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Showing posts with label teaching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teaching. Show all posts
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Angel vs Devil
Back and forth they battle, perched high upon each shoulder. At times, it appears to be a clear victory for one side, at others, the lines are blurred. The devil's nicknames are stress, fear, frustration, or paranoia. The angel's are hope, inspiration, love, and power.
As tensions grow at work, as rumors seep from room to room, and as pressure drowns out creativity, it is easy to succumb to the horned beast. Tonight I followed a breadcrumb trail of internet links to some very inspiring videos. First, by recommendation, I watched this video:
Sir Ken Robinson is very entertaining and makes several valid points on the faults and future of the modern education system. I appreciated the video so much that I watched another of his that appears first in the sidebar of the TED Talks website. This is the second time in two weeks that I have been intrigued by a TED Talk (but that is a whole other post!)
I find my chosen profession to be very constraining at times. Some of my fellow university students, past mentors, and current colleagues have been successful at bending or even breaking down the walls that I feel held captive by. I feel that I am an OK teacher at times. I know that I am still new at this, but someday I want to be better. I want to do MORE.
I am reminded of a fantastic movie I watched in an education class in college. I did a quick Google search on what I thought the title might be, but it was made much before the digital age. I think I will e-mail my professor in order to get the info. Anyway, the video discussed creativity killers. It sought to identify ways that teachers knowingly, or many times unknowingly stamp out the creativity of their young students.
I hope and pray that I am not, and will not become, that very teacher. I know what it takes to be fantastic. It's just that it is so easy to get tired, to succumb to the stress, to settle with mediocrity in my lessons. These are all merely excuses. I feel that I am ripping off a touching quote, but I honestly can't remember where I heard "Are students learning because of, or inspite of me?" Ahhhh it just kills me! I don't want to be the "inspite of" teacher.
Wowzers this post is getting loooong. Anywho, the third video I watched was this one:
Jane Goodall has fascinated me since I was very young. I honestly remember researching and wanting to go to Central Washington University so that I could participate in primate studies in this program. I thought I would teach sign language to them haha! (There was also a time when Frank Lloyd Wright inspired me to be an architect.) I was very pleased to see that Jane is still alive and well. She is still working to understand and improve upon our planet for future generations.
In the video, Jane discusses her Roots and Shoots program. I have not looked at the website yet, but the way she talked about it made me want to get involved. Some of her efforts remind me of Kiva. It is a global microfinance program that "enables enterprising workers to start a business to achieve financial independence." The loans are established with a mere $25! I have already made it a personal goal to complete five of these loans in less than three years. I am also now interested in looking into the Roots and Shoots program.
There is a constant battle waging. From watching tonights' TED videos, to hearing about my cousin Lucinda's upcoming 11 month mission trip, the devil's shouts are temporarily being drowned out by the angel's song. I believe that if I continue to spend time seeking out inspiration, find ways that I can help others, and start putting some of these ideas into action, I will become the teacher and person that I desire to be.
I hope that you had time to check out some of the link-tastic-ness in this post. Maybe in the future, each of these topics that is near and dear to my heart, can become it's own post.
While I was writing, I thought of this song:
Like the rest of this post, this might be a pretty cheesy. It was one of the songs that my sister and I used to belt out when we were younger, and will always hold a special place in my heart. I love you Cassey!
As tensions grow at work, as rumors seep from room to room, and as pressure drowns out creativity, it is easy to succumb to the horned beast. Tonight I followed a breadcrumb trail of internet links to some very inspiring videos. First, by recommendation, I watched this video:
Sir Ken Robinson is very entertaining and makes several valid points on the faults and future of the modern education system. I appreciated the video so much that I watched another of his that appears first in the sidebar of the TED Talks website. This is the second time in two weeks that I have been intrigued by a TED Talk (but that is a whole other post!)
I find my chosen profession to be very constraining at times. Some of my fellow university students, past mentors, and current colleagues have been successful at bending or even breaking down the walls that I feel held captive by. I feel that I am an OK teacher at times. I know that I am still new at this, but someday I want to be better. I want to do MORE.
