Child beyond; Let's fill the small cups too

That child beyond produced by Radio host the University of Texas under a grant from the Educational Television and Radio Center in cooperation with the National Association of educational broadcasting. The child is there beyond the hurt and the handicap beyond the defect and the difference beyond the problem and its probing. There is a child beyond. How can we reach him. How can we set him free. Radio How's the University of Texas Child a series of recording programs devoted to the exceptional child. You know our society has areas of difficulty its problems the avenues of adjustment open to counseling with us in these broadcasts or authorities in the fields of medicine psychology therapy and special education and mothers and fathers who have exceptional children in

their own home. Each of these has a truly important contribution to make. Our goal is the best possible future for the whole child rather than a routine consideration of physical or mental defect. And here is our series commentator Dr. William G will talk with us about one area in which the wholehearted cooperation skillful and experienced people on all fronts is essential to success. That area is the education of our exceptional children a special education tailored to their special problems geared to their special needs. The aim of education for every child is that he shall develop to his fullest extent of his capacities that he shall realize to the highest degree his every potential. This is as true for the child of limited capacity of limited capabilities as is true for the child with wider ability and richer promise. We should fill each child's cup of living until it runneth over. It has been said and Will said that a small cup filled to the brim is no less full than a large cup filled to the brim. That should be our guiding

principle as we go about the education of our exceptional children in our thinking in our planning in our hoping. We need to bear that in mind to say it over and over to ourselves and to others who may be working with us. Let's fill the small cups too. Let's fill the small cups and all responsibility for in the years gone past and the years are among our children still has been largely overlooked. Run over necessarily. Forget your class schedule. It's there on the phone table. I know I'll get it. I can't reach it. Turn round.

What about Mama. You said you lunch money. Look in my purse David in the coin purse on the bureau try out. All right dear. And this is where you were. He says you're right. I know dear. But he said he's read to her. OK OK. Just what about moving anyway. He wants to see the children leave for school. I know I know. It seems cruel when he can't go but that's what he wants and then it makes you feel part of things. So. Well we hope so David. We think so. Maybe someday. Never go to school is going to wind up pretty damn Brantley you hash Terry is not done. I didn't say watch as if he was going to meet you have you know sort of a

song we don't talk like that around here. Anyway I thought you hated Duran as you got to go to school everybody not everybody do. My goodness look at the time Sam is going to be here any minute. I gotta run. Anybody see my. Own. Children. Yes mother yeah. You won't forget about Terry when you you won't forget to tell him goodbye. It's just that this first day of school it's hard having everybody around all summer and then yeah we know. I won't dare. I'll do that now. You want any more coffee Fred. Oh no no thank you Fred. Yeah this cool thing. Oh I know Terry I'll get used to it after school's been going on a while. Everybody leaving every morning. All the children from all the houses. It must be awful for him lying up there

watching them go wishing he could go too. I know it won't do to dwell on it and I won't. I'm not going to. But you know something. I sometimes think I really do sometimes think that the going off to school to all the things that school means that he can't have that he may never have and the gap that leaves in his life. I sometimes think that's the very worst part of all. All the things a school means things that Terry can have to leave an awful gap in Terri's life. Terry's cup of living is far from

full but Terry's little cup can be brim full of Education's riches if someone or something close that gap. If Terry was special help can realize for himself and at first hand all the things that school means to see Terry or some other exceptional child in his relationship to the school to understand what he needs from our schools what he has a right to expect. What he more and more often is finding we first need to ask ourselves one question. All special is special education. Well not so special as many people are inclined to think not so special that we can think of our exceptional children who avail themselves of that special education. As a breed apart separate and distinct from other children exceptional children need from our schools exactly what other children need the chance to know and become their own best selves to develop in all areas to the full extent of their capacities. They need to learn the pathways to secure and happy living with other

people to self reliance and self support to responsible participation in community life their goals the things they seek from their schools are the same but in their approach to these goals are exceptional children need special help special aids to minimize physical handicap. Special curriculum adjustments so treatment and therapy can go hand in hand with learning. Special teaching approaches for those whose method or rate of learning differs from the norm. But these things in themselves are not really so very special after all they are in complete harmony with what we are striving to do for all children to mold education to the unique needs of each individual child. So it is really as simple as this. If we add to the things all children need to learn the special helps that will permit our exceptional children to learn those things. The total sum is special education.

That is special education in its broad and underlying concept and its specific application to the individual problems of individual children. Special education means many things where the cup is small because a mind has not fully flowered because a child's understanding does not reach to abstract thoughts and symbols. It means filling that cup with concrete visual evidence of things to be learned to be used as tools for living. Here is a special class a class for mentally retarded children. Part of a regular public school though the ages of the children you hear ranged from 7 to 14. They are working together at a common task. Their activities may sometimes sound no different from those of a regular class at work. But this is what a good special education class strives for. Small cups are being filled.

We are going to make five this morning. We know their. One and one are how many. Two and Two are how many. Four and one. Or how many. 5 and 0 are how many. I thought the sum of the combination found things. Alright we'll see if we can't make them. A.J. would you like any combinations of five. You would call five children and make combinations. Sunidhi. Make Gath and. How many do you have manage you. How many more do you need to make back. To.

Real good real special education means special teaching approaches to ensure learning and understanding what it means is to special treatment by skilled people to enlarge a child's opportunities for participation. Speech therapy for instance to help him build a shorter and stronger bridge of communication between himself and the one who teaches between himself and those who learn with him going to work. A little bit with sound this morning and the rabbit felt like we've been doing. First we go to the mirror and practice looking at things. I first of all who practice the same economic fountain you know that your

teeth are like a gate and your tongue is like a little pig trying to get through the gate when you say the same the snake found so you have to close the gate on your turn. All right let's practice. All right let's say these words after me met Mr.. Mary Jane what do you say now. I didn't hear him say anything like land you can miss her very good. All right now let's look at our lives for a rabbit down now on this sound we pretend like our tongue is a paintbrush and we're going to paint our sound on the top of our mouth with a time

like this. All right. Can you think of any start with our. Right. Mary. What's your favorite color. Now. Don't you open your mouth a little and put your tongue. You're right. All right we'll go back to that. This is what special education means bypassing what is lost. To work with what is

left providing special helps that will make it possible for exceptional children to realize and profit from all the things that school means each to the maximum extent of his own capacity. Taking the child to the school where that is possible and taking the school to the child in-home or hospital teaching where that is not possible. Can there be disagreement with such a concept with such a goal. Well yes there can by those who do not understand who look with too narrow a view. Who do not see special education in all its implications for everybody's good. There can be disagreement in just such cases as this. I think it's pretty general. Read while we are here. If something isn't done by folks with the gumption to speak up and say how they feel we're going to wind up with a special education school and once it's too late to do anything about it.

Let's hear some opinions from the floor. I don't see any point to that. We're all friends or acquaintances by sight if not by the way we don't want to straighten this thing out. Well I'd like to say something. All right this is great. It's just at my house I can look out my kitchen window with their children in their every morning take me out to new crutches I don't know what all. I'm too tenderhearted I guess the way I need to see a chicken. And I just can't stand it when I do. I'll be depressed morning noon and night. It's not going to be a pretty sight that's for sure and what do you say to the property value. I have a house there. The school in the first place. Those kids by the WRONG WITH THE DRIVE. What about our own young street children are pretty impressionable.

For my money I don't think it makes for a healthy outlook mixed up with cripples. You're right. Pretty clear history. If we don't speak our minds now we'll never get another chance. Not only my wife's expecting as long as we're talking I don't want her seem so much like a brain that doesn't affect things but I'm not taking any chance. Good on the law I guess. But that's as far as it go. We're not committed not to think. That anybody else got anything he or she wants to say. I just see.

