2 Teachers Learn to Localize Geography

Two Pacoima teachers were among 40 inner-city instructors from across the country who learned to recognize geography lessons in their own neighborhood during the 1995 National Geographic Society Urban Institute this summer.

Kenneth Harrell and Kelly Welsh, both from Charles Maclay Middle School in Pacoima, attended the 16-day program in July that recommended students leave the classroom to explore local geography, ethnic diversity, culture, architecture and more.

“We want to teach people that geography is more than finding a place on a map or naming countries and capitals,” said Joe Ferguson, assistant director of the society’s geographic education program.

Based in Washington, D.C., the National Geographic Society workshop included a four-day visit to New York City.

Participants examined current and past immigrant neighborhoods and the businesses they fostered, including ethnic markets and restaurants and the diamond, garment and theater districts.

National Geographic Society is best known for its magazine and its television programs. It has offered geography workshops since 1986. This is the second year it has offered a program tailored for inner-city teachers.

“Virtually every [city] block holds a geography lesson,” said Gilbert Grosvenor, National Geographic Society president. “A church, an ethnic store or club, a restaurant or a museum can push back city borders that all too often become the ends of the earth for urban youngsters.”

The cost of the program, estimated at $5,000 per participating teacher, was paid through National Geographic Society grant funds.

Teachers are required to pass on their workshop experience by providing three programs for other instructors in their districts.