WORLD’S APART

[Music] [Music] during the past decade many Americans suddenly became aware that there were 40 million poverty-stricken people living in their midst I've been on the weight over 4 years way over four years I ain't had no steady job I go down and try to get we and can't get no way I can't get a port a job the elevator job with nothing this it's rough out here it's very rough ain't got no kind of incomes here no kind no relief no nothing and with typical American faith in action private agencies and the federal government began a frontal assault on problems associated with poverty no single political social or educational effort is sufficient to alleviate all the conditions associated with poverty education however is one area that is beginning to mobilize in recognition of the special role it can play [Music] look I mean see Sor see bunny s and see see see Sally at the F soon the family came to the farm here we are said James this this is where we stop here we are at the farm and here is grandmother hello grandmother said di we came to see you hello hello said Grandmother see who came to the farm it is our family it is good to have all our family here at the farm hello grandmother said Jane hello Grandfather said dick bowow said spot bowow Bow Wow hello but said grandfather it is good to have you here with our family in the past education has made a few isolated attempts to meet the needs of all children but in the main the schools have failed the children of the poor [Music] mean what you need a diploma for diploma with diploma just like one of the boys said A friend of mine said diploma just going to get you cutting cheese in a factory some place or pushing a broom just pushing if you if that's all you working for all them years just get a plumber to hang on the wall and catch dust you can have it then suppose I ask you the question that I want to ask you can you tell tell me Alan where you found the answer to the first question you had a choice of three answers and any effective school program must overcome the hopelessness and impotency that the child might bring with him his experience and the development of skills are not always in accord with the demands of the school in contrast the middle class child is often nourished by a background ground of experiences which prepare him for success in [Music] school but the slum child seldom has that chance it's according to Dr Elliot Shapiro principal of a school in the slums of New York who has discovered that you know uh we've come across a problem that I think many persons in middle class communities are not aware of and that is the problem of self-reliance that our children uh become self-reliant far far too early very often the middle class people want their children to become self-reliant and the children are not sufficiently self-reliant our children become as self-reliant as young adults when they are six seven eight years of age in this very very self-reliance they give up that dependency relationship that is so necessary to Childhood and I want to stress emphatically the importance of a long childhood but when our children are forced to give up their long childhood and become young adults too early they are forced to give up their curiosity we know that children in their long childhood uh uh when they have a long childhood remain curious this curiosity energizes education this uh curiosity is the source of learning when our children our poor children become so self-reliant so early they give up this long long childhood they give up their human right they give up their right as it were to be part of the human species we must have effective efficient warm-hearted adults in the lives of the children the mothers are loving mothers but because of force of circumstances can't remain sufficiently close uh to provide you might say that dependency relationship that is the Hallmark of being a child now let's leave the hoop empty of all feet in an effort to develop within the child many of the skills which lead to success in school The Institute for developmental studies headed by Dr Martin Deutsch has devised a program aimed at the preschool youngster okay who knows what shape the hoop is the Institute program emphasizes basic concepts which are developed through a myriad of activities for example such seemingly simple Concepts as those of size shape and color which are themselves tools for further learning are all geared to laying the foundation for a successful School [Music] career round like a circle by providing the child with many of the experiences basic to learning The Institute hopes to pave the way for success in school and a meaningful place in society breaking the patterns of discrimination ceaseless unemployment and frustration face by so many of the poor [Music] an important part of the preschool program is establishing the child's sense of himself as a unique individual who has a definite and special place in the classroom again seemingly simple things like clothes hooks marked with his name and songs using his name are used by the teacher to establish a warm relationship with the child while giving him a sense of himself as a special person okay can you see some other things in that mirror me huh can you see some other things in that mirror I see you you see me yeah what else what do you see you you see me what else do you see you see yourself look look at your face what do you see on your face good for you right now touch your eyes can you touch your eyes huh yes can you touch your nose fun and your mouth very good here and we're going to do something very special we're going to talk about some parts of your face now Larry Williams touch your nose Larry Williams touch your nose hallelu Robert Weston touch your earsel Dr Martin deuts and his staff are concerned with developing curriculum and classroom practices that can become comprehensive enrichment programs that meet the special needs and problems of the child these programs begin with the preschool child pical dropouts Dr Deutch I know that we've discussed this before but what are the areas that you feel should be stressed in this program in order to prepare our children for really full and fruitful School careers uh we of course I think identified uh many areas but if we had to separate out a few I think self-esteem uh self-respect concept formation General environmental information Visual and auditory distinctions and uh possibly most important language efficiency Dr do language is particularly our concerned should we be concerned with changing the language of our children or because our kids come into the preschool program with the usual grammatical errors and incomplete sentences uh we have to of course uh build on existing language at the same time improving vocabulary and helping the child to communicate clearly with his teachers in the language of the school in what grade do our children seem to begin to fall behind well the crucial uh years for these children seem to be sometime around third grade I think this is one of the reasons that we have emphasized the necessity of extending the program uh to the third grade in order to stabilize some of the the initial change we believe though there are certain differences that appear as early as kindergarten and uh maybe a music class in higher grades demonstrates how the pupils can learn spelling and word formation Concepts while acting out a musical skill which they apparently enjoy with some humor now we are going to join say it with ease say it e [Music] just one minute to make one word and the word is cheese CH is ch [Music] painting and blocks are used to develop the child's sense of shapes colors and even himself while giving him a sense of achievement and [Music] Discovery also aiding the child is the individual attention he receives from a teacher who takes time to look with interest and Care at each pupil's work small classes make it possible for the teacher to provide individual [Music] attention although the Institute under Dr Deutsch's guidance continues to develop programs aimed at meeting the needs of the younger child there are still older children trying to face the demands of a modern complex society handicapped by by what in their formative years were inadequate school programs now what we're going to have is Leonard act as a student looking for a job Martin is going to play the part of a person at an agency who will receive his call now let's see how Leonard would go about trying to get a job on the telephone clearly and and when she uh she point out the day that she was graduating and everything now why do you think this would be important for someone to point out the day that they were graduating if they were going to a job FL uh is I'm calling in regard regard to your advertisement on employment postage possibilities possibility with your company may I have your name again please please yes this is Miss FL SPS SPS could you come could you come to the office for an interview sometime this week parent meetings with the teacher are stressed these meetings are a first step toward building a positive relationship between the school and the family M have you found helpful the suggestions made in the parents' meetings about things you can do with Raquel at home well she help me when I I have three more girls and older than her and they don't like to help the oldest one when they come from school at 3:00 they she make some chocolate for them but she always leave everything on the table so Rael comes after her and takes everything from the table and put it up in the in the Shelf where it belongs and always is telling me that her sister don't do what she should do Mrs cariss have you found some changes in Angela yes I have found some changes in fact I'm I'm very pleased of the way that she's been behaving at home and does things for herself and I feel I'm very fortunate that I'm one of the mothers that have a little girl going to these classes uh Mrs Gracie Alvin was in the class last year well with Alvin he uh likes to write stories I mean tell stories and I write them for him and this way he brings them to school and uh I think he feels great because this is something that he's done himself with just my help of writing a story and uh I think the program is just wonderful really and I'm glad that I was one of the mothers fortunate enough to be in it also Mrs barbar you have had all the children who went to kindergarten but did not have the nursery experience as Alexandria could you tell us some of the differences that you've seen with Alexandria and the other children yes one instance that happened recently she was able to write her name get her library card so I was very happy because my other children were not able to do so and she loved books very well what are some of the other things that you've noticed about the children since attending the nursery but the hope for the future is the young child of today it is here where the best hope for the future lies with the child for the child is the root of the man [Music] a