Reaction

Frank enjoys a reaction from his students that is unusually positive in their special education environment, and regardless of their grade level, their engagement is obvious. "The kids really enjoy the posters and they get into whatever I'm doing with them. I'll see them in the hall and they'll talk to me about something we saw or discussed in class, even though there is sometimes a two-week space between lessons. They do this to keep the class going, and they look forward to me coming in. If for some reason I can't come in for the time I'm scheduled, they bug me until I reschedule. During the year I'll see each class twenty to twenty-two times."

Frank's reasons for organizing this project are simple, "Although Martin Luther School does offer field trips for its students, many of our kids here have had really tough lives and usually they're not exposed to a lot of the things other school-age children have been exposed to. They don't have a big realm of experiential background, so we try to give them a lot of new experiences. We do take them places, but not as often as we used to because of limited funds. Last year, however, I was able to bring a group to the Museum. I hand-picked them, from those students who were paying close attention, and were involved in class. This year we have applied for a grant to bring more students to the Museum."

Frank is continuing the "poster tradition" with the Museum’s set Five Women Artists. "As a special-education school, our students don't often have long-term attention for things that are not necessarily authentic to their own lives. Nevertheless, we're trying to show the children that there is another side to life that is more beautiful than what they have probably been exposed to."

For more information, please contact Education: School & Teacher Programs by phone at (215) 684-7580, by fax at (215) 236-4063, or by e-mail at .