I am reminded of a fantastic movie I watched in an education class in college. I did a quick Google search on what I thought the title might be, but it was made much before the digital age. I think I will e-mail my professor in order to get the info. Anyway, the video discussed creativity killers. It sought to identify ways that teachers knowingly, or many times unknowingly stamp out the creativity of their young students.
I hope and pray that I am not, and will not become, that very teacher. I know what it takes to be fantastic. It's just that it is so easy to get tired, to succumb to the stress, to settle with mediocrity in my lessons. These are all merely excuses. I feel that I am ripping off a touching quote, but I honestly can't remember where I heard "Are students learning because of, or inspite of me?" Ahhhh it just kills me! I don't want to be the "inspite of" teacher.
Wowzers this post is getting loooong. Anywho, the third video I watched was this one:
Jane Goodall has fascinated me since I was very young. I honestly remember researching and wanting to go to Central Washington University so that I could participate in primate studies in this program. I thought I would teach sign language to them haha! (There was also a time when Frank Lloyd Wright inspired me to be an architect.) I was very pleased to see that Jane is still alive and well. She is still working to understand and improve upon our planet for future generations.
In the video, Jane discusses her Roots and Shoots program. I have not looked at the website yet, but the way she talked about it made me want to get involved. Some of her efforts remind me of Kiva. It is a global microfinance program that "enables enterprising workers to start a business to achieve financial independence." The loans are established with a mere $25! I have already made it a personal goal to complete five of these loans in less than three years. I am also now interested in looking into the Roots and Shoots program.
There is a constant battle waging. From watching tonights' TED videos, to hearing about my cousin Lucinda's upcoming 11 month mission trip, the devil's shouts are temporarily being drowned out by the angel's song. I believe that if I continue to spend time seeking out inspiration, find ways that I can help others, and start putting some of these ideas into action, I will become the teacher and person that I desire to be.
I hope that you had time to check out some of the link-tastic-ness in this post. Maybe in the future, each of these topics that is near and dear to my heart, can become it's own post.
While I was writing, I thought of this song:
Like the rest of this post, this might be a pretty cheesy. It was one of the songs that my sister and I used to belt out when we were younger, and will always hold a special place in my heart. I love you Cassey!
It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men. ~Frederick Douglass
Monday, October 4, 2010
Things my students say...
I love singing songs in my pre-K phonics class. This is what happened today after we finished our workbook pages:
With all of the pressure from the parents, bosses, or myself, it is easy to feel stressed. I need to remember that the kids are the ones that count and obviously I'm making a positive impact on them. And on a related note:
A teacher affects eternity: he can never tell where his influence stops. ~Henry Adams
Me: Ok, I'm going to try to find us a long "i" song. (turning on computer)
Class: Yay! Long "i"!!!
Me: I'm going to TRY. I'm not sure that I'll be able to find one.
Vitus: Teacher you don't have to try. You're a GOOD teacher.
Me: Aww thank you, Vitus!
With all of the pressure from the parents, bosses, or myself, it is easy to feel stressed. I need to remember that the kids are the ones that count and obviously I'm making a positive impact on them. And on a related note:
Me: (computer turned on typing in google.com)
Dennis: (raising hand)
Me: Yes, Dennis?
Dennis: Teacher, yesterday I google.
Me: (astonished) Oh really Dennis??
Dennis: Yes. (smiles enormously)
Oh goodness...I know that I am addicted to Google. I use it as a verb for Pete's sake. When I had an iPhone, I would look up anything and everything on the spot. Whenever someone asks me a question, my reply is "I don't know, but did you try Google?" I seriously can't remember what I did before it came around. Now, my impressionable pre-K students are using it too. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing.
