BOOK DEALS WITH TEACHING 'DRUG BABIES'

Styled like a children's book, 'It's Not My Fault' is Fontana teacher's
hope to help educators and students.

FONTANA -- Students born to mothers who abused drugs during pregnancy are
much like their healthy counterparts. Laughs tickle the throat; tears flow
long and hard.

But from a teacher's point of view, important differences remain, such as
the students' inability to stand still for long, poor memories and frequent
illnesses.

Teachers get little training in meeting the educational needs of this
population, said Gloria Swift, a Fontana school district special education
teacher.

"When I was in school, I don't remember anyone saying to me, 'You are going
to have drug babies, and this is what you are going to experience,' " Swift
said.

The challenges this troubled student population faces in often-hostile
education system motivated Swift to write a book titled "It's Not My
Fault." Styled like a children's book and illustrated by Robert Clemons,
the slice of life is based on the experience of a child whose mother abused
drugs during pregnancy.

Subtitled "A note to teachers," the book is Swift's attempt to acquaint
teachers with developmental troubles faced by children of drug-addled
mothers, to propose classroom techniques for dealing with these children.
She wants to build empathy and understanding for the kids, she said.

"You are never going to know who these children are by just looking at
them," said Swift, a teacher at Harry S. Truman Middle School. "They are
not going to come in with a sign that says, 'Drug Baby.' "

In the book, a young girl who is unnamed admits to having trouble in the
classroom caused by a baffling array of developmental problems, such as
trouble remembering what she read only seconds before.

"When I am angry, my mind goes blank and I stutter," the
elementary-school-age student says.

Swift proposes teachers modify lesson plans to accommodate the students. To
help with difficulty reading, teachers should make the coming week's
reading lessons available on Friday so students can read without pressure.

Such students are not unique in schools. Almost one in eight newborns in
San Bernardino County are born to mothers who abused drug while pregnant,
said Dr. Flavia Jorge, who works at a county-run clinic in Rialto that
serves mothers and their babies.

The range of physical, emotional, developmental and behavioral problems
that come with being a drug baby vary depending on the length, type and
intensity of the child's drug exposure in the womb, among other drug-usage
variables affecting a newborn's health, Jorge said.

Schools don't track children for whether their mothers used drugs during
pregnancy.

The information might come up, however, in interviews with parents when a
child is being tested for special-education status, said Kristine Kaufman,
Fontana director of special education programs. Swift learned of the
limitations of these children firsthand. The book is based on her
8-year-old daughter, whom she adopted when the child was 6 months old.

Although Swift has not discussed the drug use of the mother with her
adopted daughter, when reading the book, Swift's daughter recognized
herself in the child's story of frustration and breakthrough.

"She said, 'Mommy, this is me.' "

"I said, 'No, baby. That is hundreds of children.'

"It hurt," Swift said.

Copies of "It's Not My Fault" are available at Taylors' Print Shop in
Rialto, 875-7163.