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Page 2/The Battalion/Tuesday, August 30, 1983 Gifted child’s life often a dilemma by Children’s Express United Press International (Editor’s Note: Children’s Express, a privately funded news service, is real world journalism reported entirely by children 13 years of age or under whose tape-recorded interviews, discussions, reports and commentary are edited by teenagers and adults.) NEW YORK — Many gifted children id others become lity to express things with your body very well, like with your hands — leadership ability, or creative ability. Krueger feels that “the kids who are very talented in the arts, who are very talented in their schoolwork, should be treated just as specially as the kids who are in the first-string football team.” The Association is concerned about these gifted children because “their potential to make very significant contri butions to our society, to our world, is what will make a great deal of differ ence.” N A lot of teachers are intimidated by gifted kids. It happens when the teacher doesn’t know something and the child will correct his or her mistakes. There are cases where parents are threatened, too. “You find bright kids in every type of home,” Krueger said, “and some parents don’t care. Some parents are not neces sarily all that bright themselves. They’re very frightened of the kids.” We also talked with Krueger about gif ted kids who all of a sudden take dive The Battalion USPS 045 360 Member ot Texas Press Association Southwest Journalism Conference Editor . Hope E. Paasch City Editor Kelley Smith Sports Editor John Wagner News Editors Daran Bishop, Brian Boyer, Beverly Hamilton, Tammy Jones Staff Writers Robert McGlohon, Karen Schrimsher, Angel Stokes, Joe Tindel Copy editors Kathleen Hart, Beverly Hamilton Cartoonist Scott McCullar Photographers Brenda Davidson, Eric Evan Lee, Barry Papke Editorial Policy The Battalion is a non-profit, self-supporting news paper operated as a community service to Texas A&M University and Bryan-College Station. Opinions ex pressed in The Battalion are those of the editor or the author, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Texas A&M University administrators or faculty mem bers, or of the Board of Regents. The Battalion also serves as a laboratory newspaper for students in reporting, editing and photography clas ses within the Department of Communications. Questions or comments concerning any editorial mat ter should be directed to the editor. Letters Policy Letters to the Editor should not exceed 300 words in length, and are subject to being cut if they are longer. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit letters for style and length, but will make every effort to maintain the author’s intent. Each letter must also be signed and show the address and telephone number of the writer. The Battalion is published Monday through Friday during Texas A&M regular semesters, except for holi day and examination periods. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester, $33.25 per school year and $35 per full year. Advertising rates furnished on request. Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald Building, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. Columns and guest editorials also are welcome, and are not subject to the same length constraints as letters. Address all inquiries and correspondence to: Editor, The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald, Texas A&M Uni versity, College Station, TX 77843, or phone (409) 845- 2611. Our address: The Battalion, 216 Reed McDonald Building, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843. United Press International is entitled exclusively to the use for reproduction of all news dispatches credited to it. Rights of reproduction of all other matter herein reserved. Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77843. in school. He told us how “a woman at John Hopkins University found out that the achievement of girls with mathema tical ability suddenly took a big dive at about the age of 12 or 13. When she talked with these girls, she discovered it was the fear they had about being different, that girls don’t become scientists or mathematicians. To con form, they started not to achieve. shut themselves out an< juvenile delinquents. Mark Krueger, who is a Director of the American 1 Association for Gifted Children, says, “It’s real hard for a bright kid who may be in the fourth grade but who reads at a ninth grade level and likes being around sixth or seventh graders. There are very real emotional and ad justment problems, and the problems are all the more serious when there’s only one gifted kid in the classroom. “Studies have been done which show most dramatically that there’s any num ber of bright kids who don’t get the sort of attention that they need in school.” Everyone is gifted in some sense. But the gifted we talked about in our inter view’ with Krueger