing with their former partner. Additionally, because many unsupportive dads had a bad experience when they were in school, they find it difficult as adults to embrace the value of education.

But the new measures are no slight on absentee fathers -- quite the opposite, in fact. In an upcoming speech, Alan Johnson, the UK's education secretary, plans to say that fathers "are not optional extras in the family unit - and should not be regarded as such, not in the workplace, the home or the courts".

What do you think? Would a dads-only night get more fathers involved in the child's education?

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Filed under: Health and Safety, 4 years, 5 years, 6-7 years

Last summer, my six-year-old was stung on the ear by a wasp. Fortunately, he is not allergic, but it was still a harrowing experience; my son flailed around and screamed the entire way home from the park, and then initially refused to take any Benadryl. In the end, everything was fine, but I was worn out when it was all over.

I can't even imagine what I would have done if I'd had to give him a shot. I mean, yes, I would DO it, but I think that might have done me in permanently. And apparently, I'm not alone in this: a new study has found that parents of children with known allergies, the kind that can result in anaphylaxis, are still nervous about using the EpiPen, even when they have been properly trained and are aware that it could save their child's life.

The families in the survey included children with food allergies, primarily to tree nuts; nearly half had had a prior allergic episode. According to the study's authors, familiarity and training with the EpiPen didn't make parents more comfortable using the pen, nor did prior allergic reactions. Instead, it was an understanding of their child's allergy that made the greatest difference in their willingness to give the shot. "Parents who were knowledgeable and felt a sense of empowerment over their child's food allergy and who actually used the EpiPen on their child on a number occasions displayed high levels of comfort in using the device."

Does your child have severe allergies? Have you ever had to administer medication? Were you comfortable doing so, or did it make you nervous?

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Filed under: Moms

The next time you're short on cash, and your family is having trouble making ends meet, some extra money from social security might look pretty good. However, tempting as it may seem, don't coach your kids to fake retardation -- you'll only get caught in the end.

That's what happened to Rosie Costello, a 46-year-old mother to Pete and Marie. Starting when her daughter was 4, Costello taught her two kids to feign retardation -- a trick they'd been getting away with for almost 20 years. She's now facing jail time and a hefty restitution fine. Because her son continued the facade into adulthood, he's also been sentenced to at least 6 months in prison, as well as $59,000 in restitution.

Federal prosecutors have yet to locate Marie.

The hoax was foiled when Social Security workers, suspicious of Pete Costello, uncovered Vancouver courtroom video in which he ably contested a traffic violation.

It was bound to happen sooner or later.

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Filed under: College, Doing it myself

A comprehensive new study has found that college students are more narcissistic and self-centered than their predecessors, according to Professor Jean Twenge of San Diego State University. The study included 16,475 college students nationwide who completed an evaluation called the Narcissistic Personality Inventory. The NPI presented students with statements like "If I ruled the world, it would be a better place," "I think I am a special person" and "I can live my life any way I want to."

Data for the study stretched back to 1982, when the NPI was first introduced. Since then the number of students with above average scores has risen 30%, to two-thirds of participating students.

While a certain level of narcissism can be a good thing, it "can also have very negative consequences for society, including the breakdown of close relationships with others," according to study co-author W. Keith Campbell of the University of Georgia. For example, according to the study, narcissists "are more likely to have romantic relationships that are short-lived, at risk for infidelity, lack emotional warmth, and to exhibit game-playing, dishonesty, and over-controlling and violent behaviors."

The study's authors blame the increase in narcissistic attitudes to the desire to build self-esteem in young children. Instead of acquiring a sense of interdependence and community, kids are taught that they are special and therefore better than others; in their adult life, this often plays out in an inability to accept criticism or a preference for self-promotion over helping others.

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Filed under: Celebrity parents

It seems Bobby Brown is having trouble getting money together. The former R&B singer has repeatedly failed to fork over the $19,000 he was ordered to pay in child support, and is now in jail.

This shouldn't be a big surprise. The arrest warrant was issued in October of last year, after Brown didn't show up for a court hearing to discuss the outstanding support owed to Kim Ward -- the mother of two of his children. The 38-year-old was finally apprehended while attending his daughter's cheerleading competition.

Brown is also in the midst of divorcing Whitney Houston, with whom he has an additional child, but no word yet as to whether or not there's child support issues in that case.

According to his lawyers, the guy's broke: "Although this agreement was put in place when he was Bobby Brown the star, this agreement is being enforced when he is not always able to find work."

But keep in mind, that's what Brown said the last time he was arrested for failing to pay child support, back in 2004. He told the judge he had no source of income, and wouldn't be able to cover any of the debt he'd amassed in 10 years of neglecting to make payments. After one night in jail, he was able to come up with $63,500.

Somehow, I don't think he'll be behind bars for very long.

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Filed under: Elementary school, Public school, Family togetherness, Going to school

When I was in school, I never did my homework. Apparently, some kids haven't discovered that solution to the bane of childhood afternoons and have instead turned to cheating and drug abuse. Some schools have decided that the appropriate response is to get rid of homework. Oak Knoll Elementary School in Menlo Park is trying it. The only homework there is reading, special projects, and make-up work. Addison Elementary in Palo Alto and the Berryessa School District in San Jose are considering it as well.

Those opposed to homework say it takes time away from creative play and family time. Proponents say it teaches responsibility and time management. I can tell you what my wife -- a first grade teacher -- would likely say: no only does homework reinforce the learning that takes place in the classroom, it also provides an opportunity for parents to be involved with their children's education and show them that they value education.

The move to eliminate homework mostly occurs in wealthy communities where the students already do well. Schools that are struggling often have difficulty getting parents involved with their children's schoolwork. I know my wife sees this all the time. Parents easily find time for their favorite TV shows or some football game, but can't carve five minutes out of the day to read to their kids. I like the answer Ohlone Elementary in Palo Alto came up with: they assign the homework to the parents.

Personally, I strongly believe that the number one determining factor in how well a kid does in school and how much they learn is the parents' attitudes toward education and learning. Parents who read a lot and have lots of books around and work with their kids on their schoolwork will have kids who grow up seeing education and knowledge as being as normal as eating and sleeping. Parents who eschew any interest in education will have children who do the same.

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Filed under: Moms, Sleep, Toddler, Adventures in Parenting, Childproofing, Exploring

I wasn't very good at babyproofing the house. I tentatively moved some cords around, and inserted some plastic doohickies in the light sockets, but in general I didn't think about the stuff that mattered: my pen tray on the desk, leaving my juice on the coffee table. I learned as I went.

I am dreading Nolan's transition into a toddler bed. He hasn't fallen out of his crib since that horrfying night, but I have been mentally preparing myself for the transition. He is too big for his crib, even if it weren't a little unsafe.

But how do you babyproof a toddler room? There will be no crib bars to contain him in a toddler bed, and he knows how to open doors. I envision him stealthily sneaking out of his room while I sleep: meandering in the kitchen to eat some dog food, perhaps swirling his hand in the toilet at a leisurely pace, relieved for the lack of indignant Mommy telling him "no, no, no!"

Also, I am finally getting 7 hours of sleep a night and I am so unwilling to part ways with them. I envision Nolan creeping into my room at night, pulling my hair, inserting his finger into my eye socket at 3:22 AM.

Any suggestions, dear readers? How did you toddler proof your kid's room? I am worried it cannot be done.

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