The Alphabet Museum at JAARS

Life is full of times when a little-known fact or idea arises. When a surprise pops up, people are known to say, “Who knew?”! That’s why The Museum of Teaching and Learning is calling its new speaker series Who Knew?, for we encounter individuals in our community who have done remarkable things in their lives. We at MOTAL have become acquainted with many such people. Plus, we also like to share information about other museums of note.

Please read on to learn about a very special museum, The Alphabet Museum, that is sponsored by JAARS, which stands for Jungle Aviation and Radio Service. Not only is it a terrific small museum, but it will be good to know about it in anticipation of our guest speaker, Linda Cox. She will present at the MOTAL Hub at 4 pm on September 18, 2025 (see details below). The main work of JAARS, however, is to oversee the travels of linguists and educators who go into remote, jungle areas. That is why aviation and radios are important. The workers are first carefully educated, and then sent into regions where they interact with indigenous people to hear their stories and turn oral languages into written language. The process is complex, very methodical, very slow, and delightful as people get to know and appreciate one another.

This writer had the privilege of visiting the museum in Waxhaw, North Carolina, several years ago. It was such a pleasant surprise to see fascinating displays and interactive exhibits that reveal stories of language developments in the world. Although most activities there are understandable to school-age children and the general public, the museum holds special appeal for people who think about words and literacy in their daily lives and careers.

Just a hint of what’s in The Alphabet Museum:
The origins of alphabet letters used in modern-day English.

Reminders that words and alphabets are not always written on paper.

Insights into languages other than English.

​The museum has much more to offer on their website: https://www.jaars.org.

​Last, but not least, please come hear Linda Cox talk about her experiences in the past as she ventured, with her husband and children, into remote regions to teach for this special project.

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Who knew? Speaker Series
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LINDA COX, LITERACY EDUCATOR
​September 18, 2025 @ 4:00 pm * $20 Suggested Donation
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FROM UNWRITTEN LANGUAGE TO THE PRINTED PAGE
“Native Authors of Panama" 
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Linda invites you to come and hear about the time she worked in collaboration with indigenous groups in Latin America to document their oral language into a written language. The participants learned to produce and self-publish their personal and  cultural stories in a Native Authors Workshop where they emerged as recognized authors, and illustrators, and literacy teachers. 

There will be delicious appetizers from Porto's and mocktails!

RSVP at [email protected]
​All proceeds benefit MOTAL

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SEE YOU THEN!

Greta Nagel, PhD
Founding President and CEO
​The Museum of Teaching and Learning