Education Learning Issues

EDNEWS.ORG. Michael Shaughnessy interviews a man who couldn't learn in school, was the "problem kid" and endured all kinds of senseless (to us) punishment and discipline. Functionally illiterate at age 29, he discovered in a happenstance encounter with a college professor that he was dyslexic. The saddest part: only one teacher from K-12 realized his intelligence; others treated him in ways not good for his self-esteem. Read the interview.

STRAIGHT-A DYSLEXIC. In contrast to the previous item, a young woman diagnosed with dyslexia in third grade has been named one of CEC's "Yes I Can" award winners for her straight-A average. Even she, however, encountered early teachers who "assumed I was stupid," according to the young woman. Read more about her.

CLEARANCE SALE. Prufrock Press is offering heavy discounts on 33 items from its inventory, including items such as:

• "The Challenges of Educating the Gifted in Rural Area," originally $12.95 and now $.99
• "Early Gifts: Recognizing and Nurturing Children's Talents," originally $24.95 and now $.99
• A number of titles on autism
• Various posters for teachers,  for example one illustrating the quote "Earth laughs in flowers," originally $7.95 and now $.99.

Find the sale.

CAN A SCHOOL BE NEGLIGENT by not identifying a student's learning disabilities? That's the question that has made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court as a result of a lawsuit by a family against a Compton, California, school district. In spite of a couneslor's recommendation that the girl be evaluated for learning disabilities, the school did nothing, promoting the girl instead. Several previous administrative and legal decisions have sided with the family. Read more.

INFO ON NORTHWESTERN U PROGRAM. Northwestern University offers certificate and master's degree programs in advanced gifted education. This Thursday the school is offering a one-hour "virtual information session" about those programs. Find out more here or at the university website.

GIFTED ED UNDER ATTACK IN N.C. Up until now, North Carolina has funded and mandated efforts to identify and serve gifted students, but now the legislature is, in educational terms, messing with the arrangement. Find out more.

THE GUT AND THE BRAIN. Scientific American reports on findings that microflora in the gut can influence the biochemistry and development of the brain, especially during certain developmental stages. At least part of the influence comes from gut bacteria affecting the expression of up to 40 genes in the brain, in effect turning the genes on or off. Read more.

AND FINALLY, THIS. The 10 semifinalists have been announced in the Fifth Annual Bubble Wrap Competition for Young Innovators. In this, one of our favorite competitions for young people, students in grades 6-8 are encouraged to find innovative uses for Bubble Wrap. This year, projects include a floating, self-watering garden; a water carrier; a sleep-walk preventer; and seven more. Find out more.

ASPIE, HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT, PhD. One of our 2e Newsletter subscribers sent along a pointer to an interesting interview published awhile back -- the story of Dawn Prince-Hughes, Aspie, formerly homeless and addicted, and now a professor and author of Songs of the Gorilla Nation: My Journey Through Autism. Prince-Hughes described a difficult childhood -- how over-stimulation made clothes uncomfortable so that she'd run around outside pretending she was a primate, sans clothes; how she was reading the philosopher Kant in seventh grade; and how, when she announced at age 16 to her small Montana town that she was gay, it became time to leave home. Also in the interview: her views on Asperger's and how her work with gorillas taught her to be a human being. Hear or read the interview, titled "Gorilla Therapy." [Thanks Barb, for the tip.]

2e AND IN PRIVATE SCHOOL. Many families with 2e children have tried private schools as a way to get their kids the opportunities and accommodations they needed -- button-down, well-endowed schools with high-powered executives on the board of directors, or laid-back Waldorf schools where music and art may be more important than science and math. Any parent or teacher who's ever been associated with a private school will enjoy a mock "registration form" for the fictional Elm Street School, published in the New York Times.

THE BILINGUAL BRAIN. The September issue of Brain Briefings from the Society for Neuroscience points out that speaking more than one language may have cognitive benefits. The newsletter noted that kids fluent in two languages, particularly from early childhood, have an enhanced ability to concentrate, both as children and as adults. As adults, bilingual kids also apparently have denser gray matter in their brains. A side benefit: delayed onset of age-related dementia. Read it here.

INTUITIVE LEARNERS. Got a smart kid who just "sees" the answer to math or science problems? Caulfield in the Frazz cartoon strip is apparently one such kid, and doesn't care to show his work to his teacher Mrs. Olsen -- with a poor outcome. Read it.

SPECIAL ED RESOURCE. Monahan & Cohen, a law firm in Chicago, publishes an e-newsletter called Special Education News. The most recent edition contains articles on "Early Warning Signs of Problems at School," extensive coverage of changes in Indiana special education law, and Illinois legislative updates. Also in the newsletter: information about publications, services, and presentations by firm members on the topic of special education law. If you live in Illinois or Indiana, this firm might be a potential resource. Find the newsletter here.

BRAINSTORM FOR CASH. When my sons were younger, we once brainstormed prospective uses for those plastic shells that enclose portable toilets -- as shelters for rural kids waiting for the school bus, temporary ticket booth structures, ice-fishing shelters, and lots more (and more creative) uses which are unfortunately lost to aging neurons. Your son, daughter, or creative student can win a trip to New York City or a savings bond by creating an invention that incorporates the use of Bubble Wrap brand cushioning by thinking "outside the bubble," as the competition site says. Among past winners: Bubble Wrap wallpaper to stimulate and engage autistic kids; Bubble Wrap kites; and an adjustable wrist cushion to prevent/alleviate carpal tunnel syndrome. Competition deadline: early November.

FAPE NUTS? This week's edition of Special Ed Advocate from Wrightslaw is all about the Free, Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) promised to US parents by IDEA 2004. If you find yourself fighting to get what you think is a FAPE for your child, check Special Ed Advocate to find out what the limits are. For example, the Wrights suggest removing the words "best" and "maximize" from your vocabulary as you negotiate. Read it.

100 HOMESCHOOLING RESOURCES. If you're educating your 2e child at home, check out this list of resources at SmartTeaching.org -- tools for organizing; tools for teaching and learning language arts, math, science, and other topics; Google tools; educational software; search engines ranging from age-appropriate to academic; and blogs on the topic of homeschooling.