July 14, 1956

305 Waverly Avenue
Syracuse, New York
July 14, 1956

Greetings Jan

Thank you for the novel.  It is many moons since anyone has put so much to pen for me. Please do not expect a reciprocal quantity as there isn't that much to write about.

I am a bit disappointed in the courses so far. I was talked into switching from Goldstein's course-he is the supervisor for special education in New York and am now taking two courses dealing with intermediate slow learners,  One is a demonstration class and the other a follow up.  It is called a theory course but in reality it is a methods course.

The trouble with these courses is that they are not designed for the older kids. The reading materials are all Dick and Jane types. The art is done in the classroom, same as with all the other courses, and all in all the program is set up for the elementary school, not the junior high.

However, the woman teaching the demonstration class is a very good teacher so I am picking up a few techniques. Also the instructor in the afternoon course has had a fair amount of knowledge of the educational practices in this field for California so talks with him, if I can get him alone, should be helpful.  Another aid in my search is that my nextdoor neighbour has a junior high class in Toronto and at the same time is talking Goldstein's course on secondary education.  I am going to try to get in touch with Goldstein through him and see if it isn't possible to pick up some ideas on this problem.

There isn't anything to report on the socio-emotional front. I haven't even made an overture to an American femme yet.  My entire experience in the social world has been to split a few beers with the boys and I have had one formal type banquet for the vice president of the Ford Foundation because the Foundation just gave Syracuse four million dollars for education.

The thing I miss most hear is that there aren't any horses running in this vicinity.  They don't even carry any form charts in the local papers. Today I hope to catch Nashua running in the east and Swaps in the west on Radio Monitor.

Your letter made it in three days.  I will comply with your suggestion and see if a more rapid transit can be accomplished by aeroplane.

You sound as though you are in need of a vacation.  I hope your Northern excursion is still on. Take it easy.

George

Dad's UBC ID card