Re: educating the kids

[Guest guest]

I've spoken with kids that age before about my dwarfism, and find it a real

treat. That age is great!

Some tips:

1. Keep technical stuff to a minimum (probably one of my biggest faults)

2. What I usually say (for this age group) in summary, is this: " I was born

short, and I will always be short. In fact, a lot of you will probably be

taller than me one day (they LOVE that concept . But that's Ok, because I

can still do basically what I want to or need to. "

3. Don't just talk about the " dwarfism " part of you, but what you like to do,

what school you go to (if you are in school, whaere you work, what you like

to do in your free time, etc. This way, they'll see they have more in common

with you than they thought!

4. Probably the most important concept: there are no " dumb " questions. Treat

all questions, even if they seem a bit wild, shocking or even inappropriate.

THis can be tough, but crucial. One time, I was asked the typical question

from some fourth-graders out at a camp - " Why are you so short? " So I stayed

a while and talked with them. One of the questions I got was " Do you work

with Snow White? " The leader said she had been shocked, but I merely replied

" No, Snow White doesn't exist outside of storybooks and Walt Disney World,

and I'm right here. " I got a similar question about Santa Claus, and I just

said, no, those are elves who help him, I'm a dwarf- and anyway, we ALL help

Santa, right?

A week later, the leader told me that the troop had a followup discussion

about my conversation with the girls, and I guess I made a lasting

impression. One thing the leader had asked was " Were any of your questions

inappropriate? " and those who asked the " inappropriate " ones admitted to it!

Above all, keep your sense of humor. Kids are a delight, if you let them be.

April

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/29/00 2:10:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

AngelsRTru@... writes:

<< I have a chance to nicely explain

about dwarfism to these kids in words on a level they can understand.

Yikes. >>

Explain to them that God made each and every one of us special and unique

from each other be it height, weight, color of skin, religion, nationality.

Also that people with dwarfism are people who work, go to school, eat, drink,

breathe, play, sleep like everyone else.

Helen

[Guest guest]

Hi

The following is a trick I learned from someone in LPA, and forgive me, I

forget who...

When discussing the variety of heights, sizes, shapes etc. in the world, with

the advantages and disadvantages, not judging a book by its cover, etc ...

Have the dwarf child (or if the speaker is a dwarf) challenge the teacher or

person of authority with " I bet my arm is longer than yours... "

Guffaws and chuckles

Then continue, " Come here, and I'll show you. " The dwarf child/adult stands

next to the volunteer/victim, side by side, facing the class.

" See "

And the dwarf's arm " extends " way past or below the volunteer/victim's arm,

with the hand much closer to the floor.

Obviously you'd want to clear it and practice it with the dwarf child ahead

of time. And I feel really strong about clearing the whole concept of

speaking to the class/school with the dwarf child it's supposed to be helping

.... just to make sure they are comfortable with it. I've spoken to a number

of classes and had a great time doing it, but personally, I can't imagine

that as a kid, I would have wanted any of the dwarf adults I knew (and

idolized) to come speak to my class or school. But I guess I was lucky in

the place and time, that the need never came up.

One caveat, which has

[Guest guest]

Hi Ruth,

I have seen this trick done by Barty in some of his shows.

Patti

Mjzrricker@... wrote:

> Hi

> The following is a trick I learned from someone in LPA, and forgive me, I

> forget who...

> When discussing the variety of heights, sizes, shapes etc. in the world, with

> the advantages and disadvantages, not judging a book by its cover, etc ...

> Have the dwarf child (or if the speaker is a dwarf) challenge the teacher or

> person of authority with " I bet my arm is longer than yours... "

> Guffaws and chuckles

> Then continue, " Come here, and I'll show you. " The dwarf child/adult stands

> next to the volunteer/victim, side by side, facing the class.

> " See "

> And the dwarf's arm " extends " way past or below the volunteer/victim's arm,

> with the hand much closer to the floor.

