Described methods teachers may take in order to help students improve their mental health. (RK)

Several ways teachers can nurture elementary learners include helping students become responsible, validating feelings and opinions, helping students strive for their own excellence, guiding behavior through questions and suggestions, reducing rivalries, and tuning in to children's needs, interests, and abilities. (SM)

Scapegoating in the classroom is a destructive problem that disrupts the social life of the class. Suggestions are offered in the form of a fable to help both the outcast and those who victimize. (DF)

Suggested a positive approach for teachers in confronting the problems of students afflicted with epilepsy. (RK)

This article presents activities to help teachers explore the issue of tattling and help students learn when to tell and when to work it out themselves. Both activities require several 20-minute periods in which teachers explain the issue and involve students in discussions of appropriate behavior and responses. (SM)

Judith Martin, author of the syndicated "Miss Manners" column, answers teachers' questions about how to handle children who may have little appreciation for mannerly behavior. While Martin insists that manners must be taught at home, her advice can help teachers deal with some difficult classroom situations. (PP)

Most teachers would say that they use incentives--such as gold stars and extra recess-time--to help kids stay on track in the classroom and they give warnings and time-outs when they are not. There is no question it is hard keeping a class of 25 energetic eight-year-olds engaged and learning. But is this approach the only option? There is always…

Discusses the interaction, beyond the normal instructional scope, of elementary school students and their teachers with the emphasis on sex role behavior, reward seeking, and the differences in learning problems of boys and girls. (RK)

Presents strategies for banishing behavior problems in the classroom and creating a positive learning environment. The behaviors include name calling; hitting and pushing; tattling; poking and touching; overactivity; talking back; complaining about no playmates; being unprepared to work; and lying, cheating, and stealing. On-the-spot solutions are…

In an experimental study, K-4 teachers were trained to foster supportive teacher-student relations and provide occasions for students to work cooperatively. Results indicate that students in experimental classes demonstrated significantly higher supportive, friendly, and spontaneous prosocial behavior. Guidelines are provided for creating…

The article presents 10 tips for developing an effective conflict resolution program that provides students with the necessary skills to work issues out peacefully between themselves. Conflict resolution warmup activities from classroom teachers and a guide to conflict resolution resources and programs are also included. (SM)

Three articles discuss how to help elementary students grow. The first explains how teachers can weave a broader safety net for children with chaotic lives. The second presents year-end cooperative games for testing students' communication skills. The third offers take-home summer activities for parents and children. (SM)