is another kind. It’s not a typical thing. According to his fi gures, only 3 to 5 percent of all kids are gifted witn “an unusual ability.” The way he broke it down was into “Or imagine what it’s like fora 14-year- old boy at an inner city school,” Krueger added, “where it’s hard enough to get people to come to school, much less to create a thriving atmosphere, and to have serious aspirations of going to college.” Being considered gifted creates such problems for the kids socially. When Krueger asked us if we would want our friends to think of us as gifted, we told him, “No,” because we’d probably be tre ated differently. As Krueger said, “Most people, re gardless of their age, want to blend in. In ‘On Being Gifted’ — a book we spon sored in which for the first time kids came together to talk about what it’s like to be gifted — the most important feeling these kids had was their uncomfortable ness with being singled out. One of them said, ‘Call us nifty, call us talented, but don’t call us gifted.’ “The other thing,” Krueger pointed out, “is that you can’t tell if a person is very good at something until you give him an opportunity. So the idea that there are not gifted kids in black com munities, on Indian reservations, or among women is absolutely ridiculous. In many of those places, there are no art programs, no programs that allow kids to solve problems, to think creatively, to take chemistry. We feel very strongly that you’ve got to give every kid a chance be fore you can say he’s not gifted.” A child should do what he’s capable of doing. Gifted children should be able to go at their own level and do what they can do and not have to follow what everyone else does so they can learn. However teacher training works, teachers should be taught how to handle gifted children, at least a little. “Maybe in the some classrooms you’ll have kids working at different levels and on different things,” Krueger said, “and it may very well be that a kid who is three years ahead of his class in reading is working at his grade level in math. One thing we find is that bright kids are not uniformly bright. “There are a lot of ways of teaching gifted kids. The point is that something has to be done to address gifted kids’ needs, that they just not be ignored in the raegular classroom. “It’s also part of the teachers’, adminis trators’ and parents’ responsibility to make sure that bright kids don’t feel su perior to everyone else, that they under stand they have a responsibility to use their talents to help other people,” Krue ger said. Dr. ' i'eh’s pri iesign is m) wil enter w nation t jtive he; xhibitio isual pr FLAS SHOWN© IN CENTRAL AMERICA Repres j50Texa izations jtudent < lidnight nnual IV Prog falter s; esigned (ents cai be d Backstairs at the White House emester. Also First lady keeps low profile dministi aembers lance. by Helen Thomas United Press International LOS ANGELES — The Reagan’s have been catching up with the carriage trade during their stay in California. The president and his wife, Nancy, are part of a closely knit group of friends called the “Kitchen Cabinet” that, socially speaking, few outsiders are allowed to penetrate. The wives of the all-male members of the Kitchen Cabinet are Mrs. Reagan’s chums, and when they are 3,000 miles away, the_y talk by telephone. The first lady has stayed out of the limelight during her August days in Los Angeles, but she made one public appearance in honor of her late father, Dr. Loyal Davis. Mrs. Reagan unveiled a plaque at the John Tracy Clinic for the Deaf in Los Angeles in her one public outing. Tracy is the deaf son of the late actor Spencer Tracy, who was a good friend of Mrs. Reagan’s mother, Edith Davis, when they were both in show business. In her remarks, Mrs. Reagan said Dr. Davis played an important part in help ing get the clinic started “in its early pre carious days.” Otherwise, the first lady has been very private, but she undoubtedly has been in touch with her two designers, Galanos and Adolfo, to make her fall selections. Mrs. Reagan has to prepare her war drobe for the two-week Asian she will take with the president November. She will have her own solo activities in some of the countries in the five-nation tour. An advance team will head across the Pacific this Sunday to nail down plans for Reagan’s trip. Tlie White House con tinues to insist Reagan will visit the Phi lippines, despite die assassination of opposition leader Benigno Aquino. Several leading papers have said edi torially that he should not go. Reagan himself seemed to indicate that a final decision had not been made, but presidential spokesman Larry Speakes insists present plans have not changed, and he will go to Manila. Michael McManus, assistant to the president, says the advance team will be sifting through the many invitations for presidential appearances when Reagan visits the Philippines, Indonesia, Thai land, Japan and Korea. But many of his potential hosts will be disappointed