The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • Page 107

ri i gmww ffttff pip 1 (k SS lilt 1 I 1 Vl i 1 4 I 1 "it I 'A 4 jWliBMMM)irmwwri nMgmfflriimi i liiiiimlff mtfatfr iiEiTiii hi ifirmrinrr ftr i im njnm TWihttrnft Ma r-- -1 Robert C. Claxier is WDCN-TV's general manager 1 1 i lis 1 One of the teachers, Mrs. Mimi Dunn, sends out an urgent call for white mice to show primary graders Watchers, like these fourth graders at Crieve Hall School, respond to TV quiz One housewife admits she got so wrapped up in Nashville's educational TV that she burned her husband's beans while she was watching tendon! of schools. "It's worth the money." Oliver agrees. "It's all we could have hoped for," he says.

"We're just as proud as can be." Both' officials admit ETV isn't perfect. However, they see definite benefits. "This will greatly improve our science program in the elementary grades," Moss says. "An elemental teacher teaches everything. TV gives the teacher" the benefit of a specialist in science.

We can spend monev to buy things for the large group that would be too costly for individual classes." WDCN's seven teachers Mrs. Miriam Roach, Mrs. Jo Ann Ruhr, Mrs. Eva Pilkington, Mrs. Mary Grandstaff, Mrs.

Batson, Mrs. Mimi Dunn and Mrs. Alice Kousser are all former teachers in city and county schools. They find television work different and exciting. "Television teaching Is harder work than classroom teaching." says Mrs.

Roach "but we get to do a lot of things we couldn't do before." By this, hs. Roach means spending time searching for rare documents or films that will about President Truman and the Korean War, or it could be any of the other teachers speaking on one of their subjects. One thing is certain. It isn't like the old classroom. TV teachers make use of guest experts in person and on film.

Mrs. Ruhr believes a film she used on dissecting earthworms resulted in fewer mutilated earthworms in classrooms throughout the 23 school systems in Tennessee and Kentucky that use WDCX facilities. TV teachers say a basic requirement for their job is a large basement and an attic It takes a lot of room to store all the materials they collect to show their students during the school year. WDCX has expended 100,000 reams of paper printing instructions to help teachers make best use of the TV lessons. School systems outside the county pay 55 cents per pupil fo help meet cost of producing the programs'.

During daytime broadcasts, WDCN concentrates on teaching students in grades one through twelve subjects as science, history and Spanish. Night programs are beamed largely at the adult audience. They range from college-level courses, like the (Please turn to page ing Ice on a lake searching for frog eggs so science students can see exactly what they look like. Their new classroom is a tiny studio in the back rooms of WSM-TV. Their immediate audience is a handful of professionals cameramen, directors and other experts in sight and sound.

All of the lessons are recorded on video tape ahead of schedule. RECENTLY WHEN Mrs. Roach had to undergo surgery, she taped several shows ahead of time. Even when she was in the hospital, her tapes were teaching history. Producing an average ItO-minute taped show requires about two hours in the studio.

The last minutes are the real thing. It begins when producer-director Dudley Williams, speaking from a control booth, gives his instruction. "Are you ready to take?" "Any time." "Fifteen seconds." "Ten seconds." "Stand by your scene. Five four three two scene." The teacher begins her lesson. It may be Mrs.

Ruhr talking about hormones or Mrs. Koach telling make a history lesson more meaninguu, or oreaK- II THE NASHVILLE TENNESSEAN MAGAZINE, MARCH 17. 1963..