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Show Curriculum should address world unrest; says Mitchell ? ; by NAN CHALAT Record staff writer Park City school superintendent Tony Mitchell was back in the school district office Tuesday sporting a full beard and sorting through a desk full of Israeli and Egyptian books and newspapers collected during his six-week tour of the Middle East. Mitchell was one of 18 Utah educators chosen to participate in the travel study tour sponsored by the University of Utah Middle East Center, tn'e,:tpfepaMment"'of; Educationar studies and the state Office of Education in order to encourage the development of school curriculum dealing with the Middle East. "It was tremendous," Mitchell said of the experience. "You never realize how little you know until you visit these areas and see the complexity of the issues. It leaves you feeling a little humble." Mitchell added that he is more convinced than ever of the need for schools to address current world issues. "We don't do nearly as good a job as we should in creating an understanding of these troubled areas in the world. Just 15 years ago we needed to understand Southeast Asia, now there is a need to know more about the Middle East and Central America. And as these areas of major unrest and confrontation change, our curriculums need to change with them," he said. Although it is too late to introduce an additional class into the high school schedule this year, Mitchell said he hopes to work with the social studies department at Park City High School to create a class to study these issues in depth. "Students in their junior and senior years are going to start voting and being asked to serve in the armed forces. They need to be informed," Mitchell said. The trip left him with a strong appreciation of other cultures, he i said. In Egypthe, members, spetjL the majority of their visit, attending classes and seminars at the American University in Cairo. They also had a chance to see several ancient temDies on the Nile River, swim in the Red Sea and climb Mt. Sinai. "We left our hotel rooms at 2:30 a.m. to avoid the heat of the day and to see the sun rise. It was a 2 12-hour hike on a narrow rocky road and we only had one flashlight between us," said Mitchell of the hike up Mt. Sinai. On the way, the group met a band of elderly Italian priests who conducted a sunrise mass in a small chapel on the mountain, he said. In general, Mitchell said the Egyptians were extremely friendly and outgoing. "We spent a lot of time philosophizing about how a society which is so impoverished monetarily could be so strong in the area of human relationships," Mitchell said. As to the hostage crisis, which dominated the headlines in the United States while Mitchell was in Egypt, he said, "The only time we heard anything about it was when one of us called home and spoke to a worried relative." After spending three weeks in Egypt, the group crossed the Egyptian-Israeli border at Rafat and traveled by bus to Tel Aviv. "The contrast was immediately clear between the two cultures. Israel is so much cleaner and more . organized. As far as the superficial amenities go, we were on kind of a high. But after a few days, we remembered the warmth of the Egyptians, which in many ways was much deeper." The Utahns then were treated to a tour of the West Bank, the Golan Heights and a kibbutz. They also visited Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Nazareth Naza-reth and the Bahasi World Center in Haifa. Most of all, in Israel Mitchell said he was struck by the positive effects of the compulsory term of national service. Every Israeli man must spend three years in military service and the women are required to serve two years, Mitchell said. "I was impressed by the scope of services these young people provide for their country. When I look at the problems we have in the United States with, lack of employment for high school graduates and the dropout rate of students in their first year of college then I look at the needs our nation has in terms of social services, public works and conservation I think a lot of benefits could come from instituting a year of compulsory service here. "We owe something to our country. I think it would have advantages both for our country and for the individual." Unlike news of the hijacking, which was barely covered in the Egyptian news, Mitchell said the orthodox rabbis' protest of the Brigham Young University study . center in Jerusalem featured in last week's news here did receive a great deal of coverage in Israel. Although the protest was sponsored by a small conservative group, Mitchell said the rabbis could be very influential. He added that to the best of his knowledge the BYU extension would not be used lor missionary work. "But I could understand their concerns about it." He added the protest sparked a great deal of discussion among the members of the Utah group, which included both Mormons and non-Mormons. Back in his office Tuesday, Mitchell said "I'm a little embarrassed embar-rassed now to admit that I used to only read the headlines of a lot of stories I didn't understand." He said that is one thing he plans to change. But as far as the beard goes? "Well," Mitchell said, "that is one change that is only temporary. ' ' "It's out of character," he said. NanChalat School superintendent Tony Mitchell came home with new appreciation for other cultures. |