|
27.
FAMILY SANCTIONED TO RUN CLASSES FROM HOME December 10,1981
Gifted Children Excel in Home Envlronment
"Where is Brazil?" the teacher asked the eight-year-old girl
standing in front of the map.
The young girl searched the map with her sparkling blue gyes.
Suddenly they lit up and her finger fairly flew to the map and the
outline of Brazil.
"Right there,"she said proudly.
"What is the name of the Indians that come from South America?"
the teacher asked.
Though having trouble pronouncing it, the girl came up with "Incas"
and then correctly identified them as comjng from Peru.
Just another normal day in geography class, you say?
Not so. The teacher here is Kathy Brown. The pupil is her eight-
year-old daughter Kristie. Kristie, along with her brother and younger
sister are educated at home. They are 'gifted' children.
In November the Warwick School Cormnittee approved the Brown's re-
quest that they be allowed to educate their three children at home.
When Brian, now 11, jumped up on a couch and started reading from
his favorite childrens book at the age of two, David and Kathy Brown
knew he was gifted. By the time he reached the third grade, Brian had
devoured J.R.Tolkien's famous trilogy THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Things
should have been coming easy for him in school. But they weren't.
To the contrary, Brian started having problems in his Pennsylvania
grade school. He was becoming frustrated, angry and was turning off to
the educational process.
"It wasn't the teacher,"Mrs. Brown said. "He was very nice. Even
he said the classes were too structured for Brian. He needed to learn
on his own. As a result of being forced to learn, he turned off com-
pletely. With force comes fear.
Gifted children frequently have problems coping with public ed-
ucation. Because they learn quickly, they are often labeled "hyperactive"
by school officials who see them grow distracted. But the reason they
are distracted is that thet have already digested what is being taught,
while the remainder of the class needs more instruction.
After three years in the Pittsburgh public school systen, the Browns
decided that enough was enough. Brian was kept home. Kristie, who had
already gone through kindergarten, was also kept home. Pittsburgh ed-
ucators did not look kindly on that decision.
For a while we lived in fear, undercover, keeping the kids inside,"
Kathy said while slowly rocking four-year-old Valerie on her knee.
The Browns, life-long residents of the area, decided it was time to
pack up and leave-to leave behind their family and friends, to leave be-
hind their home of nine years, but more importantly, to leave behind the
fear that their children would not get what they needed from the educa-
tional process there.
However, before they left the Browns decided to go public with their
tale. An interview with a daily television show called "Pittsburgh Today"
was aired just before they moved. In Kathy Brown's words that only "in-
vited harrassment." The day before they were to leave, they were arrested
and fined $288 for violation of the compulsory attendance laws of the state.
They moved up here to North Kingstown to be close to Marie Friedel
and her National Foundation for Gifted and Creative Children. Mrs. Marie
Friedel, active in Rhode Island for more than 15 years in the plight of the
gifted children, had given the Browns advice and assistance during their
Pennsylvania experience.
-2-
"If we hadn't found Mrs. Friedel, I don't know if we would have
been able to handle it." Kathy said.
It was Mrs. Friedel that pointed out to the Browns the advantages
of home education for their children. A lot of gifted children need
that one-on-one teaching. They want to explore, to touch, to feel.
Sitting in a classroom bores them, but not in the sense that they're
bored with learning. Quite the opposite is true. They want to explore
to "fullest extent," Mrs. Brown said.
As a result, they find it hard to sit still in class, the teacher
finds it hard to teach them and they get labeled 'hyperactive' or 'be-
haviorally disordered. Some are prescribed drugs to combat their hyper-
activity. Kathy Brown told of how shocked she was when Pittsburgh
officials prescribed Ritalin, a strong drug frequently used to treat hyper-
activity in children.
The Federal Drug Administration has pointed out that while "long
term effects of Ritalin in children have not been well established," there
have been some indications of "suppression of growth."
PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY, THEY CAN LEARN AT THEIR OWN PACE AND THEY'RE HAPPY
Gifted children are always very sensitive, easily marked by excessive
criticism. Kristie told of two incidents that are firmly imbedded in her
mind from her kindergarten classes.
The class was outside making snowmen. The teacher announced that it
was time to go back inside. "One boy was crying because he had just started
his snowman and we were all finished. The teacher went over and smacked
him right in the face,"she said.
