Children in a Campus School class at Buffalo State University College, taught by Francis G. Hardy Jr., have written the words and music of six songs since last September.
The 12 members of the class range from 6 to 14 years old — and they are mentally retarded.
Besides creating the songs, they have learned something about taking care of themselves, working with others and planning their own actions.
Mr. Hardy, an assistant professor in the college’s mental retardation department, has an idea for compiling books of songs and stories formed by the children.
“We have a preconceived notion of what children sing,” he says.
“No doubt our children’s songs are very good, but why not have some that come from children themselves?”
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ASSISTED by his aide, David Eastman, and by volunteers, including James Hulbert and Richard Wesp, Mr. Hardy encourages participatory ways in the class.
The severely mentally retarded are below the group considered educable. But loving teachers don’t necessarily accept that as they lead a patient, day-long conversation and exploratory experience with the children.
In fact, a Campus School innovation has brought Mr. Hardy’s class and Mrs. Norma Knight’s educable class in the next room together for certain periods. A result is that two children whose tests classified them severely retarded moved up to the educable class.
For years educators did not consider this possible.
The six songs the children wrote are a result of flexibility in working with the children in a class where the unimaginative teacher role of trying to pound a few bits of academic learning into a mind of extremely limited capacity has been set aside.
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TALK is always the starting place for putting together a song. It may be about a holiday, the weather, an animal.
As the conversation goes on during the period with Mrs. Margaret Cruikshank, the music teacher, she will propose making up a song.
If the children decide the subject is a lion, she’ll ask: “What will we say about him?”
Several children will suggest a line. Then she’ll sound them out for a tune and pick it out on the piano.
Here are the words of one of their songs:
The lion lives in the jungle
And he runs very fast.
He roars and roars when he’s angry,
But in a race he’s never last.
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SIGHT, hearing, touch — attention is given to these senses rather than directly to learning ability.
“Often these factors are not impaired in these children. You appeal through the senses rather than the mind,” Mr. Hardy explains.
New techniques set active and quiet moods to encourage orderly self-expression, perception, dexterity, development.
The children may be shown a series of pictures flashed on the wall, pictures of common objects, seasons of the year, people they know, sunrise and night. These form a conversation piece and indicate an ability to recall as the pupils are asked to tell what they saw.
Or the children, in turn, may be given a chance to stand in front of projectors and make shadow designs on the wall or to move and dance to the music of Jim Hulbert’s ever-present guitar. Perhaps they’ll be given pointers and instructed to hold them so the shadows of the tips touch.
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THE OBSERVERS, of course, are participants as commentators on call — or even without being called.
Flightiness of attention is a characteristic of severe mental retardation. But Mr. Hardy has sustained a “quiet time” up to 45 minutes.
He has the children sit or lie relaxed in a circle around a lighted candle. Jim provides a pensive musical background.
After an interval with no words, Mr. Hardy asks about each child’s thoughts.
On one wintry day the “thoughts” set forth and talked about in candlelight included spring, Superman, an eagle in a tree and Fred Flintstone.
There are times every school day when each child is permitted to choose what he will do. Games, books, puzzles, building blocks, drawing materials are on shelves and tables in the room.
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THE OLD philosophy was that these often hyperactive children should not have such stimulation around them. Mr. Hardy believes some stimulation is good because the youngsters are helped “to adjust and learn to live with it.”
Besides encouraging the pupils to plan their own activities in specified periods, the teachers often bring the children into decisions made today but affecting tomorrow.
Strengthening to the degree possible this sense of looking ahead and assuming responsibility is an important asset to these children as they grow.
The main goal in classes for the severely retarded is to bring each child to the point where he can function as nearly normally as possible in the community.
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WORKING toward this goal, Mr. Hardy and his associates must meet problems in speech, co-ordination and getting along with other children that often are part of the emotional disturbances related to mental limitations.
He summarizes the teachers’ purposes: “To instill as much knowledge as possible to improve each child’s ability to take care of himself; to get him to the point where he can think and plan his actions.”
He adds this guiding ideal: “To provide an opportunity for children with limited advantages to have unlimited futures.”
Patterns of response by these children are erratic. But encouragement, interest, demands, rewards — while keeping the youngsters busy consistent with their capacities — are never wasted.
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AS IN every classroom, pupil progress is the source of satisfaction. When progress is long awaited, satisfaction becomes delight.
A sound from Jolene’s lips; agreeable recognition by Roy that someone have a turn before him; an empty tray in front of Timmy, who had eaten everything in his lunch.
These are great events.
In Timmy’s case, Mr. Hardy showed off the empty tray and the child to the school principal and the teacher in the next room.
“Greatest thing that ever happened, greater even than the landing on the moon,” Mr. Hardy praised. “Timmy cleared his lunch tray, eating even what he doesn’t like.”
Timmy stood by, his grin like a sunbeam.
