3-RING LEARNING MACHINE; AS CIRCUS TRAVELS, SO DOES CLASSROOM.

Byline: Robert Bryson Salt Lake Tribune

The teacher is a clown, and his students can be distracted by, say, an elephant ambling by the classroom.

But there is little monkey business in Al Rios' class in the school that accompanies the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

In Circus School, Rios gives math, English and social science lessons to elementary school-age students who learn geography while on the road with their parents - performers or workers in ``The Greatest Show on Earth.''

Rios and fellow teacher Bonnie Evans travel with the circus's Red Unit, which tours the western United States. (The Blue Unit travels the East). He is in charge of six children; Evans teaches high school students, some of whom are touring in an in-line skating act.

Rios takes pride in being a 1987 graduate of Clown College, the big-top equivalent of an Ivy League school, and a working clown with the circus.

``There were 3,000 applying and 30 accepted'' at the college, he said. ``It is more difficult to get into than Harvard.''

Clown College resembles a cross between Disneyland and boot camp, he said. Students work hard to master the costuming, makeup and dazzling precision that underlies slapstick.

But the Long Island, N.Y., native also earned a college degree in special education, specializing in working with disabled children.

``The students could just view me as Al the Clown, always good for a laugh,'' he said. ``They have to realize that when I am a teacher, things are different. And, to their credit, they understand that.''

Rios worked as a Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey clown from 1988 to 1990 and later toured with a European circus. He returned to do advance publicity for Ringling Bros., then took a break to earn his education degree before running back to the circus.

Evans, who also has an education degree, got her on-the-job training from Education on Location, a private company that provides school services for entertainers and others who travel a lot.

To be sure, there are many differences between Circus School and most classrooms.

``We travel extensively, so when we come to a city, I don't know where the school will be,'' Rios said. ``We have to pack everything. Will we have electricity and tables? You never know.''

Classes are offered three hours a day, four days a week. There is no summer recess nor many vacations because the circus tours continuously until a three-week break in December. Students can earn high school diplomas from the Circus School, utilizing correspondence courses and on-the-job classes.

Evans acknowledges there can be distractions.

``There is so much going on, it can be hard for students to concentrate,'' she said. ``An elephant walking by is a big distraction.''

But the advantages are that students visit most states and meet a wide range of people.

``Most people read about the Grand Canyon. We visited it,'' Rios said.

Students give the school high marks.

``There is no homework. I usually ask for homework,'' said Shirley Larible, 8, daughter of David Larible, a top performer billed as the Clown of Clowns.

``And school only lasts three hours,'' she said.

Kristina Ahundova, 13, said school is ``fun and interesting.'' Her parents work with the 2-1/2-ton hippo, Zusha, the Queen of the Nile.

She does not know yet if a circus career is for her, but she does enjoy making new friends.

Shirley, however, has few doubts.

``I want to learn how to do handstands. I do them each day for five minutes. And I want to be a teen-ager,'' she said.

Whether students perform or not, Rios and Evans want to ensure they are educated.

``It is important to make learning fun and meaningful,'' Rios said.

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Photo: `There is so much going on, it can be hard for students to concentrate. An elephant walking by is a big distraction.'

Bonnie Evans

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus School