Empty stomachs and discipline listed
Slums, ghettos are part of their learning
By CLANCEY MALONEY
A little boy was hitting a little girl outside a classroom at New York school in Lawrence one day when the principal walked by.
Kansan Staff Writer
"We don't hit little girls here," he said.
"Why not?" asked the little boy, looking up at the principal. "My father beats my mother all the time."
Home environment problems like the one above are those which are hardest for education majors to face while student teaching in disadvantaged or ghetto schools.
Student teachers must learn how to give attention to children who come into their classrooms in the morning with no breakfast.
"How can a kid be interested in his schoolwork if he's had a hamburger, popcorn or nothing at all for breakfast?" asked Mrs. Marilou Denney, Lewenworth senior, who teaches first grade at New York.
Mrs. Jane Fox, Joplin, Mo., senior, said many children in her sixth grade class at Pinckney school receive no discipline at home, therefore they don't behave at school either.
"They're in school only because they have to be there," she said. "Even asking them to open a book can be a major battle."
To help prepare student teachers for such problems, the school of Education offers a special teaching methods course.
"Students meet with teachers in disadvantaged schools and learn about the problems teaching there," said I. N. Bowman, professor of education.
The course is designed to provide them with first-hand knowledge of the problems. Normally they would not get this from just book knowledge learned in regular education courses, Bowman said.
One of the student teachers, Mrs. Judith Day, Clinton, Okla., senior, has noticed black militancy shifting to the grade school level.
"This creeping militancy is very obvious in my class." Mrs. Denney said, "One day a first-grader came up to me and started talking about black power. He must have heard it at home from an older brother or sister."
Mrs. Fox said her class is divided into "cliques" according to cultural levels and mental abilities. Her biggest problem is keeping those of higher ability interested without going too fast for the others.
Mar. 17
1970 KANSAN 7
"We try to set up work groups which do not align with the cliques in the class," she said. She said that putting these different ability levels together hurts neither one.
"This way," she said, "it helps to minimize cultural walls, too."
Educational aids at both New York and Pinckney are adequate, the student teachers said.
David Ruhlen, Baldwin senior, who teaches music in two Lawrence schools, said there is a marked difference in both ability
World War I began Aug. 1, 1914, with Germany's declaration of war on Russia.
Jan Akers, Caldwell freshman majoring in nursing to Rick Thompson, Caldwell junior majoring in pre-med. Phi Delta Theta.
and aptitude between disadvantaged and middle-class schools.
Barbara Rosner, Kansas City, Mo. freshman majoring in secondary education to Steve Straus, Mission freshman majoring in journalism.
"I really have to work on the kids at New York to get them to
Andi Goldstein, Overland Park sophomore majoring in liberal arts, Alpha Epsilon Phi, to Sinon Stras, Mission junior majoring in journalism.
sing," Ruhlen said, "By using popular songs they might hear on the radio at home, if they even have a radio. I can get them to
Who's whose Pinnings
Trudy Topping, St. Louis, Mo., junior majoring in occupational therapy, Sigma Kappa to Tom L. Ferrell, Great Bend senior majoring in secondary education, Phi Kappa Tau.
Kathy Rotegard, Coral Gables, Fla., sophomore majoring in biochemistry, Sigma Kappa, to C. I. Crouch, St. Joseph, Mo., sophomore majoring in business, Theta Chi.
Mary Sturgeon, Dodge City junior majoring in medical technology, Sigma Kappa, to Brian Hughes, Dodge City senior majoring in business administration, Alpha Kappa Lambda at Kansas State Teachers College of Emporia.
The student teachers agreed that most of the problems which they encountered arose from home environments of underprivileged children in their classes. Because they have never experienced such problems themselves, they said, it takes them a while to adjust to and deal with such students. Most said that they have to learn to fill in what the the home life has not given the children, yet not seem partial to certain ones, particularly in mixed classes.
Sally Fleeson, Ft. Dix, N.J. senior majoring in Spanish, Sigma Kappa to Don Fisher, Kansas City junior majoring in education, Phi Kappa Tau.
Responsibility Communication Progress
Russ
WELSH
Student Senate-Liberal Art
"Accepting the middle-class values which the student teacher has been geared to is very hard for underprivileged children," one of the student teachers said
Alliance
Jan Fenner, Wellington, Mo., senior majoring in elementary education, Alpha Phi, to Fritz Clark, Wamego, Kappa Sigma at Kansas State University.
relate to the classroom situation."
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