Deal back there what do you do an hour here and there I heard this protest meeting was being held tonight. I didn't believe it. I came to see if it was true. I'm surprised and a shame to find that it is only now I wait a minute that's a pretty strong. I mean this thing this special education business and get on to a school that's not something that can just happen you know takes some pretty serious thinking about you're right. Meadows some pretty serious thinking on the part of a good many dedicated people who work hard to make this thing come true and who may say it's a little less self-centered and superficial thinking you know I've heard aired tonight nonsense this is a democracy isn't it. We've got it right this is. Democracy everybody has a right and the right of these children in a democracy the right to an equal opportunity to learn what our schools can teach or equal education.

Now I didn't say identical education. That doesn't give them an equal opportunity of Wellcome it does. Well look at it this way Joe. Be my guest that you're not much you're going to buy. So if you found yourself in a household with two fisted bruiser about three times your salary now you got it right the way the odds would be in his favor with me. I'll say a word. All right. But. If you had a gun in your hand you would feel like you had a better chance. I guess you're right. That's why they call it lies. It gives a fellow an equal chance with a big strong fellow. Now you got a little girl. You now eat her dinner. Can't she just sit down in a regular chair and reach the table.

I know we have a little chair. They're out there but the food is there for the same daddy. Just about the same. Then she's got the identical down but not an equal opportunity to eat until you give her that opportunity by raising her up so she can reach it by giving her an equalizer. Is that right. Why yes I guess so I never thought about it that way. Well think about it that way because that's what we're doing for those kids with special education. They've got limitation like Joe's lack of power and then the suicide limitations that stack the odds against them. The same educations available to them. Sure but they need some kind of equalizer so they all stand an even chance of getting to it. That's what we're doing Forum in that special way. We're given the equalizer. You want to take those

equalizers away you know. It was me and another day. This business of what it will do to you and what it will do to your kids. Your little boy wears braces on his teeth. That's right. Well mine doesn't. He's got the prettiest ever saw. They are your boy has a fever. Wow. Just in the spring sometimes in the fall. All the same he's a pretty pitiful sight with theirs eyes red and his nose dripping. Maybe maybe it upsets my children to see both of yours. Maybe it's not good for him to know children with crooked teeth and runny noses. Maybe it warped their outlook but maybe it won't. Maybe it'll do him good to know that in spite of buck teeth and bloodshot eyes your kids are pretty good kids. Somebody they can enjoy and maybe learn something from.

If they all forget about the braces and the hay fever maybe it'll do my kids good to mix and mingle with yours. So if we ever have any bug or a fever in our family who we don't know more about the people who have. You said tonight this special education thing bears thinking about it. But let's make sure we're all thinking together and in the right direction. And here we leave the protest meeting. But that's what we all need to do about special education. We need to think together and in the right direction so the equalizers will be provided so that when all the things that school means are being passed out among our children we will be sure to fill these small cups to. Eat. Meat.

You'll. Hear again as our series commentator Dr. William G will professor of educational psychology at the University of Texas director Austin cerebral palsy center and well-known lecturer in the field of special education talking with Dr. Wolff are two authorities whose work has particularly qualified them to discuss the implications of special education in the regular public school system. Dr. Wolfe thank you very much Bill. Now I introduce please our two consultants to this program. Miss Margaret Harris consultant and special education of the Dallas Texas Independent School District. And Mr. Robert Gates consultant in education of exceptional children. The Florida Department of Education in Tallahassee. May I welcome you to this particular series and thank you so much for allowing tearing your services. I'd like to get started here by asking for a general evaluation of the program you've just heard the program concerning the school plan facilities and filling the small cups. Mrs.

