Evening star., 1961-05-19
OUTSPOKEN IRISH TEACHER ..
Teomokinq Course Needed
By WILLIAM GRIGG
Star Staff Writer


Here less than a year, the
ruddy-haired British exchange
teacher already wanted a
change in curriculum.
Her eyes Sparkled when the
interviewer took her straight
and wanted to know what
change that might be.
Teal" came the answer
loud and clear. You can't
make tea! Somebody ought to
start a course!"
But Miss Josephine O'Sulli-
van Sweetened the retort with
"But I do like your coffee"
Miss O'Sullivan is an exclama-
ton prone Irishwoman who
loves to tell stories on herself.
Such as:
The time she had graded her
first American compositions
and threw them back at her
new students with red circles
and a lecture on spelling. Then
one of her students at Paul
Junior High said:
"Oh, Nam, do have a look
at an American dictionary"
From Wales
Miss O'Sullivan's Irish looks
contrast nicely with the Eng
lish, white skinned, dark haired
look of Miss Lillias Edwards,
who left her school, where half
the children speak Welsh as a
first language, for a year at
Gordon Junior High.
Miss Edwards Is a quieter
wit, as when the reporter asked
about an earlier Star story in
which Miss O'Sullivan had been
quoted as expecting American
students to be much more
freer."
"Oh. hardly think" said
Miss Edwards with a winking
smile, I'VE would have used a
double comparative"
Back on tea. Miss Edwards
said she missed the tea breaks
of five to ten minutes in morn
ing and afternoon in British
schools.
Potato Vacation Also
And she missed the long
vacations here. British schools
give three weeks at both Christ
mas and Easter - and Miss
Edwards school in Aberystwyth
has a vacation for Potato Week.
Started during the war when
the children we're needed to
dig potatoes. the vacation has
continued although the chill
dren no longer work during it.
:. But the school year in Britain
is about the same number of
days as here. And the tea
breaks and two-hour lunches
- most children go home =
mean the school day lasts until
4 pm. or 4:30 pm.
Miss Edwards said she found
no discipline problems with
students here. but appreciated
the last resort "of a gentle
whack where it hurts most"
afforded by the British system. |
She said she had expressed
this view when questioned by
visiting parents. The fathers
just applauded."
And she lined herself up with
the District School Superin-
tendent in his fight for more
English compositions for stu
dents. But there is a practical
side with the large classes
here" she said, pointing out
that grading compositions
from larger classes requires a
great deal Of time.
Texas Visit
When the terms ends, Miss
Edwards will travel to Texas
with an American teacher. go
on to Mexico and Jamaica,
then to the West Coast, before
returning home. Miss O'Sullivan
will go to the West Coast to
visit a relative who immigrated
from Britain at the age of rs.
Irish, you know" she said.
Summing it up, Miss Ed
wards said she has got on fine
with her students. though she
may stumble when a student
says she "snuck out" and they
may giggle when she talks Of
"jolly times"
Miss O'Sullivan said she
especially will remember rasp-
berry sherbet, central heating
Il love it'-and her students.
Some of them, she said. have
a,,a,, bao,,Y, m COW "tO-nah-t0 1"