Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1985-03-20, Page 20Page 6-Qrossa^oads-lar. 20, 1985 THE THREE R'S REPETITION, RESENTMENT AND REBELLION By Vonnie Haner The Association for Bright Children was established provincially, with local chapters, as a support group for parents attempting to cope with this exceptional- ity. The problems associated with the bright and -or gifted child are in every way, as complex as those problems experienced by other excep- tionalities. ABC has flourished be- cause many parents felt similar frustrations in deal- ing not only with their schools, but in communica- tion with their bright child who has been known to limit achievement to gain peer ac- ceptance, become bored with school, "clown around" and become a disturbing force for the entire class, or day- dream. Some have turned off to such an extent that they have been identified as slow learners or ones with be- havioural problems. Many have perfected the tech- niques of "learning how not to learn. Because parents are un- trained, they do not always ask for special programs for their children. Because of this, and because of the many varying traits in the bright -gifted child, across the board testing as, part of the assessment is a must. Teachers must be taught the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to teach ef- fectively, the gifted student. The high achiever, iden- tified by their concentration span, often complains of iso- lation. Peers may feel he's not fun to play with, and adults feel he should be seen but not heard. Finding friends with the same inter- ests can help. Sometimes this means adult socializa- tion or mingling with an old- er peer group. The underachiever often chooses friends over high marks and has realized at an early age, that the higher you climb, the farther you fall. He may have "burned out" and no longer applies himself. It is of the utmost import- ance to establish a partner- ship with the school, to pro- vide material that is differ- ent from that learned at 414 The Warning Signs Fred Gore school, to prevent boredom and more restlessness, and instead expand on what is learned at school without pushing them farther than they want to go. The ultimate choice of learning should be left to the child. When a teacher can no longer handle the needs of this child, theparent is usually telephoned and the remark "your child has a bad attitude" is made. It is up to the parent to inform the teacher that the child needs motivation at school. Ask how the teacher intends on alleviating the problem — what motifications has the teacher made to the pro- gram — is the child being challenged? Assure the teacher that the "bad at- titude" will disappear as soon as the teacher finds the solution. When a child has motivation and purpose in life, they can cope with the realities of school. From the time the gifted child enters kindergarten, they know the frustration, boredom and isolation that may worsen. Yet socializa- tion is very important and it is found at school. All children crave peer compan- ionship. The ideal environ- ment would be created in a program that i.housed chil- dren of like ability. Many pull-out enrichment pro- grams bring together chil- dren with such diversified IQ's that the same enrich- ment may as well have been part of the regular class- room program so that all children could benefit. Gift- ed children are not only gift- ed one hour a week . for six weeks. They need work at many levels of difficulty = in depth, not volume. Learning thinking skills and "brain- storming" are stimulants of education. They, therefore, should be taught to every pupil. The curriculum should be questioned byall parents. For a group of children that have the potential to rise to leadership positions and social influence, this group of children is plagued by doubts and criticism. Teach- ers must accept this excep- tionality and encourage their growth. The.3 R's for the bright in the school often be- come repetition, resentment and rebellion. What a waste of a brilliant mind! Parents must never apolo- At wit's end by Ermo Bombeck 1 By Erma Bombeck On a good day, marriage is a fragile institution. It's beset by money prob- lems, battered by mood shifts, and badgered by in- laws who only_want what is_ best for you. The game of "Trivial Pur- suit" could force a marriage over the edge. After all, what is a union but a series of un= important, petty, insignifi- cant things of no con- sequence that drive you nuts. I'm not overreacting. Prof, Teal Bennett of Tulane Uni- versity Medical Center says people have three basic fears: dying, going- crazy and making a fool of your- self. He believ,s you can plug "Trivial P suit" into