Another time she had made an Easter egg for the teacher and proudly
presented it to her. However, the teacher gave it back. "I told her it
was for her, but she said it was nice, but she didn't want it," Kristie
said, the disappointment still showing in her eyes.
This brings up the thing that Kathy and David Brown firmly believe
they can give their children that the public school system cannot.
"Psychological safety," Mrs. Brown says firmly when asked that question
"They can learn at their own pace and they're happy. A lot of school chil-
dren have a low self esteem because they are not encouraged to do thlngs
that they want to do. They get papers with marks here and red marks
there. What can this do to a kid? The importance is what's on the paper,
not that a word was misspelled."
Those who may feel that keeping children out of school is a cop out,
may be interested in hearing the 'curriculum' of the Brown School.
Every day one child gets to pick out a "word for the day." It is
prominently posted on the wall. This helps increase vocabulary. Special
cuisinaire blocks are used to foster mathematics. The blocks are of
different sizes and colors and each is associated with a different number.
This offers the young children an interesting way to learn numbers.
In the Brown living room is a large box, chock full of drawings,
sketches, and other art forms. Kristie is currently into drawing mushroom
houses, while Brian likes to draw characters from the LORD OF THE RINGS.
Little Valerie's favorite subjects are flowers and the sun.
On the way from a scientific laboratory in Chicago is a cow's eye and
a frog, which the children plan to dlsect. In eager preparation Kristie
is scouring science books to learn about what the eye does and how it works.
The children go on field trips with other children from the foundation.
Brian just returned from a trip to the Boston Museum of Science. He
really enjoys the dinosaurs and can identify each and every type by name.
-3-
Four year old Valerie can, and will on request, proudly spell out
her whole name.
But what about social amenities, one may ask?
Well, Mrs. Brown tries to instill etiquette in her children, They
know the proper way to introduce people-which person to introduce to
whom first.
Last week the children were put to a test. It seems, much to the
reporter's ignorance. that different areas of the tongue are responsible
for sensing different tastes, like sweet, sour, bitter and salty. In
other words, if you put salt in your mouth and do not hit the spot that
identifies salty tastes, you will not taste it.
"Most kids are in school all day and then they are thrown out in the
world and be expected to deal with it." Kathy said. "Our kids deal with
the world every day. People say they won't get the basics. If a child
pursues what he's interested in, he'll get what he needs out of it.
"The main thing is to be happy. Money is not the most important
thing in life. It's liking what you're doing and enjoying life, not con-
stantly worrying about success. that's what I want for my children - to
be happy no matter what they do," she added.
Along about this time in the interview, Brian, who is only 11, comes
trotting in from outside, proudly holdlng a carburetor aloft. He has just
spent the last hour or so attempting to figure out how to dismantle an
engine, Bands grimy and greasy. he smilingly displays the first successful
step in that process. His father picked up an old Toyota with a bad engine.
Brian is learning how to take it apart. What happens when he accomplishes
that? "Well, we'll (Brian and a neighborhood friend) put it back together.
if we remember how."
School Committee Chairman Walter Constantime, while admitting there
was some origihal apprehension on the part of the committee to agreeing to
the Brown's plan, said he was "tickled to death" to learn of what the
family is doing to educate their children.
"They (the Browns) impressed me that they could do the job,"he said.
"In theory, it (home education) can make a tremendous difference. It's like
having a private tutor. The difference here was that we have sane con-
cerned parents."
And what is it that a parent needs to attempt to educate their chil-
dren at home?
"Courage, a lot of courage." Kathy laughs. After a moment of thought
she adds, a little more seriously. "You need patience, courage and
support - support from the people who believe in what I am doing."
And a lot of love.
ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING FOR GIFTED CHILDREN TO BE HELD IN APPONAUG
The National Founation for Gifted and Creative Children will be
starting a Chapter in Kent County. The first meeting of the newly
formed chapter will be at St. Barnabas Church. 3257 Post Rd. in Apponaug.
If any parent believes their child to be gifted, they are invited
to attend.
Certain characteristics often are evident in gifted children. Often
gifted children are very sensitive and emotional. They seem to be hyper-
active, yet, at the same time, are bored in school. Gifted children show
signs of extreme independence and are easily frustrated. The Foundation
will be able to provide information on how a parent can deal with the situa-
tion in a way most beneficial to the child. Mrs. Brown said.
|
