HUFFINGTON
08.26.12
SMART START?
olds for kindergarten.)
Nawal’s parents were strangers to
the country and they didn’t seem
to have many friends here.
Even if they could afford swimming
classes or ballet or karate, Ms.
Sabrena wasn’t sure they’d know
where to look.
In some ways Nawal’s situation
wasn’t so different from that of
her classmates. Most of the children in the state program come
from poor families, and many of
the kids in Ms. Sabrena’s class
PHOTO OR ILLUSTRATION CREDIT TK
tested their teacher’s capacity for
maintaining a calm demeanor. One
of the girls would barely eat anything all day; the way she pushed
her food around on the plate reminded Ms. Sabrena of an anorexic
teenager. Another girl had to meet
with a speech therapist because
she couldn’t pronounce simple
words. Even so, Nawal stood out.
As far as Ms. Sabrena was concerned, none of her classmates
were more “at risk” than her.
Sometimes Ms. Sabrena wondered whether Nawal suffered
from selective mutism, an extreme social phobia characterized
Preschool
children
enjoy recess
in Raleigh,
North