tion enables the teachers not only to see these diverse sections but to observe the indigenous plants and cultivated crops The teachers get out of their chartered bus and actually see what is growing, perhaps picking some fruit new to them; they talk with local persons and visit typical homes. In this manner the teachers see just what the people have as natural resources and how they adapt themselves to their environment.

The observation of historical structures and sites is given a background by emphasizing those characteristic of the various historical periods. In Mexico the preconquest era is presented by visits to the Toltec and Aztec pyramids and to other remains of early cultures housed in the National Museum. The colonial period is revealed through visits to viaducts, churches, and homes built during colonial days. Features observed are explained in relationship to their effect on the people

of the respective period, and also in relationship to their effects on current living.

To gain an understanding of the ideals, policies, and patterns which determine contemporary living, the teachers visit gov ernment buildings, schools, housing developments, and major industries in both urban and rural sections. The travelers are invited to join local people in social activities.

Although the orientation sessions held early in the tour program give the groups a general background for understanding what is observed, interpretation at the time of observation gives meaning to details and highlights relationships. Such interpretation is made by the tour conductors, who know the area through which they are traveling, and by the national guides who accompany the groups. In some instances local professors, teachers, and other specialists add to the interpretation.

To complete the field trip plan, the follow-up program for the teacher-tourist is important. A detailed report of the program is sent to all participating members. In many instances this report serves as a source of information for writing papers, and from it many accrediting agencies evaluate the program and award credit toward degrees or salary increases.

In addition to these aspects of educational travel there are two other distinct features which are not found in the usual tour. Each group of traveling teachers is enabled to associate with persons of comparable educational and cultural level in the country visited. In this association, members of both national groups get to know each other, their work, their problems, their values, and their manner of living.

The Division of Travel Service, in cooperation with local committees of teachers in the countries visited, develops an association program which includes purely recreational and social functions as well as more serious activities, such as special lectures of interest to both national groups.

There are receptions, concerts, picnics, and special entertainments, including programs of folk dances and music. Usually the first contact with the host teachers is at a reception which the local teachers give the visitors. In Haiti the Honorable Emile Saint-Lôt, Minister of Education, entertained them. Many Haitian teachers, United States Embassy officials, and orientation speakers attended.

This association, this bringing together of United States teachers with the teachers and members of other professional groups

in the countries visited, is one of the most important phases of the travel program. It is a pleasure and a thrill to all participants.

Furthermore, many of the traveling teachers receive a new experience in human relations during the three-week period of living closely with a small group of persons representing almost every section. of the United States, and almost every ethnic ingredient in the United States melting pot. The small incidents of travel provide entertainment, and the big experiences unite the group in a fellowship of understanding.

These tours are open to all members of the National Education Association, and this means that all ethnic groups are

eligible to participate in the program. There is no discrimination on the basis of color or creed. Teachers come from both urban and rural areas.

Such a combination of experienceseducational and cultural, international | and intercultural--which are the fundamental characteristics of the NEA travel program, cannot be duplicated in any classroom or obtained from any book.

The results of the travel program are being reflected in the work done in many United States classrooms today, as well as in the work being done in the classrooms of countries visited by teachers from the United States.

Of the sixteen groups traveling last summer, six went to Mexico. All these

groups started from San Antonio and traveled by chartered buses. The itinerary included stops in Monterrey and Valles and a week in the capital city and environs. A four-day trip was made to Puebla, Cuernavaca, and Taxco. During one of the tours the group went to Tecomit, a suburb of Mexico City, where a Mexican and a United States teacher planted a "friendship tree." As a token of appreciation to the Mexican teachers, members of several tour groups contributed to a fund from which books were bought describing life in the United States and the collection was presented to the library of the Ministry of Education.

Four groups were in Cuba for eighteen days. Besides visiting Habana, the teachers drove to Pinar del Río and to Batabanó. From the capital, the groups traveled east over the Central Highway, stopping at Matanzas and Varadero Beach before reaching Santa Clara. Trips from Santa Clara included a day each in Trinidad, Cienfuegos, and Caibarién.

Teachers on the air tour to the West Indies went to Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. Although their headquarters were the capital cities, visits were made outside the cities and in each instance the teachers were able to view a cross-section of national life.

Since all groups are limited to thirty-five persons, there is an opportunity for each. one to receive individual attention and to ask questions which will make the trip meaningful.

The National Education Association believes that this type of travel for teachers is one of the most important and one of the

most definite activities toward the realization of "one world."

The teacher not only needs broader personal experiences, but also needs first-hand knowledge of the countries and the people about whom she is teaching. Furthermore, she needs to feel, personally, an obligation to contribute to the creation of better international and intercultural understanding. These teachers do not immediately become specialists on the country visited, but they can obtain a general introduction to the region making possible the development of attitudes which create better relationships.

International good will is more than mere words to these travelers. They are imbued with their responsibility to teach the facts from which will evolve attitudes and convictions conducive to respect and to understanding among peoples of different countries and cultures.

It is expected that within two years the NEA Travel Service will be conducting tours to countries in both Central and South America. Furthermore, it is the hope of the Travel Service that within a short period it will be possible for teachers of other countries to visit the United States through a reciprocal travel program, and that they will win the understanding and appreciation that our teachers are gaining from their travel to neighboring countries.

"To travel is to change one's soul," said the Brazilian writer Olavo Bilac. And Edna St. Vincent Millay remarked:

The world stands out on either side No wider than the heart is wide. To the heart and soul must be added the understanding mind.

MORE than three score years ago, a great Mexican statesman, Don Matías Romero, who devoted his life to the promotion of understanding and friendship between Mexico and the United States, wrote the following words, as pertinent today as they were in the 19th century: "The contiguity of our two Republics, the peculiarities of each, and the special advantage which, in certain respects, each possesses over the other, are such as to promote and preserve in the near future the strongest ties of interest, respect, and friendship. My experience in dealing with two people of different races, speaking different languages, and with different social conditions, has shown me that there are prejudices

on both sides, growing out of want of sufficient knowledge of each other. These could be dispelled, thus securing a better understanding."

The uninformed are frequently beguiled into an assumption that Mexico and the Mexicans have charm but lack perseverance. This comes from the exotic quality of the country's climate, the seductive rhythms of its music, and a deceptive gentleness of manner in its people-all characteristics, but by no means representing the composite character of the country or its people. The fact is that Mexico as a whole has long since displayed a zest for action that is transforming the country into a cauldron of enterprise and achieve