Friday, December 5. lm

SCARLET AND BLACK

Page Nina

 

Klein Describes Benefits
For Fifth Year Students

By Suzanne Gelber

Naming the “grain of per-
spective personally and pro-
fessionally” as a major bene-
fit of the Fifth Year Aboard
program, returned ~Travel-Ser»
vice scholars spent last Wed-
nesday to Friday detailing
their experiences.

Phil Klein, who taught at
Sacred Heart School in Con-
cepcion, Chile, contrasted his

. life wiﬂi that of Steve Hoth and

. Dorothy (Smardak) Palmer in
the bush country of Nyasa-
land.

Now a member of the Peace
Corps, Klein plans to return to
South America before heading
ior graduate school and work
in Latin American studies.
Baseball, typing, and teaching
English language classes cov-
er just a few of his activities at
Sacred Heart School. An urban
school, the Cathollc academy
served junior and senior high
boys and with an “excellently
prepared” faculty of ”dedie
Gated” secular and religious
teachers.

Klein’s duties centered about
instruction in English conver-
sation and idioms, but extend-
ed to optional English classes
for interested students and ac-
tive social_ participation in the
lives of the three student fame
ilies with whom he boarded.

First a “curiosity,” then 'a
friend to his students, Klein
commented on the problem
of maintaining classroom
discipline in the informal at-
mosphere which he tried‘to
establish.

Departing from academic
formality, Chilean soclal life
rated a description of “liberal“
from Phil as he noted its ten-
dency toward large parties,
rather than dates in the Ameri—
can sense. In his middle class
environment, Phil observed a
“critical respect" for the Unit-
cd States among Chilean SIUv
dents, many of whom wish to
complete their higher educa-
tion in this country. Lack of li-
brary and study facilities ham-

GLASSES

Matle and Repaired
in Our Laboratory

Contact Lenses

CASES AND
SOLUTIONS

EYES
EXAMINED

E. J. Jensen, O.D.
Optometrist

Across from Fosl‘ Office

lpers the Chilean student in his
academic life.

Though Chile has seven unl-
versities which are tuition free,
Klein explained that only
wealthy students can afford to
attend because only they can
forego the advantages of a
salaried job in order to study.

Kleln assessed Chile as "less
Hispanic than other South
Am eri c a l1 countries" and
stressed the influence of heavy
German and English immigra»
tion on Chile. Fatalism char-
acterizes the attitude Of the
Chilean peasants for whom
there is “a lot of hard work
and little hope,” Neverthe-
less,” Slated Phil, “Chilean
citizens display a sensible na-
tionalism, even in closed com-
munities."

The Travel scholar noted
that the position of an Ameri-
can in such a community is at
once "unique and ambiguous"
because of the cohesiveness of
Chilean communities.

"Can this be real?” thought
Steve Hoth and Dorothy (Smar-
dak) Palmer upon landing in
Nyasaland to teach in the bush
at Malosa School. A govern-
ment supported mission school,
Malosa ranks as one of seven
secondary schools in Nyasa-
land, a country with three mil-
lion inhabitants. Acclilnating
themselves to a pace of life far

Steve found the Nyasa culture
a "strange mixture of tribal
African and European.”

To gain independence on
January 1, 1964, Nyasaland,
now under BritisthfrIcan
rule, will be renamed

slower than ours, Dorothy and

 

Malawi. Education of the
“new Nyasalanders” who
will grow up to “lead their
country and their people"
fell in part to the hands of
Hoth and Mrs. Palmer. Sub-
jects taught by the two range
from history, agriculture.
biology, gym, and English to
French and current affairs,
following the Cambridge syl-
labus.

Poor transportation inter-
rupts national communication,
but the tiny country is on the
road to unity, claiming a na-
tional language, trained volitiv
cal leaders, and a greatly ex-
panded educational system. Lon
cated in the populous southern
portion of Nyasaland, Malosa
School attracts a widely vary»
ing, coeducational
body.

Mrs. Palmer, who was mar-
ried at lVlalOsa, noted that
teachlng English as a foreign
language can be difficult, and
that teaching loreign language
in general required a great
deal of knowledge of the gram-
matic basis of each language.

Seen as American teachers
by the Nyasalanders, the Grin-
nell grads found it hard to be-
come culturally integrated, to
"cross the line that divides”.

Neither scarce teaching ma-
terials, nor a Collection of in-
sects and lizards. deterred
Hoth and Mrs. Palmer from
meeting with and trying to un
derstand their students. “En
lightening and quite confus~
ing," observed Hoth as he den
scribed Nyasalanders affection
for politics, education, and the
Twist.

 

Yes.

There they grow

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