European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 21, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Susan Clark continued from Ajel a ninth Grade now an i he or .10 to to   can i imagine How go. 11 loll " has she Ever had a  i a Ond he p7 not one i could t work with ii lakes awhile but i be always been Able to find a Way help them got bettor maybe they acted crazy but they weren t " she had this lad who seemed bound for a school Lor the severely emotionally disturbed he would hide under his desk curled up in the fetal position hit and bite kids from under there. Or Stairi in the desk and throw things or run away lock h self in the bathroom you name it. He was doing it " alter four weeks the Small brawler is out from under the desk he still has his bad Days but he s getting better when he first came he was always looking for Rea Furrance i would have my chair next to him and lie would physically Contact himself with me just kind of leaned there had to feel i was right there now he s Able to work with others Able to work on his on. Not As Well but he s doing things independently he s doing Fine in his work too he always had the potential but it was the behaviour the emotional status that had to be cleared up " there Are people who say that determined to Good teachers like Clark possess a magic that allows them passage through the doors of Young minds that slam shut for others whether it s magic or just extra helpings of empathy and insight of the old Virtues of patience and caring the kids respond. And get belter this teacher is a Strong advocate of the hands on approach. You have to Louch them a lot. They Cej it. And they like to touch anything the can touch even snakes they can understand when words or pictures mean nothing " Clark s room is such a pleasant place even the charts look Happy most people naturally absorb information better through either the Eye or ear but Lor some kids things just Don t Click through one sense or the other i like visual learning Best myself that s Why you see All the charts around the room if i have to just sit and listen and listen and listen my eyes tend to Glaze Over. Too. Who wants to f Lay with to asks a boy going around the rum. Finally siding up close to Susan Clark nearby a Hotle girl cuddles a Guinea pig1 cookie wants to est i to she says that other one he bites big chunks Oul of cookie cookie s really Nice. He s not grown yet but he s getting grown. But he likes to escape. He s a Gnad Harjer. But he does t feel too Good if you Drej h in he might  it s the hour of their free time. Can i scratch my nose a boy inquires of one of Clark s aides do you have to scratch your nose or blow your nose " a child with learning impairment might be blessed with Iclal recall in some things be a Whiz at numbers bul can t remember the Workings of his nose. Or to not come to school with his  on backward sometimes in the common sense department they re  says Clark academically math 15 easier for most of them to master than Reading an a roiling is easier than writing. Making their thu gals mean something on paper is hardest dul even when they do Well in tasks like thai ask them something really simple and you might get Zero there was Tim not ivs real name and he d come into the Chaoti and just stand i Tim come on in and sit Down " and he d say Well id just like to  one thing what s that. Tim what do i d j . V7" " and we would the l him get your work out in a Little while we w m come Back to him. And he d say. Well. Id just like to i new Cne More thing what s that. Tim " 1 what do i do next " get a Pencil and Slart your  Tim would sit there where do i get a Pencil this happened for months and months it took him three months to master a 10-word list. Ask me How he s doing today he s making a  Page 14 stars and stripes sunday