march 26, 1970
the compass
PAGE 3
E.C.S.U. Graduate Named
School Principal
Professor
Of The
Month
It was in September
of 1963 that Thelma Hill
Anderson joined the Eli
zabeth City State Univer
sity community as Pro
fessor of Psychology. The
move to this campus fol
lowed a long-term teach
ing career which had in
cluded service at The
Alabama State Univer
sity, Langston University
of Oklahoma, Florida A,
and M. College (now Uni
versity), and the Dunbar
High School of Okmul
gee, Oklahoma. Her
teaching has all been done
in the fields of Education
and Psychology except for
the years spent at the lat-
ter two institutions,
where English and Music
were the subjects of in
struction.
The mother of three
children: Charles (“Ca
sey”), Laurel, and Wil-
la, Dr. Anderson was
married to Dr. William
E. Anderson, former
Dean of Elizabeth City
State University, who died
in June of 1967. Her par
ents were the late Mr.
and Mrs. William A. Hill,
both of whom were teach
ers.
Dr, Anderson was
graduated from the Doug
lass High School of Okla
homa City, Oklahoma, as
Valedictorian of her
class. Her baccalaureate
degree was bestowed with
highest honors by Lang
ston University. After re
ceiving the Master of
Science degree from the
University of Kansas, she
did further study at the
University of Chicago,
The Colorado State Coll
ege of Education at Gree
ley, and the University of
Denver. She later enter
ed the University of Okla
homa, where she receiv
ed the Ed.D. degree in
Education Psychology,
with a minor in History
and Philosophy of Edu
cation. Post - doctor
al study has been done as
a Psychology Fellow at
the University of Mich
igan.
Her professional ex
periences have been num
erous and varied. A few
of these are listed here.
As chairman of the Eng
lish Teachers of the Okla
homa Association of Ne
gro Teachers, she in
stituted and conducted a
state-wide survey on the
methods and materials of
instruction in use by the
teachers of English,
which became the basis
for curricular and meth
odology revision in the
state. Her "Sock and Bus
kin Players” were year
ly winners in the drama
festivals sponsored at
Langston University.
During the years of
teaching at Alabama State
University, Dr. Anderson
served as Research and
Editoral Assistant to the
Executive Secretary of
the American Teachers
Association (now merged
with the National Educa
tion Association); as Re -
search and Statistical As
sistant in the Department
of Research and Testing
at the University; as Con
sultant for the State Spon
sored Workshop and Sem
inars for Teachers of Ex
ceptional Children; as
Consultant to the Teach
ers of Exceptional Chil
dren in the Montgomery
Public Schools; and as
The Alabama State Uni
versity Curriculum Com
mittee Chairman and Co
ordinator of Curriculm
Study and Revision.
Her experiences at Eli
zabeth City State Univer
sity have included service
as Consultant to an In
term edicate Level Team-
Teaching Project at the
Pasquotank Elementary
School, along with many
other related services.
Professional articles
have been published in the
BULLETIN of the Ameri
can Teachers Associa
tion; THE UNIVERSITY
OF KANSAS BULLETIN,
PEDAGOGICAL SEMI
NARY AND JOURNAL OF
GENETIC PSYCHO-^
LOGY; THE ENGLISH
JOURNAL: DISSERTA
TION ABSTRACTS; and
the Oklahoma Associa
tion of Negro Teachers
JOURNAL. Several
poems and short stories
have also appeared in
this last magazine.
Unpublished a r t i c 1 e^s
have included a master’s
thesis on “Trait Ratings
of Sociable and Unsoci
able Groups of Boys,” a
dissertation on “Dimen
sions of the Non-In-
tellectural Characteris
tics Related to the High-
and Low Achievement of
a Selected Group of CoU-
etre Students,” and a Crit
ique on THE TESTING OF
NEGRO INTELLIGENCE
by Audrey Shuey.
As a teacher. Dr. An
derson believes with Ka
hili Gibran that the teach
er does not bid the stu
dent enter the house of
his (the teacher’s) wis
dom, but rather leads the
student to the threshold
of his own mind. To that
end, experimentation and
innovation have been used
for challenge and moti
vation.
She has dared to try a
variety of approaches in
an effort to stimulate a-
chievement. With high
school students, it was the
use of the research sem
inar method with twelfth
grade students of English
and the conducting of a
year - long exp>eriment
with two equated groups
of ninth grade studgnts p
prove that English fund
amentals could be taught
more effectively through
hobbies than through the
traditional method (hypo
thesis supported)
With college students of
educational history at the
Alabama State Univer
sity, it was the use of
students, who through in-
depth reading and re
search could serve as re
source consultants in
various aspects of the
philosophical, social, and
historical foundations of
educational development.
There was also the de-
velopement and coordi
nation of a Links-spon-
sored Saturday morning
Project for the Gifted
Children of four of the
high schools of Montgom
ery, a project through
which they were given
college-level instruction
and cultural enrichment.
Here at Elizabeth City
State University, there
has been a project on The
Exceptional Adolescent in
which two sections of Ad
olescent Psychology did
after-hours small-group
study and research for a
period of six weeks and
then met in a two-week
after-hours workshop to
share thei finds.
