Tzipporah.Benavraham@f607.n107.z1.fidonet.org (Tzipporah Benavraham) (01/08/91)
Index Number: 12692
I thought you would like to see this from Kidsnet
date: Sun, 9 Dec 90 14:15 EDT
from: KIDSNET MAILING LIST <KIDSNET@pittvms>
date: Sat, 8 Dec 90 19:31 GMT
from: MIKE BURLEIGH <UBJVM6Q@CU.BBK.AC.UK>
subject: CHATBACK
Dear Bob Carlitz, my apologies for not replying before now
but the time I have available for messaging is limited to
evenings when the demands of my own family allow. I am a
teacher working in a special school for children aged 5 to
12 years who have emotional and behaviour difficulties. My
pupils are sponsored by the charity CHATBACK to communicate
with other special needs and mainstream school children.
CHATBACK has about 100 mailboxes on the Dialcom system
and the children represent a range of physical, sensory,
emotional/behavioural and language impairment disabilities.
My own work with EBD children has seen some success in the
use of electronic-mail communications to improve the special
needs child's access to the curriculum for example I was
able to assist a selective mute to overcome this difficulty
through his involvement in tele-communications activities.
You will be interested to know that CHATBACK has now a
mailbox in the Moscow school for the blind and will soon
also have a mailbox in the Moscow school for the deaf. I
am prepared to port between systems to involve your
children in our exchanges and projects. Part of my work
as a support teacher with Chatback involves research on
behalf of the committee, we would like to work with you
towards a more fully INTERNATIONAL network for special
needs children. (Currently we are trying to establish
some links between advantaged and disadvantaged communities,
crossing for example the divides of culture, race, creed
and economic advantage.
Your special needs teachers may like to discuss special
ducation and curriculum matters with CHATBACK teachers,
in which case I would distribute such files through a
teacher's distribution list or perhaps include it in a
newsletter. A file of messages from school children
would go out on a distribution list to all CHATBACK
schools (this includes the Moscow blind school). We would
be interested in a discussion of ideas for curriculum
projects f year. I will also forward your files to CAMPUS
2000 which is THE UK NETWORK providing a full service
for every aspect of primary, secondary, tertiary and
higher education throughout the British Isles.
Best Christmas wishes from Mike Burleigh and the CB
Team Tom Holloway, Charlotte Oliver, Anne lavelle, Andrew
Dobrzynski, Penny Edwards, Vic Young, and Maggie Pollard.
The following file from Galina the Programmer in Moscow
will, I am sure be of interest.
From: GALINA.GLADYSHEVA Delivered: Mon 3-Dec-90
14:47 GMT Sys 10001 The Moscow boarding school for the
blind children is one of the oldest schools in our country.
It is more than one hundred years old.
The school was founded in pre revolutionary time, in the
eighties as a charity organization by the prominent Moscow
public figures Mr G.G.Dickhof and Mrs. Adler.
Many Russian people: rich merchants and nobles,
statesmen and scientists, artists and actors and members
of the tzar family contributed their money to the school
maintenance costs. The school was under the protection of
Her Majesty Empress Alexandra Fjodorovna, the wife of tzar
Nikolai the Second.
After the Revolution the blind children were accepted to
school on government maintenance.
Nowdays after finishing 12 year school the blind children
get a fully secondary education. 9 year schooling is
compulsory for every blind child unless he is unable for
studies.
Some of the school-leavers become skilled workers at the
Moscow training production centre for the BLIND,the most
advanced enter the universities and colleges.
About 200 hundred pupils from the 1st up to the 12th
form and children ofpre-school group attend classes in
our school.
Most of them stay at school for a week. On Saturdays
and Sundays they go home. About 70 pupils are permanent
boarders because they live in the regions neibouring to
Moscow. They leave school for homes only on holidays that
took place in November, January, March and in summer.
The school stuff consists of 70 teachers and tutors /
educators/ including 12 blind teachers.
Although the building itself is rather old the school is
equipped with special drawing, biology, history, geography,
chemistry and English studies,releif geographical and
historical maps and other special aids as well as
recorders, tape-recorders and computers.
Labour and self-service are combined in teaching and
education. All pupils beginning with the 6th form get their
training as assembley fitters of electrotechnical equipment.
Some of the pupils are learning stenography. The pupils of
senior forms get their training practice at the Moscow
training production centre for the blind.
The All-Russia Society for the blind renders it
s great material assistance to the school in equipping
the training shops and studies.
A small play-ground is placed on the territory of
the school. In winter the children ski round the school
and skate on the small skating-rink in the school-yard.
A pioneer camp with a tourist base is organized at a
picturesque place near Moscow.
We try our best to be independant and useful members
of the society. We want to know about other countries
and other people as much as possible. Hope to hear from
you soon.
The members of the English-speaking club. Our names
are Igor, Aljosha, Natasha, Oleg, Andrew, Joan, Slava, Ira,
Tanja etc.
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