MIDTESOL Matters
Fall 2006
A Publication of Mid-America Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages

MIDTESOL Retirees: Honoring Those Who Have Served


This past year, MIDTESOL saw the retirement of several key educators who have contributed a great deal to our profession. These professionals have seen many changes in our organization and in our field, in general; we are excited to hear more about their exceptional careers in this special section dedicated to them on pages 4-6. I also want to take this moment to thank those who interviewed and prepared the articles; without your help, this project could not have happened!


Gen Lennon: Integral Force in MIDTESOL's Fledgling Years
By Phyllis Mithen


Q. How and when did you first get involved in English to Speakers of Other Languages?


A. I trained as a Spanish and French language teacher at Dominican University in River Forest IL. I taught French and Spanish at Nerinx Hall for a while and also at the University of Missouri St. Louis (UMSL) in its early days. Around 1971 or 72, I was teaching Literary Interpretation at University City High School and was asked by a neighbor to cover an evening class of "English for the Foreign Born." At that time, "UCity" had the largest and oldest such program, but "English for the Foreign Born" was a misnomer since many of the students had been born and raised in the US. The class I met was composed mostly of the first wave of Cuban refugees, most of them professionals. The textbook was woefully inadequate.
Later, the UCity principal directed anyone who showed up needing English instruction during the day to me. Some friends and I persuaded the Missouri State Department of Education to provide some training. We were able to get James Asher to come and teach his method-based on first language acquisition. This has very much affected my way of teaching ever since. After that, the New Americans Committee of the Jewish Federation called UCity and got me to set up a program for new Russian Jewish refugees. We started with (Cont'd p. 6) (Gen Lennon, Cont'd from p. 5)33 at the B'nai Amoona synagogue (now COCA, for the information of St. Louisans). It was jointly sponsored by UCity Adult Education and Jewish Family and Children's Services. I was there from 1973-75. I continued four nights a week at UCity.


Q. What do you recall about the beginning of MIDTESOL?


A. About 1978, Sue Relyea came to start an ESL program at Lindenwood College. She had been a member of a Florida TESOL group and brought that background to us. At the same time, many of us wanted to become more professional in our work and to belong to a national group. We would need a minimum of 25 members, an annual meeting, and an annual publication. Our first meeting was at Lindenwood (in St. Charles, MO). Some people came over from Iowa and Kansas because they did not think they had enough to make their own affiliates. So instead of MOTESOL, we became MIDTESOL. Abbie Tom was the first president, and I was the First Vice President (president-elect). A number of us went to Boston in 1979 for the TESOL convention…including Phyllis Mithen, who took along her almost-two-year-old daughter.


Q. You received a Pat-on-the-Back award from MIDTESOL.


A. I served as MIDTESOL president twice, 1979 - 80 and 1987 - 88 and was involved in many ways through the years.


Q. What would you consider your most significant and interesting achievements in this field?


A. My PhD work at Saint Louis University aimed to devise a test for students coming into the St. Louis Public Schools. It was a study of language dominance in bilingual children. I tested 30 four to six-year-olds. Later, I used this in presentations (including Phyllis Mithen's SEMO course in Second Language Acquisition). I also did presentations on the Asher Method. Another effort near and dear to my heart was the devising of ways to test and train international ITAs. In 1986, there was a law that graduate level ITAs be tested and oriented to teaching in US university classes. I set this up at UMSL in 1987 and continued until 1994. I administered the SPEAK test as a pre- and post-test and also made initial and final videotapes. I devised a course that was an introduction to the teaching classroom culture based on TESOL standards and materials that I got at TESOL conventions. I was active in the ITA interest section. My students showed definite and demonstrable progress. I have a treasure trove of video and audio tapes in my basement that might provide material for more than one PhD dissertation! After the UMSL job, I continued as a consultant and test administrator until about 2003.


Q. What have you been doing in the past several years?


A. I've traveled to France, Turkey and Spain (twice) with groups from my Alma Mater. After one of these, I translated a book about Calaruega, Spain from Spanish into English, adding 100 footnotes. I was on the reunion planning committee for our 60th reunion, at which we had 30 attendees! I am the proud grandmother of my daughter's three children, who live in Washington DC. I go there for lots of "rites of passage" occasions. Here in St. Louis, I am active in Great Decisions discussions, concerts, archaeology lectures, etc.