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The Rhode Island Chapter
COPY June 21, 1967
Commisioner Harold Howe
Dear Commissioner Howe:
In following the history of your career, I have come to know you as
a man who will not compromise when the education of children is at
stake. I have reached a point of despair after years of trying to
find a way to overcome an appalling miseducation and misuse of our
gifted and talented children. The greatest incredible obstacle to
making progress in my desire to make known the truth regarding the
gifted child's needs is the fact that those in education, who are
aware and could help me, tell me that their hands are tied.
I am the mother of a gifted child. I knew of his superior intelligence
while he was still a baby. As a result, I have studied the
entire field of the psychology and education of the gifted. My
husband is a teacher and this enables me to cover the latest in all
recommended educational changes. The school systems in R.I. are so behind
in new educational approaches that all children are not getting
what they need. The gifted and creative children have been injured
because of a colossal ignorance. Quite by accident, I became involved
in helping parents find ways of learning about those children.
When I began to have problems with Lance in school, I was patient and
confident that some kind of action would be taken to assist him in his
special needs. He disliked school from the first day he entered. after-
ter discussing the problem with all the top administrators and guid-
ance people of the Cranston School System, I asked myself what would
happen if I had not been informed on the subject of the gifted child.
The assistant superintendent of schools informed me that he had done
his doctorate on the subject of the gifted child in elementary school.
Yet, this same man said my boy should remain in kindergarten, although
he had learned to read at the age of three.
We decided to borrow money and place Lance in a private school. The Moses
Brown people saw him, tested him and informed me he was too advanced
for their staff. The fact that he was not accepted at Moses Brown
gave us still greater concern. Moses Brown is listed in the book of
RESOURCES FOR GIFTED as being a school for gifted children in our state
of Rhode Island.
My husband, a professor friend and I decided to open a school for these
youngsters. I was sure there were not too many gifted children in this
state since no provision had been made for them. The newspaper clipping
I enclose is the beginning of my strange experience. Strange, and indeed
tragic in view of the fact we pride ourselves on being a democratic
country.
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Parents began to call me and begged to come and talk to me. When I
heard the stories of what happened to the talented students in R.I.,
I felt such ignorance just could not be possible. I had always be-
lieved that schools overcame ignorance; yet, instead, school personnel
had led parents to believe that their gifted children were lazy, disci-
pline problems or mentally retarded. Some of these parents were told
to have their youngsters tested to find out what was wrong with them.
They often found out that the child did have high intelligence how-
ever. none were informed that there was much research available that
might help them to better understand their gifted child. Most of the
parents who come to me are intelligent, educated people. This special
area of readings on the gifted had been kept a secret in this state.
Most of these parents were advised to place their child in a private
school. I urged these parents to read and know that all these children
needed were respect and encouragement; they needed to know why their
children were different and that there was nothing to be ashamed of.
My home is always full of the most wonderful gifted children; here they
are loved and understood. All hate school. While in our home, where we
have a creativity workshop, they do the things they have passions for...
one project, at this time, is making a computer. Also, parents are seek-
ing books from the library on gifted children.
The children who are the most maladjusted are those who, I feel, are
highly creative. We have a boy, Paul, who appears to be so gifted his
ideas are beyond the culture. This boy is in need of some help, but,
most of all, he requires supportive people around him who will encourage
his talent and allow him to fulfill his potential. He is a little less
unhappy now that his parents know what it is all about. The guidance
man at the school he attends plays chess with Paul once a week; this is
the extent of his enrichment.
I cannot begin to give you all the cases. Dr. Stiles and I will write
the truth in a journal in the hopes such Waste of human talent may be-
come known and soon ended. May of the parents tell us what certain psy-
chiatrists have told them. I am horrified to learn that the parents were
so misinformed. Although I have read all the research on the gifted
since the Terman study, I have read nothing that would even begin to
suggest the implications that these psychiatrists reported to the parents
of these gifted little ones. Perhaps the idea of gifted being suspect
is due to Freud. These children are quite normal, very beautiful and
do have a very superior intelligence. It appears to me that, instead
of being joyous about having the solutions on how to identify and nurture
our gifted, the solutions have been hidden. Society has made problems
for the gifted. Not only is the individual child's happiness at stake,
but the well-being of our entire society is in danger if we allow this
condition to continue.
