Two recent studies have found that punishment is not the best way to influence behavior.

    One showed that adults are much more cooperative if they work in a system based on rewards. Researchers at Harvard University in the United States and the Stockholm School of Economics in Sweden did the study.

    They had about two hundred college students play a version of the game known as the Prisoner's Dilemma. The game is based on the tension between the interests of an individual and a group. The students played in groups of four. Each player could win points for the group, so they would all gain equally. But each player could also reward or punish each of the other three players. Harvard researcher David Rand says the most successful behavior proved to be cooperation. The groups that rewarded the most earned about twice as much in the game as the groups that rewarded the least. And the more a group punished itself, the lower its earnings. The study appeared last month in the journal Science.

    The other study involved children. It was presented last month in California at a conference on violence and abuse（虐待）. Researchers used intelligence tests given to two groups. More than eight hundred children were aged two to four the first time they were tested. More than seven hundred children were aged five to nine. The two groups were retested four years later, and the study compared the results with the first test. Both groups contained children whose parents used physical punishment and children whose parents did not.

    The study says the IQs of the younger children who were not spanked were five points higher than those who were. In the older group, the difference was almost three points. The more they are spanked, the slower their mental development.

    Simone was born in Ohio, but grew up in Texas. Early on, she and her siblings (兄妹) were adopted by her grandparents, who she says support her in everything. She first realized she wanted to be a gymnast at the age of 6 when she and her classmates went on a field trip to a local gym. A coach at the gym saw her natural talent and wrote a letter to her grandparents urging them to get her involved. The sport she signed up for “for fun” soon turned into her life's enthusiasm.

    Simone is energetic, so it's no surprise that she's got a few medals in her time. Her ten world gold medals are the most ever achieved by a woman in gymnastics history. She is also the first woman to win four medals at the same World Championships, which happened in her second year performing in 2014.

In 2015 Simone became the first gymnast to win three constant all-around titles at the World Gymnastic Championships. She even amazed herself, telling the interviewer “I blew my own mind.” and posting to social media “breaking history is kind of cool.”

    What surprised everyone most though, was that she was performing perfectly as she usually does—her skill is so beyond everyone else that she can't be beaten even when she trips up!

    Since Brandon was a kid, he has loved playing baseball. For him, baseball, was and still is his life and his impetus and drive for staying in school.

    But as Brandon got older, he started making bad choices. He cut classes, hung out with the wrong friends and got suspended(被停学)often. His grandmother took care of the family and his mom worked 12-hour shifts at a car lot, doing everything she could to provide for the family.

    Dr. Decmona Warren, a teacher of a Communities In Schools(CIS), saw the signs but when she tried to help, Brandon wouldn't take it. “When I heard her call my name, I would nearly run away. ”Brandon said later.

    His GPA(平均成绩)fell to a 1. 4 and Brandon was kicked out of the baseball team. He knew if he wanted to play baseball, he had to stop acting like that. Determined to become successful both on the field and in the classroom, Brandon decided to embrace the support from Communities In Schools. He turned to Dr. Warren, who welcomed him as a CIS student with open arms. From tutoring to parent-teacher conferences, he allowed Dr. Warren to become his“school mom”, and slowly, things started to turn around.

    “CIS of Atlanta has made a big difference in my life. This program has taught me to think before I act and make better choices in choosing friends. Before CIS it seemed like every week I was either out of school or in school suspension. Once when I was an honor student in middle school, I found myself failing miserably in almost all of my classes as a freshman in high school. But with the help of CIS I am now back on track, more focused and determined to do better in my academics and behavior. ”

    He's back on the team now playing in the Catcher position, with a 2. 8 GPA. He is already looking at colleges for baseball scholarships.

    School uniforms are becoming more and more popular across the USA. That's no surprise, because they offer many benefits. If all students are dressed in the same way, they will not pay too much attention to their clothing, and some of them will not be laughed at for wearing the "wrong" clothes.

Some people are against the strict rule of school uniforms, but they do not realize that students already accept a kind of rule —- wanting to look just like their friends. The difference is that the clothing students choose for themselves creates social barriers(阻碍）; school uniforms tear those barriers down.

    Some parents are unhappy about uniforms, saying that school uniforms will affect their children's "creativity". First, as noted above , the clothes students choose to wear do not necessarily express their individuality(个性). They just copy their classmates. Second, students have the rest of the day to be as creative as they like. While they're in school, their job is to master reading, writing, and math; this should take up all the creativity they have. Mastery of those skills will be good for the students to build up their creativity in every way.

    As in other places, uniforms remind the wearers of their purpose and duties. For example, when a man or woman puts on a police uniform, he or she becomes, for a time, the symbol(象征) of law and order. The uniform means to the wearer his or her special duties and sends the same message to everyone the wearers meets. People with different jobs wear uniforms of one kind or another. For students, the school uniform reminds them that their task for the six or seven hours they are in school is to get an education.

Westwinds Farm Campsite

    Open April - September

    (Booking is advised for holidays in July and August to guarantee a place.)

    Jim and Meg Oaks welcome you to the campsite. We hope you will enjoy your stay here. We ask all campers to show due care and consideration whilst staying here and to observe the following camp rules.

    Keep the campsite clean and tidy: dispose of litter in the bins provided; leave the showers, toilets and washing area in the same state as you found them; ensure your site is clear of all litter when you leave it.

    Don't obstruct rights of way. Keep cars, bikes, etc. off the road.

    Let sleeping campers have some peace. Don't make any noise after 10 o'clock at night or before 7:30 in the morning.

    Dogs must be kept on a lead. Owners of dogs that disturb other campers by barking through the night will be asked to leave.

    Disorderly behavior will not be tolerated.

    The lighting of fires is strictly prohibited.

    Ball games are not allowed on the campsite. There is plenty of room for ball games in the park opposite the campsite.

    Radios, portable music equipment, etc. must not be played aloud.

    The management reserves the right to refuse admittance.