Milford chronicle., 1958-06-13
Emotion Promotion
William B. Simpson, Supt.
Caesar Rodney Special School

William B. Simpson, Supt.
Caesar Rodney Special School
District
At the end of his first semester
in school according ta his teach
er, Mickey seems yery shy and
backward in the ROOM He needs
praise and much Individual halp.
He is a very slow learner He is
courteous and kind especially to
his elders" says the same teacher
at the end of the second semester
of the first year.
Mickey shows considerable
growth. He can talk to you now.
He seems to accept school life
now. He is slow learner. / am
sending him to the second grade.
To keep him in the first grade
would harm him emotionally." So
Mickey was sent on to the second
grade since he could at least talk
| to the teacher and would be emo
tionally harmed by staying in the
first grade. That is, according to
the teachers Judgment, this was
true. Subsequent events proved how
wrong she was. Especially since
sending him on instead of keeping
him back proved to be the first
error on the part OF the school
contributing to the generation of
longtime emotional disturbances
and patterns of conduct of a very
serious nature.
Removing a sandbur from Mick
ey's bare foot may cause an emo
tional disturbance too-but just
the same, it has to come out, the
quicker the better. For sure this
is to be followed by antiseptic
! treatment administered with SYM
pathy and understanding Soon the
hurt of both the injury and the
cure is forgotten and Mickey re-
turns to normality little wiser
to the way of the world.
Back to Mickey in school. His
second grade teacher, at the end
of the first term, states Mickey is
very slow learner He is shy but
is constantly picking on the other
children, -. {. He is in the third
reading group" Likely so if his
best in the first grade was the
ability to talk to the teacher. At
the end of the second grade this
teacher, along being emotion"
sensitive, says Mickey is not do
ing second grade work and will
not be able to do third grade work
but to take him away from his
group would harm him emotional
ly. Mickey is being transferred to
the third grade"
poor MioHau apd moor third
grade teacher, both victims of the
emotion" phobia of Mickey's pre-
vious teachers.
Says the third grade teacher, at
the end of the first semester, ''Ac-
cording to Mickey's mother, he has
never liked to come to school. He
is unable to do third grade y. ork
and is beginning to become a be-
havior problem when LETT to his
own devices. | think he could do
better. but have been unable to
appeal to him." At the end of the
second semester the harassed third
grade teacher states Mickey is to
repeat third grade" Being only
on speaking terms with his read
ing this bold rick of emotional dis
turbance was little late,
Said the te1Cher CT the third
grade repeater, Mickey shows no
interest at all in school work
plays constantly.
Poor boy would probably have
neen nervous wreck If he hadn't
found some substitute for the i'm
possible lessons. -
Mickey after two years in the
third grade was transferred to the
fourth where his two teachers re-
port Mickey doesn't seem ito en-
joy school and is unreliable and
undependable.
Mickey does not try to do any
thing. He just wastes time. IIe can
not read on first grade level"
On 10 the fifth grade went Mick
ey. To what future?
Said his perplexed fifth grade
teacher, Mickey seems Indifferent
to all school work and does not
try. -. Because :. lie shows no
interest and only wants to bother
the other children ut their work,
have had to place him away from
the rest of thes group IN the room.
-. The poor attitude must change
or he will never be successful
Mickay's troubles got even worse.
The kind statement of his "emo-
tional" first grade teacher that,
ssIle is courteous and kind-espec-
ially 20 his elders, is no longer
. true. He became such a problem
that he could have landed in a
schoo! for the emotionally disturb
ed. Better omat some detail.
Mickey is now learning to read,
thanks to a special reading pro-
gram and a reduction in grade
placement.
The low blows that his first and