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Patricia Peterson Wiese papers

 Collection
Identifier: IWA0810

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Scope and Contents

The Patricia Peterson Wiese papers date from 1978 to 2010 and measure 2.5 linear inches. The collection covers Wiese's career as a bilingual and ESL teacher. The majority of the papers relate to her position at West Liberty Community Schools, and to the West Liberty Mexican-American community. A few papers relate to her position in the Pasadena Independent School District.

Many of Patricia Peterson Wiese's West Liberty students were from Mexico. The majority of these students' parents worked for Louis Rich Foods, Inc., a turkey processing facility in West Liberty. Some of their parents were agricultural workers who migrated seasonally, to Texas and Colorado; of these, some had been hired through the Bracero Program. In addition to teaching Latino students, Wiese also taught several students from Laos and Korea, whose parents also worked for Louis Rich Foods, Inc.

Documents include Wiese's academic transcripts and resume, correspondence, a list of her students from West Liberty, and newspaper clippings. The collection contains two of Wiese's research papers, "The Placement Testing of Mexican-American School Children Results in Discrimination and Unequal Educational Opportunities" and "Second Language Acquisition," and her brief memoir, "History of Latinos in West Liberty, Iowa." Finally, there is a photo album of students and events from the West Liberty ESL program.

Dates

  • Creation: 1978-2010

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The papers are open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright held by the donor has been transferred to the University of Iowa.

However, copyright status for some collection materials may be unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owner. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility and potential liability based on copyright infringement for any use rests exclusively and solely with the user. Users must properly acknowledge the Iowa Women’s Archives, The University of Iowa Libraries, as the source of the material. For further information, visit https://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc/services/rights/

Biographical / Historical

Patricia Louise Turpen was born in 1937 in Scottsbluff, Nebraska to Thelma Turpen and Stephen Turpen, the youngest of three sisters. Her family was musical, and she played and taught piano. She graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1955. She married and changed her last name to Peterson.

Patricia Peterson studied elementary education and Spanish at Graceland College in Lamoni, Iowa, graduating in 1974. In 1977, she spent two month at New York University, Puerto Rico, studying bilingual education. She also traveled to Spain in the summer of 1989, and lived for two years in Mexico City.

Peterson dedicated her teaching career to English as a Second Language (ESL) and bilingual education. She was the owner/director of Los Chicos Pre-School in Lamoni, Iowa. From 1975 to 1986, she taught ESL grades 5 to 8, in West Liberty, Iowa. In 1986, Peterson moved to Texas where she taught at a bilingual elementary school in the Pasadena Independent School District. From 1994 until her retirement in 2000, she taught Spanish language immersion in Robbinsdale, Minnesota.

Patricia Peterson married Thomas Wiese in 1995, and changed her last name to Wiese. She has five children.

Extent

2.50 linear inches

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

English as a Second Language teacher in West Liberty, Iowa.

Method of Acquisition

The papers (donor no. 1223) were donated by Patricia Wiese in 2010.

Related Materials

Maria Cano Martinez papers (IWA)

West Liberty High School (Muscatine County, Iowa) photographs (IWA)

Hartupee Social Club (West Liberty, Iowa) records (IWA)

Cedar Valley Community Club (Muscatine County) records (IWA)

Clara Steen Scott papers (IWA)

Marilyn E. (Harris) Jackson papers (IWA)

Muscatine Migrant Committee records (IWA)

Lois Muehl papers (IWA)

Marian Farquhar papers (IWA)

Rosemary Harris papers (IWA)

Author
Audrey Altman
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Iowa Women's Archives Repository

Contact:
100 Main Library
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City IA 52242 IaU
319-335-5068
319-335-5900 (Fax)