Wednesday, May 10, 1989
SGHOOL NEWS
2-B
ie
EDUCATOR PROFILE
BY MARTY HOHMANN
Of the Herald Staff
Comparisons are impossible for Barbara Turner. As
a British lady teaching here in Kings Mountain with
the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program, she has been
asked to make them over and over again. And as al-
ways, she replies, "It is impossible."
School systems in America and England are drasti-
cally different and Turner has been able to see that first
hand. As a third grade teacher in Manchester,
England, she has exchanged jobs with North
Elementary's Connie Phifer for the year. Turner took
is busy teaching in England.
With the year drawing to a close, Turner is able to
sit back and reflect a bit on some of the more obvious
differences between the two systems and the two coun-
tries.
The schools in England are much less structured,
she noted, and the curriculum is essentially left to the
teacher to set. In essence, the teacher is quite au-
tonomous in his teaching and what the child learns can
differ greatly between classes. According to Turner,
group teaching is stressed rather than directing lessons
to the individual child.
"The teacher is not given the timetable like you are
here," she said. "You can teach the humanities all day
long there - if you can justify it. There are great gaps
as aresult."
In this country, things are more structured and a na-
tional curriculum is set forth for the teacher to follow.
Turner admits that she likes the structure of our system
much more than the one followed in England, and she
in fact sets her own timetable when teaching in
England. However, she admits that teaching is diffi-
cult, no matter how well the lessons are structured.
"Teaching here is not to be underestimated because
it takes up a lot of time and energy," she explained.
Turner noted that Great Britain plans to implement
many of the same ideas practiced in American schools.
over a third grade class in Kings Mountain and Phifer
BARBARA TURNER
In September, a new national curriculum will be intro-
duced in that country and Turner will be returning just
in time to see what changes it will bring. She is hope-
ful that a better system will emerge.
"Quite frankly, it needed to improve," she said.
However, Turner did note some qualities that the
schools in America lack as opposed to those in
Europe.
"The world affairs are missing," she said.
World affairs are not typically integrated into ele-
mentary classes here in America. Instead, the basics
are stressed. But Turner notes that introducing what is
happening all around us can help students learn the
lessons better and have a clearer idea of where they fit
in the big picture. With her class this year, Turner has
encouraged students to follow the news reported on
Public Radio. Afterwards, class discussions take place
to help the students understand world news.
She did note, happily, that languages are beginning
to be stressed more here in North Carolina, thanks to
the state's Basic Education Plan. In England, lan-
guages are not high on the curriculum list, and Turner
feels it is due to a cultural arrogance.
"I wouldn't say our strong point is language.
Everybody feels, 'If England is the mother language,
then why should we speak another language?'," she
said. That feeling is also common in America, but the
BEP should help eliminate those ideas.
Essentially, she noted, each system could learn from
the other.
"Wouldn't it be nice to take the best of American
teaching and the best of English teaching and combine
them," said Turner.
Kings Mountain, in her opinion, is worthy of high
praises for its school system.
"They've got the most smoothly run school system
I've ever seen," she said. And the teachers also receive
high praises. "I haven't met a teacher yet in this sys-
tem who isn't enthusiastic about his job."
But the students are really what the exchange pro-
gram is all about. Turner acknowledges that many
parents were apprehensive about how the children
would respond to this English woman teaching their
children for the year. However, the parents, staff and
students quickly acclimated to her style of teaching
and light-hearted spirit.
Barbara Turner Likes Teaching In United States
"The family life in America seems to be a
very good thing...You're to be admired for
that." ;
—Barbara Turner
"The students to me are the most important thing,"
she said. "This is probably one of the most delightful
classes I have ever taught."
And for the students, the feeling is mutual. One vis-
it to the classroom and it is evident that the children
have absolutely no difficulty relating to Turner.
The visiting teacher also noted something very spe-
cial about the children here and throughout America.
They, she said, seem to be very well-mannered and
somewhat innocent when compared to the more world-
ly-wise children in England, she explained. That she
attributes to a very different family environment.
"The family life in America seems to be a very good
thing and is very close,” she said. "And it's very
church-based. The family unit is very tight here.
You're to be admired for that."
The school year is rapidly drawing to a close, and so
is Turner's stay here. She plans to travel throughout
the United States before heading home in July, a trip
for which she is already gearing up psychologically.
She explains that reentry to the old system can be diffi-
cult and it will likely take some time to readjust after
teaching in such a different environment.
"Not only am I going to have problems, but Connie
is also," she said. "I'm going back to a new national
curriculum."
With all of the difficulties she has experienced in
getting used to the culture in America, including driv-
ing on the wrong side of the road for a time, Turner
vows she would do it again in an instant and is already
considering teaching in Australia next.
"How else am I going to get a chance to live and
work and experience Australia unless I teach?"
FTL EITI err I Ne
By JADA BROWN AND JAYDA BIDDIX
Central
News
RAS ERSTE a
TICES
Te
PIER
5am ey a
Tp
TRS
13
Perm rr re ty rT ry re
II TTI TR IAT
Central's Spring Festival
Was A Great Success
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The annual Spring Festival was
held Friday, May 5. Many events
were held.
The first event was a Family
Feud. The seventh grade team,
consisting of Windi Goode,
Michael Wray and Phetsakone
'Phonephet, won.
The second event was the Miss
Central also made some money.
The car smash brought in $97. The
dunking booth brought in $14 be-
fore having to close because of the
weather.
Cheerleading tryouts continue
through May 12. Around 50 sixth
and seventh grade girls will be try-
ing out.
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Tuesday was Teacher
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Another event was the Mr.
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The week before the Spring
Festival, sixth and seventh grade
science and math classes sold tick-
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was Mike Chambers.
The jellybean guess winner was
Carrie Thornburg.
gifts to all the teachers. The
Student Council sponsored a
breakfast for the teachers and gave
away door prizes.
Four baseball players from
Central are on the Kings Mountain
Junior High team, which is unde-
feated. They are Dean Clark,
Sheldon Smith, Brandon Putnam
and Johnny Stewart.
The band is working hard on
their three concert pieces. The con-
cert will be May 18. The public is
invited.
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