A hunt to find the Island's best teacher for children with learning problems is under way.

And the winner will get a free trip to the annual US Learning Disabilities Association conference in Reno, Nevada, early next year.

Mair Harris -- chairman of a learning disabilities charity -- said she hoped the competition would focus attention on the problems of youngsters who have difficulties in the classroom.

Ms Harris said: "We feel that often a really good teacher will put a lot of extra energy and effort into a child who has difficulties and we wanted that to be recognised.'' And she added that a good teacher could make a huge difference to a learning-disabled child -- both in terms of self-esteem and final attainment.

Ms Harris said: "It really is like life and death in the classroom. It affects the child so much.

"If a child isn't getting on well, their self-esteem goes down -- and it doesn't have to be academic achievement to turn things around, just achievement in an area where that child is competent.

"A good teacher will bring out the strengths of a child and build on the weaknesses.'' Ms Harris is chairman of the Learning Disabilities Association and BOLD -- Bermuda Overcoming Learning Disabilities -- which organised the competition with cash help from Partners Re.

She said the number of children with learning difficulties was higher than many people imagined -- between five and ten percent of every class.

She added: "It generally works out at two or three per classroom, based on a class of 25.

"It can be as severe as a disability which is recognised to a difficulty a child is having with just one subject.

"Dyslexia is one disability which people know about or attention deficit, it could be fine motor problems so they're not able to hold a pen easily and their writing is made more difficult.

"And there are other things -- children can be just slow in picking up concepts and they need more time.'' But Ms Harris added that the standard of help available in Bermuda was "up and down''.

"Teachers are becoming more and more aware these days of the existence of learning difficulties -- but sometimes they don't have the coping skills and sometimes the discipline of the class takes away their energy which they might have had to put towards these children with problems,'' she said.

Ms Harris -- a former teacher -- also noted that the Learning Disabilities Association conference was "a very enlightening conference'' which any teacher could benefit from.

"That's why we felt it would be a good thing to do,'' she said.

Ms Harris added: "There also needs to be a lot more education in the community so people and teachers understand that everyone has islands of competency and these islands really have to be built upon.'' "There is a lot which needs to be done and so the more awareness there is the better,'' she stressed.

Entry forms for the LDAB/BOLD Educator of the Year award are available at supermarkets across the Island and copies will be printed in The Royal Gazette .

CONFERENCE CON