classroom news stories on Newser

Girl Wielding Pepper Spray Lands 9 Kids in Hospital

Kate Schwartz — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 10:41:37 CST

Welcome to Pepper Spray Nation. America's newly favorite weapon is making its way from the streets of California to the aisles of Walmart to the country's high schools. DNAInfo reports that nine Harlem students were rushed to a NYC hospital yesterday afternoon after a 14-year-old used pepper spray in a...

Teacher Fights for Job After Quip About Deadly Field Trip

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 04:00:00 CDT

A Brooklyn teacher is fighting for her job after a callous quip about a beach field trip that resulted in the drowning death of a student. "After today, I'm thinking the beach is a good trip for my class," teacher Christine Rubino commented on her cell phone, apparently referring to...

Teacher Loses Baby Breaking Up Class Fight

Mary Papenfuss — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 04:04:32 CST

A popular Bronx teacher who stepped in to break up a classroom fight lost the baby she was carrying when she was accidentally elbowed in the stomach. The tragedy occurred shortly after a late student marched into class and ordered another teen out of chair. As the confrontation became heated...

Teacher Wins $225K After Losing Voice

Rob Quinn — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 08:18:35 CST

A British teacher ruined her voice while struggling to make herself heard in a noisy classroom—and has been awarded $225,000 in compensation. Joyce Walters developed nodules on her vocal chords and had to give up teaching after working in an adult education center that placed her in a...

Kids Prescribed Pot for ADHD

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 07:49:41 CST

Schools with a zero tolerance drug policy are running smack dab into the smoldering roach of marijuana legally prescribed to their students. "It does put us in an awkward position," said a principal in Oregon, one of 14 states where medical marijuana is now legal. Hard as it may be...

How to Spot Great Teachers

John Johnson — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 08:26:12 CST

Teach for America is opening its books on 20 years of trial and error in figuring out what makes some teachers great and others complete busts. As it screens college applicants, it now pays special attention to two characteristics: perseverance and life satisfaction. By perseverance, it means "not just an...

Keep Computers Out of Class, Prof Argues

John Johnson — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:32:32 CDT

An SMU dean has a message for his fellow college professors: Ditch the PowerPoint. Jose A. Bowen isn't anti-technology, explains the Chronicle of Higher Education , he just thinks too many instructors rely on it as a crutch. He's challenging others to "teach naked," without computers in the classroom, that is....

Schools Cutting Cursive as Computers Prevail

Nick McMaster — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:50:25 CST

Cursive may become a thing of the past as schools pressed for time focus their attention on science and reading, the Indianapolis Star reports. Cursive is still widely taught, but the emphasis has shifted from writing beautifully to writing efficiently as wider use of computers has also edged out cursive’s...

Schools Accused of Abusing Time-Out Rooms

Rob Quinn — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 08:45:00 CDT

The practice of locking misbehaving children in school "time-out rooms" is troubling a growing number of parents and educators, the AP reports. The rooms—often tiny converted storage spaces—are meant to give kids a place to calm down, but experts say they are being used instead to discipline children...