I plead the case of these gifted children to you because I have exhausted
all avenues of aid in this state. There is a complete lack of social
responsibility, human sympathy and integrity in the leaders of this
state. It seems that each man has his own narrow-envisioned, selfish
interest that takes precedent over the welfare of our children.
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We went to Senator Pastore for help. He has done a great deal to bring
attention to the neglect of the gifted to the R.I. State Department of
Education. Our petition that was mailed to the state department has
been ignored. The trips I have made to so many offices and departments
(political and educational) for the past two years have led me to be-
lieve that there can be no breakthrough here in this state.
I believe that the National Defense Educational Act of 1958 had brought
the issue of the gifted to the people. As a result, I began to seek a
law for the gifted in R.I. A member of our chapter said she had a friend
who was a judge and he was interested in the gifted. He promised he
would search for such a law. When he met with a group of parents ( my
husband and I included) he kept telling me there was not a law for the
gifted in this state. He gave us sympathy for our concern, but he said
little could be done. He told me emphatically that I was wrong; there
was no law for the gifted A couple of days later, a friend of mine
(lawyer) mailed to me a law that was for the gifted; it had been on the
books since 1958...R.I.General Laws. If this law had been implemented,
we would have had nine years of encouraging the community to understand
the special needs of the gifted. There are many people who do not know
that the gifted is included in all journals that are written for the
exceptional children.
Now I have this law in hand, I will return to the state department of
education (they have refused to see me when I call) and I will demand
to know why they have ignored this mandate. I am a very tired, disil-
lusioned woman. I shall spend the rest of my days trying to impress my
child with what American ideals should be. From what I have experienced,
I believe we are a sick society. I fear for all our children. No won-
der juvenile delinquency is on the increase. Our children are not res-
pected because they are different; our state refuses to educate them
properly. How can we expect our children to respect human differences?
Our schools should teach new and better attitudes toward what our nation
could be like if we place honesty and integrity above personal gain.
Unless we nurture our most creative children, we won't have the indivi-
duals we need to create a healthy society.
I am aware that educational policy is the state's responsibility; but
where do I go? My first attempt to have the news media run a series on the
gifted was unsuccessful. I have spent a fortune in trying to under-
stand why the national office has not done more. I have called Mrs.
Ann Isaacs, Exec. Dir. of The National Association for Gifted Children
many times in the past two years She feels as I do and wonders why
more is not being done for the GlFTED. Professionals keep writing books;
who reads them? I went to a Board Meeting of the National Association
for Gifted Children in May at their annual conference. I told them my
story; the president said I was a trouble maker They are supposed to
be for the gifted!
I have seen the governor, many educators, politicians, men on the
State Board of Education and I get nowhere. I called Judge DeCiantis
of Family Court. He gave a speech at a P.T.A. meeting and said he
was upset because schools are hurting our children and parents are a-
pathetic. Here was a man I thought would help me. When I spoke to him,
he told me to call the Civil Liberties Union. He gave me the name of
man who, he thought, would assist me. I called and he was to call me back.
He, however, like so many others, never returned my call.
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There is something wrong here. I am not sophisticated when it comes
to politics; yet, I feel this must be the problem. There is much more
to my story. Is there any advice you can give me? Is there someone
in Washington I could see?
Many of the parents are now worried about where to send the children
in September. My boy has not attended school in the past many weeks.
We moved to Warwick thinking the schools here would be better. The
principal understood and knew what my son needed....but she could do
nothing! There is so much money wasted here in this state. Isn't
there some way the Federal Government could finance a school for the
talented children?
I, and other parents, would be utterly grateful to you for any infor-
mation you can give us.
Sincerely .
Marie Friedel
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