FOR WOMEN HOW THEY LEARN

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 248, 19 October 1943, Page 5

FOR WOMEN HOW THEY LEARN

INVALID CHILDREN TRAINING IN DOMINION In their own homes children in remote country places have their own schools. The family are the pupils and mother is the supervisor. This wonderful service for the children of New Zealand is conducted by the Education Department's correspondence schools which has a staff of 147 teachers and throughout the. country an "attendance" of 3500 pupils. Country mothers know it well and are grateful for it, but few people, especially townsfolk, know that this service is available for town people also—for the invalid child, the child who cannot,- for some reason or other, attend the town schools. In all the hospitals throughout the Dominion there is some pupil learning by correspondence. Miss E. Ross is at present in Auckland from Wellington as a visiting teacher for these young pupils in the district. The visiting scheme is a recent idea to bring the school closer to the pupil, and through the teacher gives the department the great advantage of seeing the child in its own surroundings. It can then take into consideration what disabilities the invalid is working under, and so be able to include in its curriculum lessons to benefit each individual child. The section devoted to the invalid child, which includes all types of cripples and those affected by heart disease, diabetes, asthma and other complaints must necessarily be a very specialised one. In some cases children have not had an-opportunity of learning earlier and are therefore backward through their disability. So each becomes an individual case for which lessons are specially prepared. Adults, too, have a special branch. For those who through illness or some other misfortune have not had the advantage of education, there are adult branches wherein special adult courses are provided-

An exhibition is at present being held in a window of Milne and Choyce, Limited, to show the art and craft work of a number of crippled children who have learned how to make things—by correspondence. "When you realise the great disability under which the children are working and how badly handicapped they are, you realise what a tremendous effort it has been .to achieve the result," said Miss Ross. She told how a woven tea cosy which is on view was made by a girl whose arms are crossed in a crippled state. The right leg is paralysed, and the left leg is the only part of the body of which she has the use. The tea cosy was made with the big toe of the left foot. A special cardboard loom with a curved needle was used, and the girl worked it in and out with the toe. A similar cosy was made by a girl who has little use of her hands. In a half-sitting up position, with a special bed table on which she has a typewriter, she types her lessons and aims at obtaining a University degree. The beautiful set of black and honey-coloured wooden chessmen was made by a crippled boy who propels himself about in a chair and who has fixed up a lathe in his own home. Miss Ross explained that the department worked in close co-opera-tion with the Crippled Children's Society, who assisted them in giving the best education to the children.