P age A4
S eptember 11, 1996 • T he P ortland O bserver
The Dangers of Labeling Children
A teacher has a very, very suc­
cessful year working with one o f her
classes, a M iddle School Soc ial Stud­
ies class
The class results on the yearly
achievement test were outstanding,
and the special projects the class
produced were exceptional The Prin­
cipal was very impressed and highly
commended the teacher.
The teacher thanked the Principal
but told him it wasn’t very difficult,
after all they were an intellectually
gifted class. The Principal knew that
the class was not identified as gifted
and that the students had an average
academic record. He asked the teach­
er why she believed they were gifted.
She pulled out a piece o f paper with
the names o f her students; next to the
names were number such as 139,
143, and so on.
When the Principal looked at the
paper he realized what she had been
referring to. The paper did not give
the students’ IQ scores, as the teach­
er had thought, they gave their locker
numbers. The teacher had labeled
the students in that class as gifted. A s
a result she had very high standards
and expectations for what they could
and should accomplish, and they did
achieve far beyond what others could
have expected.
I wonder how that class would
have done if their locker numbers
were in a range o f 80 to 100. How
would the teacher have labeled them
and would her expectations and stan­
dards for the class have been low­
ered? Most probably.
In the above example, a very pos­
itive label was attached to the stu­
dents. What happens when negative
labels are attached to students. When
a child is identified, no matter how
incorrectly, as having A D D (Atten­
How often are students labeled as
having some learning problem, only
to discover, sometimes years later,
that their problems were caused by
poor hearing or poor eyesight?
How often are student labeled as
having some psychiatric named afflic­
tion (such as A D D or developmental
reading disorder) when the truth is that
they are displaying mental or physio­
logical phenomena caused by having
this symptom been labeled by a teach­
er as perhaps having A D D ’? From
that moment on the teacher w ill most
likely find other ‘evidence’ o f A D D
and perhaps even recommended that
child be put on the destructive drug
Ritalin.
One ofthe great tragedies o f label­
ing is when a student accepts as being
true the label they are incorrectly
tagged with, such as when they are
placed in a class for students with
learning disabilities. They begin to
think, I am learning disabled and
lower their expectations and belief in
what they can accomplish.
Understanding the Study Tech­
nology o f L. Ron Hubbard, students
do not attach labels to themselves
when they have problems in study.
They think, “ I hit a barrier to learn­
ing". They identify the symptom they
are displaying and determine which
o f the barriers they have hit. They
then know the correct solution to
handle their problem.
Le t’s keep the attachment o f neg­
ative labels to students having leam-
ing d i fficult ies from becoming a self-
fulfilling prophecy. Le t’s take the
viewpoint that a student with a learn­
ing problem has hit one o f the barri­
ers to learning, and let’s help him or
her overcome that barrier by apply­
ing the correct technology as devel­
oped by L . Ron Hubbard.
“ One of the great dangers in labeling
students is that teachers then fail to look
for the correct source of the apparent
problem, and fail to find the correct
solution.”
tion D eficit Disorder), D yslexia,
Reading or Math Development D is­
order, or any o f a host o f other neg­
ative labels, that child becomes brand­
ed and the expectations and stan­
dards o f what that student can ac­
complish become greatly diminished.
Educators begin to look for and ‘find’
the reasons why the student was g iv ­
en that label, whether those reasons
truly exist or not.
One o f the great dangers in label­
ing students is that teachers then fail
to look for the correct source o f the
apparent problem, and fail to find the
correct solution.
hit a barrier to learning?
There is a Study Technology which
is developed by L. Ron Hubbard,
author, educator and humanitarian,
and utilized by Applied Scholastics
International to improve the quality
o f education world wide. This tech­
nology identifies the three key barri­
ers to learning that a student encoun­
ters by determining the mental or
physiological phenomena a student
is displaying.
For example, nervous hysteria is
one o f the potential symptoms o f
having passed a misunderstood word.
How often have students displaying
Flying the coop
Freshman year o f college, and
your son or daughter is trading in
home-cooked meals and their home
town for cafeteria food and dorms.
With all the excitement surrounding
the new student’s first-time trek away
from home, insurance issues are of­
ten overlooked.
“College students often bring with
them valuable items such as stereos,
expensive cameras, T V s and per­
sonal computers. I f you own your
home or even ifyou rent, you may be
pleasantly surprised to learn that both
homeowner’s and renter’s insurance
policies provide coverage for most-
- if not a ll-ite m s students take to
college, whether they are staying in
a dorm or renting an apartment,”
%
says Marianne Macine, C P C U , re­
gional manager for Western Insur­
ance Information Service (W H S).
A c c o r d in g
to
M a cin a ,
"homeowner’s and renter’s policies
typical ly cover property stolen away
from home, usually up to 10 percent
o f the contents coverage.”
For instance, you may have in­
sured your home for $100,000 and
your contents for $60,000.
That w ill most likely mean that
your student’s belongings away from
home w ill be covered up to $6,000
(10 percent o f the content’s cover­
age selected)-m inus the policy's
deductible (usually between $250-
$500).
Some companies now provide up
to $5,000 coverage for a personal
computer, but it may not be covered
if it’s not at the residence
There are certain dollar limits on
some kinds of persona I property such
as jewelry, watches, cash or furs.
So be sure to check with your
insurance agent to determine the
specifics for any items not covered
under your homeowner’s policy.
