In Defuniak Springs in Florida’s panhandle, the third graders at West Defuniak Elementary are learning division. Specifically, 72 divided by six. Their teacher, Casi Adkinson drew circles onto the board. “I share my 72 into my six circles,” Adkinson said. “Are we ready to do that together? Ready? 1,2,3,4,5…” With the class counting along, Adkinson […]
There is no bigger target for school criticism than what districts spend on administrative staff and other overhead. Joe Taxpayer wants to cry “waste!” when he sees a bunch of bureaucrats bringing down six figures at his expense. The Florida Department of Education knows this, and so they have been adding up how much it […]
In Florida’s rural counties, high school leaders say they can’t offer as many college-level courses as large urban high schools. But rural students are more likely to earn college credit for the college courses they do take, than urban students. Low participation counts against the grade high schools get by the state, which is tied to […]
Florida high schools are being judged by the number of students enrolled in college-level classes. It’s tied to bonus money from the state. But in Florida’s rural counties, small schools say they can’t compete with the opportunities at large urban schools. Ashley Carr, a senior at Sneads High School in rural Jackson, Fla., is worried […]
The late comedian Richard Pryor had a classic bit about being forced to find and strip a “decent switch” so that his grandmother could administer a “decent whippin.’” Florida students in school districts that still use a paddle to spank misbehaving pupils know the feeling. At Holmes County High School in Bonifay, Fla., students make […]
Our story on Florida schools that paddle students was picked up by NPR and we’ve gotten some comments from folks who wondered about a sexual element to spanking. John Shelley (JackinVosburg) wrote: Why do they hit the kids in the butt? Is this a sexual thing? Conky Swayze (Conky) wrote: There’s so much sexual connotation with […]
Spanking in school may seem like a relic of the past. But in Florida, students from preschoolers to high school seniors are still being paddled by teachers and principals. In parts of the state, mostly in the rural north, getting spanked at school, on your butt, with a wooden or fiberglass board, is just part […]
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