Responses to a poll revealed that teachers' most common professional problems were: too little time to accomplish objectives, too many nonprofessional duties, overcrowded classrooms, motivating students, lack of administrative support, lack of parental support, troubled children, and discipline. (JD)

Presents one teacher's classroom techniques for teaching responsibility through real-world learning experiences. Wall charts rotate everyday jobs. Students apply for challenging jobs. A lottery system determines who gets favorite jobs. Students vote on who organizes special events. (SM)

Teachers need to watch for hidden visual problems which may affect their students' learning. The article discusses vision and learning, visual efficiency problems, and treatment; it describes conditions and symptoms of visual processing and efficiency disorders. (SM)

A teacher's choice of words can have a powerful effect on students' depth of thinking. Words can be either "think stoppers" or "think starters." A strategy to help students become responsible thinkers is suggested, and several classroom situations are evaluated to show how thinking can be encouraged. (MT)

An almanac of activities helps elementary students learn about rights in their lives. The activity book focuses on the Bill of Rights and on student rights in the home, school, and community. It includes posters, student activities, resource lists, and teaching aids. (SM)

Abused children send signals to their teachers. Common signs and symptoms are listed as are resources for teachers to use to educate children, other staff, and themselves about child abuse. (MT)

Presents suggestions from elementary school teachers to ease the pullout problem for classroom teachers. The suggestions include: create weekly class calendars, pair students, reschedule pullouts to more convenient times, and prepare a record sheet for information on topics the student misses. (SM)

Describes how teachers can diagnose and repair various common problems with their classroom computers without having to call in a repair person. The article also provides suggestions on how to prepare for a visit by a repair person to cut down on the time and expense of repairs. (SM)

When producing school plays, teachers can prepare students for the tryouts to avoid student frustration over the reality that everyone cannot play the lead. Suggestions include talking before the tryouts, meeting with those who are trying out, inviting students to participate in the crew, getting parents involved, being honest, and double casting…

Describes how to boost elementary students' confidence and nurture responsibility by making students resident experts at review stations. Students rotate from station to station where the experts are learning at their own pace, spending more time on material they do not understand, and receiving personal attention and immediate feedback. (SM)

Many students have undiagnosed vision problems despite passing school vision screening. Traditional screening may miss problems with close vision, eye-hand coordination, and smooth eye coordination. The article discusses what teachers should look for, how to proceed if there is a problem, and how to create vision-friendly classrooms. A list of…

Presents strategies to help students resist peer pressure. The peer pressure reversal technique involves checking out the scene, making good decisions about their actions, and acting to avoid trouble. A reproducible student page provides several suggestions of wording for students to use in saying no to their friends. (SM)

Discusses six proactive strategies to help teachers improve classroom discipline: (1) move around the room; (2) teach social skills; (3) have a sense of humor; (4) don't personalize unruly behavior; (5) look for causes of discipline problems; and (6) promote student responsibility. (SM)

Many kidnapped children eventually appear in schools where alert teachers may be their best hope of rescue. This article provides clues to help teachers identify victims, explains how to contact child-search agencies, and recommends ways to teach children about avoiding abduction. (PP)

Suggestions are offered for teachers in moving schools toward collaboration: reflect on values and teaching; become risk takers; learn to trust processes and people; appreciate colleagues; commit to ongoing improvement; seek variety; redefine roles; balance work and life; include administrators; and acknowledge benefits of collaboration to…