the third fear. I will go one step farther. I don't think you know a man until you've played "Trivial Pursuit" with him. You may think you do,,but you don't. The man who held your hand tenderly through 16 hours of labor,with your first child is the same man who will shout at you in front of a group: "What do you mean, you don't know how many' stars are in Orion's Belt? If it were, jewels in Joan Collins' belt, you'd know." Somehow, it upsets me to realize that a man who can- not remember the date of my "'mother's birthday remem- bers that Wilt Chamberlain made 23,924 rebounds in his career. I have never played a game of "Trivial Pursuit" with him in my life that as soon as the question to me leaves someone's mouth, he doesn't mumble, "She doesn't know that." "How do you know I don't know that?" I ask. "Look, anyone who diesn't know s made --in- -Hershey-, bar i- ey--Pa:; can- not possibly know what is the largest gland in the human body." "You don't know me that well," I charge. "Besides, it's the liver." "You guessed." "I did no tguess. I just re- membered your family his - tor And I'll tell you something else. If I had known before "Trivial Pursuit" that I was sleeping next to a man who stored such inane things as what mammal has a bill, webbed feet with claws and lays eggs, and what appears when the sun activates your melanocytes . . . I'd have stayed awake all night. As we climbed into bed the other night after playing the game', we were not speaking. "I knew the answer all the time„'_ he said. "I just' wanted to think about it and be sure.” "I don't want to discuss it," I said. "Don't you think I. know what Erma Bombeck says the grass is always greener over'?" It's a good thing he didn't know the fourth basic fear of people: Fear of killing one's husband over a stupid game! LEND-LEASE AID Lend-lease aid was ex- tended to the Soviet Union on Nov. 6, 1941. gize for demanding the best education for their child — nor does the school board ex- pect this. It is the parent's responsibility to see that their child's needs are being met. Parents have to recognize the need for lobbying their concerns through support groups in their community — it's numbers that count, and make a vast difference in programing for exception- alities of all kinds. - Condensed article by Von- nie Haner, President of ABC. For the complete article or information on ABC, call (519) 656-2631. Small details are what make your wedding special And the complete line of "Forever Yours" wedding sta- tionery by International Artcraft is one of those details. Look through our catalogue and choose from dozens of in- vitations, reply cards and informals, As well, you may choose accessories such as personalized matches, serviettes and many other distinctive items. We offer a wide range of elegant type styles,, including, the popular "Wedding Script" to co-ordinate with the entire colour scheme of your wedding. Choose from traditional white or ivory, or one of the many hues offered. Look through the catalogue today at: The Listowet Banner 291-1660 The Milverton Sun 595-8921 The Mount Forest Confederate 323-1550 The Wingham Advance -Times 357-2320 • THIS IS IT ! ! ! We're celebrating our 26tli ANNIVERSARY with our greatest sale ever. We are making avail- able to you, our valued customers, over 12,000 patterns of current top quality wall covering ALL at 20 % to 60 % OFF the . current regular selling price. Quality lines of fashionable wall coverings such as MAYFAIR, SUN - WORTHY, KINGFISHER, WALDEC, YORK, FOREMOST, and many more ALL at 20% to, 606 OFF regular prices. We also have all BENJAMIN ,MOORE and PRATT & LAMBERT PAINTS, VARNISHES & STAINS, all at greatly reduced prices. So hurry in and save on all your Spring redecorating nee4 .. . �� COME IN AHD HELP YOURSELF tea.-, ' r ° � . y 1' RIG SLICE OF _ xy/ SAVINGS lWBYouRL( OVER 150 ORDER BOOKS TO CHOOSE FROM ,,, 20% 0 Regular Retail Price — 1 day, delivery on most Paint Sale! $AVE 65.00 gallon_ on all Benjamin Moore and Pratt & Lambert Prove to yourself that QUALITY MAKES THE DIFFERENCE VAPEX LATEX FLAT WALL FINISH Reg. $28.95 Salle ?, "6.9 5 gallon PLATT . LAMBENT • Over 200 Patterns In Stock All Priced At 25% w 60% OFF Pre -pasted WALLPAPER 200 patterns to choose from. Regular to 10.95 single roll NOW 395 toA95 single roll ' Pre -pasted Scrubbable SOLID VINYL WALLCOVERINGS Many new patterns just arrived from Europe. Our best selection ever. Over 100 patterns. Regular 11.95 'to 16.95 single roll. 695:895 single metric roll Open Fri. `Til 9 p.m. -Cunningham's- Paint and Wallpaper "Where Paint & Wallpaper Is A Business ®- Not A Sideline" 2 LOCATIONS TO SERVE 'YOU 148 ,Main St. W., LISTOWEL 291-2771 151 Downie St., Stratford 271-5210