By Ellen

We visited the kids of the Tibooburra School of the Air. The school of the air is a creative effort on the part of the Australian Dept. of Education to provide education to children in the remote Outback.

Kids are given Macs and PC's and ample supplies of books, audio and video tapes as learning aids, and they have on-site school hours in towns like Tibooburra from 9-Noon on weekdays. In the remote stations (ranches) in the outback children congregate around their family UHF radio during the designated hours and converse with the teacher and other kids about their lessons. Kids send their homework to the teachers for grading in by snail mail. It takes two weeks for the papers to be graded and returned.

When children turn 12 or 13, however, they leave home for youth hostels or boarding schools in larger nearby towns where they can continue their education on a more formal basis. Many of the children from the outback, however, probably don't go too far in school, but return instead to their families to remain in the outback, living off the land.

The children pictured here will soon begin a correspondence with primary-aged school children in Williamsburg, Virginia, thanks to the efforts of the Rawls Byrd Media Specialist, Vaudene Pedigo, one of my long-time friends.

They will also be able to follow us on our Australian web site, thanks to the marvels of the Internet. Pictured with the kids is their primary teacher, Alana Glenn.