I wouldn't call it fear, but I probably do have a phobia regarding creams and lotions. I get pretty wigged out when I have to deal with them. This also applies to foods like sour cream and soft cheeses. Still, this isn't the most unusual phobia I've heard of. Take, for example, the case of seventeen-year-old Rebecca Maykish of Palmerton, Pennsylvania.

Rebecca suffers from acute school phobia. She hasn't attended school regularly since the fourth grade because the thought of going makes her sick. One psychiatrist reported that she suffers from a "generalized anxiety disorder" that includes the fear of school. Her education has consisted of a mix of in-home tutoring and special schools -- paid for by the local public school district.

In 2004, the state ordered the school district to set up a compensatory education fund to make up for a thousand hours of missed instruction, at $45 per hour. Yes, that's $45,000 that Rebecca's mom gets to spend on her education, however she sees fit. These sorts of funds are common for students with special needs -- physical disabilities, life threatening health conditions, or cognitive disabilities.


Rebecca's mother has used the funds for teen magazines, modeling classes, and summer camp. She has, of late, opted not to home school her daughter because of concerns that she might not be able to help her with math and writing problems. The result is that her math and writing skills are lacking.

There have been more than a hundred fines levied for truancy; Barbara Maykish will be paying them off at $35/month for the next thirty years. Meanwhile, at age 17, one option for Rebecca is to drop out, but she says she still wants to earn a diploma. And, because she has gone a year without any formal schooling, her mother wants another compensatory education fund.

I don't doubt that Rebecca has an issue with going to school. Whatever the cause, it is apparently debilitating. The right thing to do, however, is not to flitter about taking the occasional modeling class, but to arrange for a tutor and get down to business. I suspect the mother lacks the drive to make sure that happens, though. I feel sorry for this girl who has been denied a real education and for the school district who tried to provide it for her.