A COMPASS issue of
1967 describes an Edu
cational Psychology
Team - Teaching Pro
ject which was shared
with two members of the
psychology staff. Two ex
periments have been con
ducted in teaching the
language of statistics to
students of introduc
tory psycholgy. In one,
results of instruction
through the use of the
paque projector for
group instruction were
compared with results
obtained through the tra
ditional teaching ap
proach; in the second, re
sults obtained from a pro
grammed unit were also
compared with the tra
ditional approach results.
Experience has been
given in the designing and
conducting of learning ex
periments (both original
and replication experi
ments have been used)
which illustrate certain
principles and theories of
learning and which pro
vide some understanding
of scientific and profes
sional reporting and an
alysis. Many other exam
ples could be given.
Dr. Anderson brings
academic versatility and
enthusiasm to her class
es. Her course goals are
set so that students must
extend themselves in
their efforts to reach
them.
When tasks are label
led “too difficult” and
there seems a reluctance
to complete them, she
often says, “I wouldn’t
require this if you
couldn’t do it. It may take
a few extra sessions, but
you can do it. Or, per
haps I have more confi
dence in you than you have
in yourselves.” The
effort is usually made;
success is usually the
outcome.
She holds the belief
that most people are bet
ter motivated by encour
agement to try, than by
having their limitations
forever pointed out to
them. “One cannot know
Melvin S. White, native
of Hertford, North Caro
lina, graduate of Eden-
ton High School (D.F.
Walker High) and Eliza
beth City State Univer
sity has been named Prin
cipal of Irwin Avenue
School, Charlotte, North
Carolina. He has been
employed by the Charlotte
- Mecklenburg School
System for several years
and has made many out
standing contributions.
Since graduation from
Elizabeth City State Uni
versity, Mr. White has
served two years in the
United States Army as an
instructor in the Medical
Corps. He has done grad
uate studies at City Uni
versity of New York;
Temple University, Phil
adelphia, Pa.; and holds
a Masters of Science De
gree in Education from
Illinois State University.
He is now a LINC Intern
(Learning Institute of
North Carolina) pursuing
a doctoral degree with the
University of North Ca
rolina at Chapel Hill.
Along with being the
first male teacher ever
assigned to Biddleville
School in its thirty-five
year history, he has de
veloped a television film
series for in-service ed
ucation, entitled, “Chil
dren Are Different,”
which has been used ex
tensively by the Char-
what he can achieve un
til a strong effort to a-
chieve is made,” she as
serts.
She is also a firm be
liever that self discipline,
high levels of aspiration,
and a strict dedication to
the more essential values
of life are necessary for
today’s young adult gen
eration.
Although her teaching
approach incorporates
many methods, princi
ples, and techniques, it
is Dr. Anderson's per
sonality, warmth, and
charm that reach the stu
dent. As one of her stu
dents has stated, “Dr.
Anderson makes me feel
like I am somebody. I
mean she really wants
all of us to get a first-
rate education. Her very
smile, speech, and man
nerisms are motivating
factors,”
Dr, Anderson's future
plans include writing and
further study in her field.
She states that, “My
teaching experiences
have been most pleasant
and rewarding, and the
joys of seeing now and
then a youthful mind un
fold, of motivating cre
ativity in even a few in
stances, or of aiding pu
pils in the utilization of
their personalities and in
the fulfillment of their
promise more than bal
ance the lackadaisical
passivity which charact
erizes some students.
The sincere gratitude e-
vinced by former pupils
when we meet renews my
determination to continue
my efforts to turn apa
thetic students into active
scholars.”
Melvin S. White
lotte-Mecklenburg School
System in its teacher
training program. The
series has been widely
used in other sections
of the country.
The films in the se
ries challenge the initi
ative and creativity of the
classroom teacher. They
offer hundreds of sugges
tions, techniques, crea
tive teaching aids, games,
etc., that have proven
successful in teaching.
These materials have
been highly successful in
working with the disad
vantaged. They add a new
dimension to learning.
Children work with the
concrete. Abstract think
ing is almost impossi
ble for deprived chil
dren, it is reported.
Mr. White states that
his creative teaching de
vices will be copyrighted
in the near future.
Among other duties, he
serves at regular inter
vals as local co-host on
the national educational
television program,
“News and Views.”
As a phase of this
year’s internship with
LINC, prior to being nam
ed principal of Irwin Ave
nue School, Mr. White
was assigned to the cen
tral office staff of the
Charlotte - Mecklen
burg Schools, where he
worked specifically with
it - service training of
teachers, both black and
white, who were working
in minority situations.
He is happily married
to the former Ruth Lor
raine Adams of Kings
Mountain, a teacher in
the Charlotte - Mecklen
burg Schools. They have
two lovely children, Lynn
Rachelle, 8, and C. El
liott, 4,. The Whites re
side in Charlotte.
Touch Not the Rose
Trifle not the roses
That you're ashamed to wear.
Why should you spoil the beauty
That another could love and care?
Touch not a single petal
Lest there be inward love.
For the rose you care the least for
Was too made by God above.
Think if in your flower garden.
Stood a rose not as fair
Would you rejoice the scoundrel
Who'd pluck it just to swear?
So, before you cause a single rose
To lose her virtuous glow
Be sure that in the end you'd say:
"She's mine to prize and show."