Chapters Bookstore welcomes educator and the mother of three left-brain children

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. - Chapters Bookstore, located at 78 North St., is pleased to welcome Dr. Katherine Beals to the event room on Tuesday October 27, at 7PM.

Does your child…

* Have impressive intellectual abilities but seem puzzled by ordinary interactions with other children?

* Prefer to spend time with adults or alone rather than with other kids?
  
* Have deep, all-consuming interests or seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of certain subjects?
     

* Seem uncomfortable with unstructured play or social engagements?

If you answered “yes” to some or all of these questions, you may be raising a left-brain child. According to the new book Raising a Left-Brain Child in a Right-Brain World by Katherine Beals, PhD (Trumpeter, August 2009) a left-brain child is bright, quirky, and socially-awkward. Left-brain children have talents and inclinations that lean heavily toward the logical, linear, analytical, and introverted side of the human psyche—what is commonly referred to as “the left brain”—as opposed to the “right brain” which is our emotional, holistic, intuitive, and introverted side. Left-brain kids constitute between 10 to 15 percent of the population—with significantly more boys than girls—yet are often under-appreciated by a world that favors social skills and teamwork.

Beals is an educator and mother of three left-brain children. Drawing on research and interviews with parents and children, this book offers a new understanding of what it means to be a left-brain child and practical strategies for parents to help nurture and support them both at school and at home. Left-brain children have wonderful gifts, and Beals helps reinforce your appreciation for your child’s left-brain quirks. She also talks about the best way to nurture and advocate for your child with talking points that readers can use for campaigning for left-brain friendly education reform.

Katherine Beals, PhD, is an educator and the mother of three left-brain children. A former public school teacher, she is a faculty member of the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. Her writing on parenting has appeared in Mothering magazine and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She lives in Philadelphia.

This event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

BRPC Receives Grant for Alternative Mental Health Response Initiative

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The FY27 state budget includes $250,000 to establish a task force for an alternative mental health response in the hilltowns, such as Hinsdale, and beyond. 

State Sen. Paul Mark delivered this news to the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission last week. 

"I'm sure people are aware of what happened with the shooting under a mental health distress call in Hinsdale, and obviously there's been a lot of concern about what happened and how we should proceed," he said at the BRPC's July 16 meeting, as a guest speaker. 

"And so I'm glad to kind of announce tonight unofficially that Berkshire Regional Planning has actually volunteered to be the recipient of $250,000 to establish a task force that is going to work alongside the Brien Center and the Sheriff's Office to try to figure out how we come up with some kind of an alternative mental health response in the hilltowns like Hinsdale." 

In January, 27-year-old Biagio Kauvil was fatally shot by police while suffering a mental health crisis. 

District Attorney Timothy Shugrue cleared Hinsdale Officer Jeffrey Spratt of criminal charges; however, while non-criminal, Shugrue said the investigation revealed concerns surrounding the Hinsdale Police Department and urged a formal review of its internal policies and applications to the Jan. 7 call. 

Last month, Hinsdale residents aired policing concerns during an information session at Town Hall. Some attendees emphasized that people do not feel safe calling 911 if they are experiencing a mental health crisis. 

A consultant is in the beginning stages of an administrative review of the department, which the town authorized $25,000 to fund. 

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