> Obviously you'd want to clear it and practice it with the dwarf child ahead

> of time. And I feel really strong about clearing the whole concept of

> speaking to the class/school with the dwarf child it's supposed to be helping

> ... just to make sure they are comfortable with it. I've spoken to a number

> of classes and had a great time doing it, but personally, I can't imagine

> that as a kid, I would have wanted any of the dwarf adults I knew (and

> idolized) to come speak to my class or school. But I guess I was lucky in

> the place and time, that the need never came up.

>

> One caveat, which has

[Guest guest]

What better way is there for people to learn more about people with dwarfism

than to have someone with dwarfism start speaking at the schools about

dwarfism.

It's not only educating the kids, but educating the community. :-)

Helen

[Guest guest]

From: <Mjzrricker@...>

Ruth sez:-

>I've spoken to a number of classes and had a great time doing it, but

personally, I can't imagine that as a kid, I would have wanted any of the

dwarf adults I knew (and idolised) to come speak to my class or school.

But I guess I was lucky in the place and time, that the need never came up.

Fred replies:-

We must be the same age, or from the same era, (and I thought you looked a

hell of a lot younger than me:-))) )

but I was beginning to think

I was the only LP who felt this way. I would have DIED, or prayed to be

swallowed up by a hole in the ground, if anyone had come into any of my

schools, to explain why I am as I am! Hell, we have enough problems keeping

the spotlight of interest and curiosity from us, without it being

deliberately and forcefully played upon us! And at such a young age too.

At school, all we, (like any other child), crave, is to be allowed to blend

in with everyone else, to be a peer amongst our peers, and NO WAY, to have

anything happen which is going to conflict with that.

I'm sorry, but I think doing such presentations, must be the cruellest act

anyone can inflict upon a child. Put it another way: does anyone go into

school to do a similar presentation to explain why an 'average' child is

average?

A jet-lagged opinion from Fred:-)

[Guest guest]

Fred said:

>Hell, we have enough problems keeping

>the spotlight of interest and curiosity from us, without it being

>deliberately and forcefully played upon us! >

The point certainly is NOT " playing up to the curiousity " . The point

in such things is to EDUCATE. Sometimes there are a lot of questions

from peers that a child may not be able to answer. I believe that if

there was more knowledge and education in differences, the social

problems surrounding them would be much less, if not non-existant.

Fred also said:

>I'm sorry, but I think doing such presentations, must be the cruellest act

>anyone can inflict upon a child. Put it another way: does anyone go into

>school to do a similar presentation to explain why an 'average' child is

>average?

Put it another way: Is there a need? If there were a serious need and

lack of education regarding 'average' children, then I'd say YES!

Educate those kids! But I think the presentation on 'average' children

is called School. The differences found between 'average' children are

normally addressed and discussed in a regular school day, but the

differences surrounding an LP are not, and they should be, right in

there with kids in wheelchairs and kids in Special Ed. It's important

to be aware of your methods, as the point is NOT to make a spectacle,

but to EDUCATE.

When I was a kid, I went to the same school from second grade through

to eighth grade. That was seven years with the same class. My first

year, an adult LP from our district came and talked in assembly and

separately to my class, answering questions and explaining how I'm just

like everyone else (more or less). Aside from your general " giving a

speech/being in front of people " nervousness and embarassment, it most

certainly did not damage my social life at all. Quite the opposite! I

think by doing those sessions, seven years of teasing and poking were

avoided. We did the same thing when I went to high school, and I look

back now and notice something: Because of the education those kids

recieved regarding my differences, no one thought of me as

'handicapped'. After a while people even started 'forgetting' that I

was short (asking me off-handedly to hand them things too high for me,

that sort of thing.) No one remembered that I was in the Special Ed

group (though mainstreamed) and no one EVER looked askanse at me. On

the other hand, I have heartloads of pain for the mainstreamed kids in

wheelchairs. They received all the bad treatment from their peers that

I believe I avoided by simply educating them.

Yes, being singled out in front of a group can be humiliating and

embarassing for a child. But no more so in this case than to be called

up to lead a song, or to play in a piano recital, or to participate in

a spelling bee.

My two cents. *plinkplink*