Yesterday I reported that most bullying surprisingly takes place in the classroom, lunchroom, and other supervised locations of the school.

A lot of us wonder why teachers and administrators just don't make it stop. So I asked CafeMom beanielips, a public high school teacher, who explains that it's not always as easy as it sounds.

Your thoughts on this new research? Is the classroom really prime bully territory?

I am not surprised at that result. There is a lot of bullying that happens in supervised locations at some schools. Some are worse than others. It is also important to know that what used to be thought of as "kids will be kids" is now classified as bullying. I am sure that it was just as bad when we were growing up, but it was not tolerated because it was not acceptable in the culture of the school.

As the social climate around homosexuality changes, many gay youth are coming out as early as middle school.

This change has caught parents and educators completely off-guard and most have had to adapt quickly to deal with these teens' decisions to be out early on in the school years.

Is your child's school joining the green movement? If not, maybe you can help nudge them along.

I was so thankful this year when my son's elementary school finally decided to offer email notices, for families who opt for them. I mean, my son was coming home with piles of paper fliers each week. This is not only good for the planet, but it's good for keeping my desk neater at home.

As you work with your child's school and it comes time to make some changes (understandably, public schools tend to be a little slow on change), why not suggest greener changes?

Do you remember last spring when schools across the country were closing because  of the swine flu? Now, new government guidelines recommend that schools remain open even if there are confirmed cases of the H1N1 infection among students.

Photo by Piscean

Today middle school teacher MOMof2ALteacher and post-6th grade mom Piscean give us the inside scoop about what to expect in 6th grade.

Photo by pen

As we count down the days to back to school, the Daily Buzz talks with moms and public school teachers about what you and your child can expect in the coming year.

When President Obama, in his February State of the Union speech, read South Carolina teen Ty'Sheoma Bethea's letter to Congress about the poor state of her school, many in this nation were moved and inspired.

And more importantly, many kids and teens realized their voices, too, could help create change. A movement began, a student's life was changed, and a community was united.

Inspired by Ty'Sheoma's letter, Walmart just launched the "Write to Change the Classroom" program in hopes of inspiring change in classrooms across the country. They're taking letter submissions now that could win $8,000 for your child's school.

As we approach Back to School time, it's a good time to consider the healthful eating foundation we've set and to make sure we send our kids off with a basis to make good choices in the school cafeteria.

You know, as much as this is possible with kids... :)

As Back to School approaches, here's your chance to buy handmade and support your fellow CafeMom handcrafters! There are notebooks, laptop covers, crayon/art supply wallets, and even a pretty wristlet pouch to hold lunch money and the cell phone (which *will* need a place to rest during class).