be cause Reagan’s time in each country is very limited. Sever* present icluding Detroit in 1 on ’ Ieli & lican Convention in Cameron was thrust in Reagansm But the little blond boy begantotn Reagan acknowledged at thetimt! he was a stranger to tlie littleboybea he had been on the campaign trail w long and had not had a cliancetn acquainted with him. rnation; Bi of When Reagan speaks at big met bers of tl: Although the Reagan’s have been on the West Coast for two weeks, aides said they knew of no plans to see his grand children, Cameron, 4, and Ashley, 5 months. Michael Reagan, father of the chil dren, has publicly complained on several occasions that Reagan has not yet met his new granddaughter and that there is no grandfatherly relationship with the tots. Observers said that during the Repub- onsume The onsume Reporters have found that ... chartered White I louse planecanbe h e dam carious. ’^'J ^da. 1 Shortly after their United Aiii ate s the plane took off for Seattle, the) announced that he would have lo reverse thrusters to get the planeI: He did and the passengers had a rough landing. When the plane took off again; t T turn to Los Angeles, the pilotS \0 brakes while still on the groundwlw 1 . was told there might be a maiuwdfi C ri | wing. L1I1 Shortly afterward, the announced they were taking offai One of the reporters aboad shouted we have a choice?” Healthy veggie burger lacks fast food appeal Slouch By Jim Earl [“This Ihave be. The I istratioi rs to be members of the audience area take pictures but are warned notnB/ s to , bc flash bulbs. T he flashes play havot bu. the teleprompter mirrors Reaganiis 10m i 5 i s - the lecturn when he speaks. The Sty, star iave bee nee woi reas anc Unit* CINDI he fire i uarter rr ut the f rs who 3 uld do a d a He tuck. by Dick West United Press International WASHINGTON —- Militant vegeta rians claim they are eryoying some suc cess at pressuring fast food franchises to offer meatless alternatives to burgers with all-beef patties. Good luck to them, but I do wish the anti-meat protesters would make the alternative names a bit more appetizing. It’s not that I have anything against the health food movement. Nor does my aversion reflect some misguided sense of macho, such as a feeling that real men don’t eat bean sprouts. Fast food customers should have “a hot, satisfying and quickly pre pared transition alternative avail able. ” I simply resent the apparent reluct ance of the “eat no meat’' crowd to let vegetables stand on their own roots, so to speak. The campaign to bring the world more fast food fruit and vegetable dishes is being pushed by a coalition of health and humane organizations. Fast food customers, they insist, should have “a hot, satisfying and quickly prepared transition alternative avail able.” Although I can sympathize with their basic objective, do they have to call the transition alternative a “veggie burger?” I’m sure I try as diligently as you and your gourmet friends to stay abreast of ’ m land, but I don’t think I could ever bring myself to go into a fast food outlet and order a “veggie burger.” The coalition’s beau ideal, apparently, is ersatz flesh — vegetables that Iook, smell and taste like meat. Why is it you never hear of anyone trying to disguise meat as a vegetable? Surely that type of camouflage now falls within the realm of the technologically feasible. One possibility is lunch meat that has been left in the refrigerator so long it is beginning to turn green. Here we nave the potential for a dish of pseudo broccoli that would fool all but tne most discerning vegetable fans. Or how about a slice of liver, shredded and tinted with green cake coloring so that it closely resembles a fern? Or httle meat balls treated with a chemical preser vative until they simulate radishes? I’ll concede a “veggie burger” prob ably would stand a better chance of com mercial acceptance than would a McCas- serole. Still, that name simply doesn’t hack it, conjuring up, as it does, visions of fermented lentils, soy beans and tofu ground into a beef-like patty, fried in sunflower oil and served on a sesame seed bun. Whatever the ingredients, the first step toward promoting vegetable-like meat dishes to first class fast food citizen ship is finding attractive names for them. If I were plotting strategy for the vegetarians, I would look to the spread ing wave of Tex-Mex carryouts. “Broccoli burritos” sound like a savory alternative, as do “zucchini tamales” and “eggplant enchiladas.” Technology has been defined as “the knack of so arranging the world that we don’t have to experience it.” If you accept that definition, you bee fcd Gloe Officer R ingof; Hesaic befighte the culinary trends sweeping across our so that we might also approve of arranging spinach don’t have to taste it. “That’s a very good question, Squirt, and when you’re older $ more mature, you’ll understand why it’s necessary to tear up^ W*- roads and streets every time classes begin.”-