ACTR and their program in Moscow

[Shuffelton at AOL.COM]

As a teacher who has benefitted from ACTR programs for more than twenty  
years, I find it unfortunate that Mr. Hosseini has chosen to take such a  negative 
approach to the organization. As Professor Garza points out, he could  have 
addressed his personal concerns to personnel at American Councils rather  than 
airing them on SEELANGS.  Since he does invite commentary  and thus offers an 
occasion to note  the good that ACTR does for the  Russian field, I am happy 
to mention just a few examples.  To list all the  positive ways that ACTR 
serves students, teachers, and the Russian field in  general would make this 
posting far too long.
 
Very simply put, ACTR's programs have changed my life.  I was a  participant 
in the first high school teachers'  summer exchan to the USSR,  spending six 
weeks in Leningrad in the summer of 1986.  It was that summer  that gave me my 
first immersion in Russian language and culture, allowing me  finally to feel 
competent and comfortable speaking Russian.  It was also  that summer that 
introduced me to some teaching methods and classroom activities  that I continued 
to use for the rest of my career. And it was that summer when I  began to 
acquire authentic materials to use in my classroom.  I found the  ACTR oversight 
of that program extraordinarily competent, professional, and  helpful.  Other 
participants in that summer program still  remember that summer  as a 
milestone in their lives.
 
ACTR, in cooperation with CORLAC and other organizations, continued to  offer 
many rich resources for high school teachers, including summer institutes  at 
Bryn Mawr College where teachers, were exposed to the latest approaches  in 
second language acquisition as well as outstanding professional development  
classes.  I became a very different classroom teacher thanks to those  summer 
institutes. My classes also benefitted from ACTR publications,  especially the 
Face to Face textbook series, which remains the only Russian  textbook series 
designed with pre-college students in mind.
 
My experience leading a  delegation of high school students to  Russia was 
very different from what Mr. Hosseini describes.  When we had a  problem to deal 
with, the staff in the ACTR offices in Moscow and in Washington  were 
immediately responsive and helpful, even answering middle of the night  phone calls. 
I was immensely grateful for their support and thankful  that I was on an ACTR 
program that summer. 
 
I have nothing but respect and admiration for the work that ACTR does for  
all of us in the field.  My reaction to all the fine programs and people  
involved in the organization has been to involve myself in a number of ACTR  
activities, in part out of gratitude.   I have served on the Board of  Directors 
since 1988(I think that is the correct year), administered the  National Russian 
Essay Contest since 1989, served as Secretary of the Board of  Directors and am 
currently President of the organization.  
 
 As Professor Garza notes in his reply, ACTR  stands as a model  to the 
foreign language field in the area of exchange and study programs  that directly 
benefit students and  instructors of Russian.  I am  always proud to point out 
to colleagues in other language fields the wealth  of programs, exchanges, and 
publications that ACTR makes available.  
 
Jane Shuffelton
President, ACTR
 
 



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