Author Ted W. Cox continues his tour of Belize this week after having arrived in Belize last week Wednesday, thanks to the Institute for Social and Cultural Research ISCR and the Belize National Library Service and Information System BNLSIS. In keeping with the BNLSIS momentum, Ted Cox gave a lecture at the San Ignacio Public Library last Friday. It was also an opportunity for the U. S author to promote his book entitled ‘British Honduras became Belize 1971 to 1773’ and with secondary title ‘A Peace Corp Memoir’.
The book by Ted Cox is now available at popular stores around Belize and is a summary of the work he did as a track and field coach. Chapters in the book are dedicated to what other Peace Corp Volunteers were doing as well as documenting the National Movements towards Belize’s Independence.
In his presentation Friday, Ted Cox revealed that he had been assigned to early British Honduras to establish a track and field program. During his time here, he trained counterpart coaches to ensure the continuation of the program as well as organized competitions on the inter-school basis and organized sports clubs at both the primary and high school levels. While on these tasks, Ted Cox told his audience in San Ignacio that he was able to enjoy the many cultures and the natural beauty of Belize.
Just after stepping off the plane, Ted Cox and his wife Veronica headed to the Belize High School in Belize City where he reminisced on the time in Belize promoting track and field. The following day Cox would travel to both Corozal and the Orange Walk Districts to give similar presentations and show his photographic records of Belize.
“Every Country needs to have heroes and the impression that I got when I came to Belize was that a lot of Belizeans felt that, why not get some of our heroes through sports”, said Ted Cox, who had done similar work as a Peace Corps in Sierra Leone.
There have always been critics on the role that sports play in the School’s curriculum. Some say that sports in schools are a waste of valuable time. But for Cox who has almost expended a life-time teaching physical education in two developing countries as well as at Linn-Benton Community College in Albany, Oregon, the role of physical education is crystal clear.
“If you are doing nothing but academics, children will get ‘pented’ up and they are going to have energy that they going want to release; even become discipline problems in classrooms and then the academics go down,” said Cox.
“It’s been proven, when you get the children out, give them something constructive, physical and work towards some goal they can be exited, teachers will have a better rapport and academic level also goes up…that is a fact of life; those teachers that understand that will have more success in the classroom…”
Since 1977, Ted has owned and operated the Old World Deli in downtown Corvallis, Oregon. His ongoing tour to Belize has brought him many memories and also chance to meet former students who are now working in the development of Belize.
