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American and German second- and third-graders sit in alternate seats at Frankfurt's
American Elementary School
and get along famously. A few songs break the ice at each visit, with the
Americans' German teacher serving as
mistress of ceremonies. Something new? No, indeed - the American kiddies
have been playing host to their Ger-
mon counterparts since the dependent's school was opened in 1946. One highly
unusual feature is that during these
classroom get-togethers, whispering actually is encouraged.             
           (PRD HICOG photos by Schoenborn)
A Lesson to Be Learned
By MARY MERCHANT
Principal, Frankfurt American Elementary School
T HAT WEARING BLUE JEANS instead of Tirolean
jackets and saddle shoes instead of pigtails is no
barrier to friendship and mutual understanding is a
discovery American and German schoolchildren are
making every few weeks in Frankfurt's American depend-
(eIl's school.
Since 1946, when the Frankfurt American Elementary
School opened its doors, American grade-school young-
sters have been playing host to like-aged German chil-
dlen, showing them their swings, their picture books and
their enthusiasm, and chatting and singing right along
JUNE 1951
with them; for, thanks to first-rate instruction in German,
the American second- and third-graders have no trouble
in striking up - and maintaining - conversations with
their guests.
With little children leading them, German teachers
and student teachers invited to windowshop have
found the way to understanding with their Ameri-
can counterparts surprisingly easy, while American
teachers and pupils returning the periodical visits
have come to appreciate the numerous difficulties
besetting the German primary schools.
INFORMATION BULLETIN
51