Is there such a thing as school phobia?

1. Most adults can remember days when they vehemently didn't want to go to school. There would be protestations of illness, and of the danger of passing on an unpleasant disease, before the eventual acceptance that the journey into school was inevitable. ____1____ many might react with scepticism to the idea that there is such a thing as "school phobia".

2. But, says Nigel Blagg, author of School Phobia and Its Treatment, it is a condition that has been recognised since the 1960s. "Sufferers will experience extreme anxiety. They are off school, typically with their parents' knowledge and approval. And they often have symptoms like tummy aches, headaches and nausea. Some of them suffer severely with depression. Any attempts to get them to school when they are at their worst can lead to quite extreme behaviour – temper tantrums, screaming and kicking. It is very distressing for the adults."

3. The sceptics might of course want to bracket these children as truants, but, says Mr Blagg, school phobia sufferers are quite distinct in background and behaviour. "They are typically well behaved, socially conforming and usually doing quite well. Normally they come from caring families. The truant group are the ones who miss school because they want to and they are often involved in delinquent behaviour."

4. There is a recognition among psychologists and other education professionals that school phobia covers a range of different problems. "Typically what you have is an accumulation of stresses to do with home and school that add up over time and cause the child to become troubled," says Mr Blagg. "The avoidance leads to greater problems. They fall behind with school work. They worry what friends will say. The longer they are out, the worse the problems get. If they are told they don't have to go, they feel fine and the symptoms disappear."

"...(1)... the Vegetarian Resource Group, an NGO distributing information about vegetarianism, there are 6-8 million Americans who choose not to eat poultry, meat or fish."

Title: The fun and trouble of untranslatable words
There are many languages and many words that cannot easily be translated to another language. Gigil, for example, is a Tagalog word that describes pure unadulterated joy. It is the feeling of seeing an uber cute cat or puppy and having to suppress the urge to go pet said animal. It is seeing a beautiful sunset whilst being with your favourite people, enjoying a drink. It is hearing a melody that stirs long lost memories of other, better, and happier times.

For each of the quotes below, indicate whether or not it is used in the text to describe swearing, swearing, and/or misconduct.

1 “losing your rag” (paragraph 1)
2 “showed a bit of the fire” (paragraph 1)
3 “obscenities and temper tantrums” (paragraph 2)
4 “a model of decency” (paragraph 2)
5 “flying off the handle” (paragraph 3)
6 “industrial language” (paragraph 3)