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PAGE 18-SUPPLEMENT TO McHENRY PLAINDEALER-WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 1975 4Special9 children still just children SHOULDERSTANDS ARE GOOD EXERCISE, improve posture and help body image. They can also be fun if two boys make friends upside down, meeting with their feet in the air! Here, Elizabeth Polk, one of the pioneers in the field of Dance Therapy, enthusiastically shares with her students the joy of freedom of movement. This new school year will evidence the policy of "mainstreaming the spe­ cial child." More and more teachers will be faced with children who attended "special schools" until now. These children have many labels attached to them. There is the MRC or slow learner, the LDC or learning disabled, the dreamer living in another world, the hyperactive -- uncontrolled and uncon­ trollable, the withdrawn -- without communication. HoW are these children going to mix with their peers in the gym, on the playground and in the classroom? Teachers won­ der, and some are not just wondering . . . they are scared. T^iey don't have to be. Their problem is so common that there is plenty of assistance and material to help them if they want to use it. Information available Many schools and col­ leges have in-service courses and workshops on the subject. Information centers like SEIMC are available. There are video­ tapes to view, and mate­ rials to rent. There are teachers of teachers who conduct classes, publish articles and create new teaching tools. Elizabeth Polk, the "au­ thor" of records for special children, is one of those teachers who help both special children and their teachers. Her records are used in special schools, physical education classes, and in the home. One of her records (pub­ lished by Hoctor Records, Inc., Waldwick, N.J.) is "Orchestrated Music, Pop­ ular and Folktunes for Rhythmic Movement." This redord has wide ap­ peal to any age level. The music is effective in initi­ ating movement and in stimulating inter-group response. Another LP (and cassette) ,"Wake up--Calm down," published by Edu­ cational Activities, Inc., Freeport, N.Y., does just what its title says. The tunes joyously enliven or harmoniously calm the disturbed or special child. Mrs. Polk annotated both records with com­ plete teacher's guides. These prove most instruc­ tive and help to give hours of teaching satisfaction. Enthusiastic approach A registered Dance Therapist, she is one of the pioneers in this field, and worked for 13 years with deaf children at the Lexington School for the Deaf. Since 1962 she has COLLAR DRY & ALWAYS OPEN SUNDAYS For Our Customers' Convenience, We Will Be Open At 8:00 a.m. During Dollar-Days! ALL SALES FINAL Sport Coats & Blazers ENTIRE STOCK REG. 34.95 '22s8 50* „ QUALITY BRAND NAME Jeans REG. PRICED TO 11.95 Shirts REG. PRICED TO 12.95 W600 ALL SALES FINAL Valeer Men's 3421 Pearl St. McHenry 344 1212 Fashions JMI ••••I I | I 0 taught emotionally dis­ turbed children, MRC, LDC and the multi-handicap­ ped in special schools in New York City. She believes in the ther­ apeutic powers of joy, mu­ sic and movement. To the uninitiated her sessions appear like sheer fun. Her enthusiasm and love for the children are very evi­ dent. About her approach in working with the hand­ icapped, she says: "If I thought of these children as having many different problems, I would be overwhelmed at the very thought, and could not help them. I treat them all as 'chil­ dren,' their common de­ nominator. They all have the same needs. Every child needs security, ac­ ceptance} friends, freedom of movement, success, praise. In fact, grown-ups have these needs, too. Our job in life is to find ways and means to fulfill these needs. Our job as teachers is to help children to suc­ ceed." Ways and means Mrs. Polk has found ways and means to reach the special child and she loves to share what she's found. Her work with chil­ dren and with teachers is being acknowledged across the country. The New York State De­ partment of Education in Albany distributes six teaching units which she has developed for their program for handicapped children. She is on the list of resource persons for the in-service education of teachers throughout New York State. In workshops and courses she enthusiasti­ cally shares with her stu­ dents her convictions that nothing about "labels"' is scary, because children are children. Read paper to get college degree credit A highly successful ex­ periment in media-based non - traditional learning was initiated in fall 1973 by the extension division of the University of Cali­ fornia, San Diego. Called Courses by News­ paper, the project, funded by a grant from the Na­ tional Endowment for the Humanities, involved 232 newspapers and 167 col­ leges and universities across the country, in 1974-75. The participating newspapers printed a weekly lecture for 18 weeks on the subject "In search of the American Dream." Readers desiring full participation for college credit may register at a participating "college or university, pay a fee rang­ ing from $35 to $45 and attend a mid-term and final "Contact" session for degree credit. Students in isolated areas may substi­ tute alternative assign­ ments for the classroom sessions and examinations. * * * * Experience is something to be purchased if it's to be worth having. * * * * The key to satisfaction and enjoyment in life is phi­ losophy, not money. /