Behavior

The following are concrete signs that a child is engaging in bullying: · Name-calling. · Spreading rumors. · Making up stories to get other children in trouble. · Telling other children not to be friends with a target child. · Hitting, kicking, tripping or pushing another child. · Teasing other children and making remarks about their culture, religion, ethnicity, weight, physical appearance, disabilities or medical conditions, · Intimidating others.

Concerned by the fact that nearly one of every 10 West Virginia students was suspended from school in 2004, state lawmakers are looking at ways to keep such students in the classroom. House Bill 3077 would create special classrooms in every school as an alternative to sending disruptive students home. Despite the expense, we support the idea, for two reasons. The first is that students who are already having difficulty because of their behavior will be that much further behind their classmates when they return.

CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - A school for young girls with behavioral problems due to abuse may be on its way to reality thanks to a donation from a Hagerstown firm. Phoenix Color Corp. donated more than $44,000 to help Eagles' Wings buy teaching equipment, hire workers and pay for fees and licenses to start up its school, said Jeannie Hellem, coordinator of the project. But Phoenix Color wanted other people in the community help in the fund raising, so the company made the grant contingent on others providing an equal amount of money to the school, said Hellem.

Know more: The issue: The Class of 2006 was the first group of college-bound seniors to take the revamped SAT test, which now includes a writing section. Combined scores from the critical reading and math sections dropped seven points nationwide from the previous year. The College Board attributes the drop to variations in "test-taking behavior" and contends fatigue during the four-hour college entrance exam is not a factor. What's new: ACT Inc. reported the Class of 2006 set a record for the number of graduates who took its test during high school.

Pictured are Eastern Elementary School's Citizens of the Month for March. They were nominated based on respectful, responsible and ready behavior. Pictured in the first row, from left, are Michael Seredich, Siara Langenstein, Alyjha Miller, Miranda Speck, Ashley McGinthy, Sammy Morrison, Alexia Haley, Chester Vitug and Austin Himes; second row, from left, are Brandon Keener, Travis Crowder, Ian Kane, Kierion Goines, Sam Myers, Audrey LaTour, Isaiah Crabbe, Chloe Hadley, Ebony Earl and Bradley Fisher; third row, from left, are Sara Mohr, Flora McIntyre, Otilia Macarisin, Rebekah Hurwitz, Laiba Javed, Caitlynn Shifflette and Gregory Gaines.

Elderly need help with housing costs To the editor: My wife and I recently moved back to the area to be closer to family and friends. Wow! What a surprise. All of the houses being built - humongous, large three-story homes. And the prices - $200,000 and $300,000. In an area of $10-an- hour jobs, who is buying them? We are living on Social Security and if rent keeps going up, I don't know what the elderly are going to do, as we are being left out. Help is needed.

Begin with the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Corrine Gregory believes that's the first step in teaching manners to children. "If you go back to the Golden Rule, you will be able to get through situations and not embarrass yourself or other people," says Gregory, founder and director of The PoliteChild in Seattle. "It's about making people feel special, how to leave a positive impression rather than a negative one. " A child who is taught to think of others' feelings will learn how to practice kindness, consideration and empathy, says Gregory, who teaches children, tweens and teens good behavior, manners and etiquette.

It may seem like piling on to say this again, but Martinsburg City Councilman Frank Idoni needs to get the message that law enforcement must be left to police officers. Elected officials who imagine they can do as well as trained police officers are as misguided as those who substitute home remedies for a doctor's prescriptions. On Wednesday Idoni was charged in Berkeley County Magistrate Court with allegedly punching and spitting on a teenager who Idoni felt was driving too fast.

I was on my first visit to tutor a 7-year-old boy who was having difficulty with reading. He, his parents and a younger sister were temporarily living in a motel. The father had been named the manager of a new department store and they had just moved into town. The mother invited me into the room and I like to describe the boy's behavior as climibing on the drapes and swinging on the chandelier. The mother kept saying, "Don't do that," but to no avail. I tried for an hour to get his attention, but was not successful.

Pa. program focuses on abusive men CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - The other side of the domestic violence equation will be addressed by Chambersburg Catholic Charities in a new program aimed at changing the behavior of men who batter their wives and girlfriends. "We're trying to provide the missing link in the community that would provide a service to educate men about their behavior," said Beth Jones Chaney, a counselor with Catholic Charities who will help run the Men's Domestic Violence Group.