Harris what's your feeling about this program. Well I think the program was a piece of orientation. Individuals in a community. I think it gave us some of the actual problems that are encountered in every community where there is a possibility of establishing a program of special education for Exceptional Children. Because leadership must stand from the community whether it's in the educational services area or whether it's actually outside of that area. That's a pretty good size evaluation will give back to an analysis of that in a moment. Bob what's your feeling about the had a real positive kind of feeling about the thing bail because it seemed to me that this type of promotion this type of program is going to get to people that were interested in getting to and I was real tickled with the mayor because it was very apparent in the program that somebody had gotten through the mayor and I think this kind of thing reinforces what we're trying to you know they use the word equalizer there too that's a little different use of that word than I've been accustomed to maybe. Maybe that's the way those words should be used. Do you think that Special Education is an equalizer.

I do think it's an excellent term to be used. I have not heard it used previously but I think it is good. For instance in a program where I was going to sit at the window to wave goodbye to children going to school he couldn't go because of physical difficulty. Then extra services over and beyond what they give in the regular classes could be offered to him in a home band teaching program to meet his needs. And we have other parts of the program in special education such as speech therapy which is a supplementary service and then a program for children who would be taught separately in a special class where they would relieve the regular teacher of one or two children. They give more time then to the general group. So I think all phases of special education do make an equalization. What you're trying to say may be a special education is really a part of a total school program and a special education as I say it could even make the job for the regular teacher much

easier. It just makes sense doesn't it. Yeah it really does and I think that the word itself. Equalizer implies this other thing which was brought out in the program which I think is awfully important that this doesn't automatically mean that it's all so identical and that maybe the realization for the short man and so on was different. Well when we talk about special ed services we're talking about some different kinds of approaches to getting the youngsters and the regular classroom teachers certainly might find these helpful because an awful lot of youngsters who have special kinds of needs are going to be in regular classrooms. Well I was interested in the in the mare they really did a good job. Is this a typical thing that we find as many places. I think most satisfying these problems as being actual and real problems in establishing a program and the orientation and understanding of what has to be accomplished. I think perhaps. It doesn't have to be America.

No no as I understand it haven't you had some other programs in this series which relate to developing community resource women as leadership can come from almost any place. We've had 13 where we will have 13 in the series two or three of them are devoted to the utilization of community resources how you find the community resources how we can tie this whole thing together. I think this is really important because the education of people in our communities today need to know that the community is behind. And oftentimes they really wait and somebody in the community other than themselves rather than somebody in education to come along and say hey what are you doing about this or what are you doing about that. And they say we'd like to do a lot what would you like to have us do in this kind of enervation support coming out of the community really reinforces not only the Kima and the administrator but the Board of Education. Now there's an important point right there let's let's go into that a moment where what is the responsibility of a Board of Education I think we all understand

that the school administrator or is the leader in the community but he has to work with his board is that right. That's right. Now how does he do this what is the responsibility. Well in most cases he is responsible for recommending to them change and growth and overall program. And I would like to bring out if I might the idea that a board should have some professional growth experiences tied up with all of the jobs they have to do because they are sensitive to the community. And in that sensitivity if they can have some experiences got it made. You know the words they they are going to be responsible for filling these small cups too. Seems to me that it's a two way street as far as special leg goes at the regular classroom teacher has an awful lot to gain from sitting down with a special ed teacher and the other way around is no doubt about that. What is good for the child is not good for the norm.

That's good that's real. I sort of want to thank you Miss Harrison you too Mr. Gates you've been wonderful. Thank you very much. Fill the small cups two was brought to you by a radio host the University of Texas in a special series of programs titled child with these recorded broadcasts are devoted to the exceptional children in our society. Our series commentator is Dr. William Gee will fill a small cups to prepared for broadcast by Jack Summerfield from a script by the Durham twins with special music by Eleanor Pate was Project Coordinator. ANNOUNCER Bill Cadmus the child beyond was produced by a radio host of the University of Texas under a grant from the Educational Television and Radio Center. This program is distributed by the National Association of educational broadcaster. This is the end network.