Research done by Tel Aviv University Professor of Psychology Avner Ziv confirms that students retain more information when humor is used effectively to illustrate important points. Of course, humor is very subjective, but here is a roundup of stories that I have run into recently that are at least worth a smile.

Perhaps there isn’t really anything humorous in the New York City Police Department sending out mobile scanning detectors to public schools which do not have permanent scanners. These mobile units are also being considered in other areas to monitor attendees at school sponsored events such as football games. I did find it a bit ironic, however, that the first school to receive the honors was the Acorn High School for Social Justice. The action was reportedly successful. No significant delays for students, and they were able to confiscate a box cutter, a knife in a trash can, a student who ran away (apparently in possession of marijuana; someone should tell him the scanners don’t pick that up), 100 cell phones and several MP3 players. Yes, the School for Social Justice is now a safer place.

The Supreme Court has taken on a free-speech case involving a high school student from Juneau, Alaska. Way back in 2002, he displayed a 14-foot banner which read, “Bong Hits for Jesus” outside school grounds while the Olympic torch relay ran past on its way to the Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. The school has policies against anything promoting illegal drug use. While the student was not on school grounds, he was on a school sponsored field trip to watch the relay. He refused to take down his banner and ended up suspended for ten days. An interesting conversation is developing over at the Volokh Conspiracy.

The media in general has been much too nice to Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and her defeat at Celebrity Jeopardy. Personally, I don’t think I could have done any better than second place out of three, but the reactions from bloggers are decidedly more entertaining. But losing to Lenny from Laverne and Shirley? Who would have thought that there was so much skill involved in pushing those little buttons?

An Australian bus driver transporting children to school had a simple request after being pulled over and found 13 times over the legal limit for alcohol: “Can I finish my run, at least to drop these kids off?”

And that seems a fitting description of our education system. The No Child Left Behind Act is clearly well beyond the legal limit of government involvement in education. Unlike the Australian officers, however, we are letting them continue on this course with our children in their care.

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