“ Parents might also be able to
take advantage o f substantial auto­
mobile insurance discounts,” says
Macina. (Some companiesoffer par­
ents discounts o f up to 20-25 percent
for students more than 100 miles
away from home without a car in
their possession. Again, W IIS ad­
vises consumers to check with their
insurance agent or company repre­
sentative.)
For
free
b ro ch u re s
on
homeowner’s insurance, renter’s in­
surance, auto insurance and more,
contact: W IIS , 11855 SW Ridgecrest
Drive, Suite 107, Beaverton, Ore­
go n, 9 7 0 0 8 , (5 0 3 ) 6 4 3 -6 3 5 5 /
(800)457-87133.
In addition, members o f the W IIS
Speakers’ Bureau offer free presen­
tations on a variety o f insurance and
loss prevention issues.
Speakers show films, distribute
educational materials and present
information in a non-commercial
atmosphere. For more information
contact the W H S regional office in
Beaverton.
OUR STOREMANAGER SALE IS GOING ON. COME IN AND GET
“ W a itin g C h ild r e n "
Shondra and Keisha, ages 8 and 7: These two African American/
Caucasian sisters were both birthday girls last month! Shondra and Keisha
are very close and share many o f the same interests. Shondra is a bright and
inquisitive older sister who is strong in spirit. Keisha is a curious and
independent little one with a passion for nature. Both girls are bright and
eager to learn. These sisters are waiting for parents with generous amounts
o f love, praise and patience so they can reach for a hopeful future.
T ra v is, age 9: Travis would be
a wonderful addition to the right
family. One-on-one with adults,
he tends to be an easy-going child
to be with. Rollerblading, skiing,
swimming and soccer are special
interests for this strong and coor­
dinated kid. He is a hard worker
and helps out around the house,
participating in family chores. Pa­
tience and flexibility would be
important qualities as both Travis
and his new family aim to con­
struct a solid and loving frame­
work o f skills for this big-hearted
boy.
Parents of
Children with
Asthma &
Allergies
Parents o f Children with Asthma
& Allergies Support Group will meet
on Sunday afternoon, September 15,
noon-4 p.m. at Oaks Amusement
Park
A discount w ill be given by the
park.
This is the back-to-school event
for children with asthma and aller­
gies and their parents.
Parents o f Children with Asthma
& Allergies Support Group is free
and open to anyone interested in in­
formation on children with asthma or
allergies.
Please call 636-9242 to R S V P .
____
BIG SAVINGS *
Prices Effective 9/11/96 thru 9/17/96 at your nearby Safeway store.
Behavior
Management
for Children
Mt. Hood Community College’s
Early Childhood Institute w ill of­
fer a two-hour seminar for child­
care providers, educators and par­
ents o f young children on Sept. 16
7-9 p.m.
"The How and Whys o f Effec­
tive Behavior” w ill focus on crite­
ria to consider when dec iding what
management tools to use, how to
use “soft” and “hard” tools, and
which to use in which situation.
Michael Morrow, a popular re­
gional and national teacher and
instructor at Portland Community
College, w ill facilitate the semi­
nar Morrowhas worked with ch il­
dren and teachers for more than
20years, teaching preschool, Head
Start, elementary school and co l­
lege.
The deadline for registration is
Sept. 13. The cost is $9. For regis­
tration form and schedule o f up­
coming Mt. Hood Childhood In­
stitute seminars, call Jan Sullivan
at 667-7357.
Show kids
the way to 5 a day
• 1 Dozen
• White Eggs
• First one with coupon
4l •SAVE UP TO 5 7 (
V.
One item per coupon. One coupon per customer
Coupon cannot be reproduced. Valid 9/11/96 thru
9/17/96 At your nearby Safeway store
000000080170
Beef Rib Eye Steaks
• Bone In, Valu Pack, 4 or More
• S m a lle r P a c k a g e s , $ 3 .1 8 lb
•SAVEUP TO $1.41 lb
Look For Your
Russet Potatoes
Safeway Weekly Shopping Guide
In Your Oregonian FOODday in the
Portland Metro Area ...And Save
More Shopping At Safeway!
• 10-lb Baa
• Oregon Grown
• First One
I
Enjoy Extra Savings With The
SAFEWAY EXTRA In-Store
Savings Guide
Available at your Saleway store.
O n ly one in five children eat the
recommended five servings o f fruits
and vegetables every day, and nearly
one-fourth o f all the "vegetables”
they consume are french fries, ac­
cording to a 1996 report in the A r­
chives o f Pediatrics and Internal
Medicine. Fruit and vegetable con­
sumption needs to begin in child­
hood to become a healthful lifestyle
habit, so tots must be provided with
an ongoing variety o f fru.ts and veg­
etables to choose from everyday.
Pre-schoolers can learn colors,
shapes and textures from fruits and
vegetables like fuzzy kiwis, purple
eggplants and starfruit. Children who
help out in the kitchen often develop
a more active interest in the foods
they’ve helped to prepare. For a cool
treat, finely dice a variety o f berries,
melons and oranges, adding a table­
spoon o f sugar to each 2 cups o f
diced fruits. Let stand a few minutes
then spoon into 5 oz. paper cups, and
freeze for about three hours.
Pop a can o f fruit cocktail into the
freezer overnight. Open both ends
and push through; cut into slices and
top with fat-free whipped topping!
And it’s quick and easy to introduce
kids to fresh salads w ithTanim ura&
Antle’s Salad Tim e for Kids.