Cxiujare, en Sxtato Pensilvanjo, okazas altniveloj, dumsomeraj
lernejoj nomatoj Sxtatestraj Lernejoj  ("Governor's Schools")
pro diversaj fakoj, kiel matematiko, arto, scienco, ktp.  Cxi
tiujn lernejojn cxeestas gimnazioj elektitaj el miloj da aligxoj
tutsxtate.  Tiuj lernantoj lernas kaj logxas kune kvin aux ses
semajnojn cxe gastigantaj universitatoj tra la sxtato.

Du el niaj membroj cxeestis la Lernejojn cxi-jare kaj sukcesis
uzi Esperantom kaj 1paroli pri gxi kun la aliaj talentaj kaj
intelligentaj junuloj, kiuj cxeestis la programojn.  Jen ili
rakontas iom pri siaj spertoj:

PA Governor's School for Teaching

From July 10 to August 13, I attended the Pennsylvania
Governor's School for Teaching.  PGST is a five-week summer
program held at Millersville University for sixteen- and
seventeen-year old students from throughout the state who have
an interest in the field of education.

For two weeks of the program, we had the opportunity to teach 52
nine-and ten-year old students from the Lancaster area.  We
chose the lessons, which we taught to the students ourselves; 
my choice was to teach the students the colors in Esperanto.

I taught the Turtles (eight children) and the Octopi (five
children) a brief lesson (45 minutes) about the use of Esperanto
and the colors.  I only planned to teach red, orange, yellow,
green, blue, purple, and brown, but the children were naturally
curious.  They asked me about other colors and other words: 
"What is 'pink' in Esperanto?", "How would you say my name in
Esperanto?"

My greatest satisfaction was the impact my lesson had on my PGST
classmates.  Our final project at Governor's School was to
design a model school, complete with curriculum and staff.

West Haven Academy, designed by sixteen of the students, decided
to offer Esperanto as one of its languages.  These model
schools, I might add, are presented before superintendents and
education officials from all over Pennsylvania.  One never knows
where an idea may lead!

-Theresa Makin 

(Bethleham, PA)

PA Governor's School for International Studies

While Therese was here in Lancaster, I was in Pittsburgh, where
the Governor's School for International Studies was being held. 
This intensive five-week course at the University of Pittsburgh
featured topics such as economics, intercultural communications,
foreign policy making, etc.

Esperanto was mentioned early in the program.  In fact, it was
first mentioned during a speech on languages of the world, when
another student asked the lecturer about "a language in the
'20's which was created to be used worldwide".

Fortunately, the lecturer knew which language the student was
asking about.  But she thought that it'd be better for me to
explain about Esperanto, since I had mentioned it on my
application.  So (surprise surprise) I was called down on the
spot to speak in front of 110+ students and teachers about and
in Esperanto.

To reinforce what I had said about Esperanto, I also wrote an
article afterwards about the language, its uses, how to learn
it, etc., for the school newspaper, the "grapevine".

I was pretty surprised later to find out how interested most of
my classmates were in Esperanto.  Thanks to both the informal
speech and the article, some of the students were even
interested in starting the correspondence course, both by
regular mail and by E-mail.  At the very least, there are now
100 young people throughout Pennsylvania who know that Esperanto
still exists and that it's just as useful now as ever.

-Joseph Truong

(Lancaster, PA)