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(June 1951)
Merchant, Mary
A lesson to be learned, pp. 51-[52]
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Page 51
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
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