Didaskaleinophobia strikes again as the glimmer twins play hooky.

Did you know that the term didaskaleinophobia descibes a child's fear of attending school?

School Phobia (Didaskaleinophobia) is a symptom of anxiety disorder in childhood. It is also known as separation anxiety which is an inappropriate fear of leaving their parents, a person or place of trust or home for example.

Most children find going to school exciting and enjoyable although of course nearly all children have times when they don't want to go. This happens commonly at ages where children are faced with tougher school activities or exams or may have fallen out with friends. All of this is a normal part of growing up.

Children who develop school phobia, however, become terrified, trying every avoidance tactic in order to stay away from school.

School phobia can present itself in a number of ways.

frequent stomach aches and other physical complaints
extreme worries about sleeping away from home
trouble sleeping or nightmares
feeling unsafe staying in a room by themselves
clinging behavior
displaying excessive worry and fear about parents or about harm to themselves
having difficulty going to sleep
having nightmares
having exaggerated, unrealistic fears of animals, monster, burglars
fear of being alone in the dark
having severe tantrums when forced to go to school

Meanwhile, yesterday’s Tribune reported that on Wednesday night, next year’s city council was invited to attend class.

New Albany City Wrap: Teacher assembles members of next council

Seven of nine incoming City Council members, and representatives of Mayor-elect Doug England, assembled Wednesday night at the invitation of a middle-school social studies teacher.

The meeting in a Floyd Memorial Hospital and Health Services conference room was Hazelwood Middle School teacher Ron Hutchens’ preemptive strike for civil discourse in the four-year government term that begins next month.

“If there’s a way we could stimulate better communication, that would be to the community’s benefit,” said the registered Democrat, who mailed invitations weeks ago. “I feel like this may be one of those opportunities.”

Re-elected members Jeff Gahan, Jack Messer and Kevin Zurschmiede attended, as did the newly elected Bob Caesar, John Gonder, Diane McCartin Benedetti and Pat McLaughlin. Returning members Dan Coffey and Steve Price were not present when the meeting began.

The sad toll of didaskaleinophobia; indeed, waste is a terrible thing to mind.