Pictures of the two little guys:
 |
| Vitus from Scorpio class. No, this is not how he dresses everyday! This outfit is traditional Korean dress or hanbok. He was wearing this for Chuseok. Vitus likes playing soccer and baseball, and is also fiercely competitive. |
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| Dennis from Scorpio class (on "hospital play" day) One of the best things about Dennis is his cheesy grin, but he rarely shows his teeth in pictures. He is very smart and wants to be a dentist when he grows up! |
PS- Hooked on Phonics has some awesome fun songs that you can find on youtube.com (via google.com of course!) Here is Scorpio classes's favorite song. I put motions to all of the lyrics so we get to dance along:
The "Big Pig Song" is great for reinforcing the short "i" sound.
A teacher affects eternity: he can never tell where his influence stops. ~Henry Adams
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Wild Week (and it's only Wednesday)
It's been a semi-eventful week so far. I wanted to give ya'll an update. I wrote this quickly and after a draining day of teaching, so please forgive any grammatical mistakes. Kamsamnida!
The semester ended on Tuesday and I got ALL new classes today. At first I was pretty bummed because I have to learn the names/learning styles/etc. of a zillion new kids. I get to start fresh though and introduce all my rules and we got all new books. The reason I have all new classes is because I switched to all 2nd floor. Before, I taught half the day on 2nd floor and then had to go upstairs to 4th floor. So if I needed to plan or grade anything, I'd have to run up/downstairs to get my stuff.
Before, I used to teach a ton of reading. Now I don't teach ANY reading. Reading is a little bit more difficult to plan for because they just tell us what story to do and what practice book pages. We have around six worksheets but those have to last for two weeks usually. With my new classes, (grammar, vocabulary, writing, math, reading comprehension, speaking) there is less prep work. Mostly it is one lesson per each class. I will usually plan fun activities to do in my classes, but it's not like I HAVE to come up with tons of other stuff. I was super excited to get to teach math again, until one of the teachers told me it's a pretty confusing curriculum. I've only glanced at the book, so I'll have to see what it's like later.
I only got all new first-third graders. My pre-K classes stayed the same. From what I hear, they never switch teachers because the younger kids need stability. That makes complete sense. I feel very blessed to teach my adorable pre-K kiddos every morning and wouldn't trade (most of) them for the world!
Wow! I almost left out a very important part of my week (well I did leave it out and added it later.) On Tuesday night, we had a sort-of-going-away dinner for a foreign teacher. Her usual contract has come to an end, but she has agreed to teach part-time in order to help out the hagwon. All of the pre-K teachers, and all of the Korean co-teachers headed to a little restaurant that specializes in dok-boki. You know as I'm typing this, I'm not 100% certain that is the name of what we ate that night. I will check with someone and edit this later. The meal was a wee bit spicy for my taste, but overall really delicious. They even give you aprons so that you don't splash the juices onto your clothing :)
After dinner, we went to a small, mostly-empty place called Ice Bar. It was great to get to hangout with coworkers and I even got to sample some beer from North Korea! Apparently the maekju slightly altered my sensibilities, as I agreed to go to noraebang with the group. We sang and danced our hearts out and finally called it a night much, much to late. After the anxiousness of waiting for and receiving a new teaching schedule, it was nice to cut loose, have some fun, and bond with the group.
So as some of you know, my hot water has been off for an INSANE amount of time; 12 days so far. They are cleaning and possible repairing the plumbing. I was at Erica's place on the third day so I got to take a hot shower then. I freaking loathe taking cold showers! Plus, I feel less clean after several days without hot water. My solution? I went to the jimjilbang tonight!
I paid $6 entrance fee and got my uniform and 3 small towels. I had to take off my shoes and put them in a little locker. Then, I walked around a corner. I immediately noticed stuff for sale. They had food, lotions, shampoos, clothes, undergarments, accessories, and lots of scrubby tools. Next, I noticed naked ladies. O_O I knew that this was what I was getting myself into so, "when in Rome"...I headed for the locker and stuffed all my clothes in. I went and bought little packets of face wash, shampoo, and conditioner. Then, I went into the "bath" room. All along the walls they had showers and on one end of the room they have little vanities. Ladies sit at those and wash/scrub themselves and each other! I took a shower and used all my little packets of Korean cleansing products. I left the conditioner, or "rinse" as they call it here, in my hair. After that, I went and sat in a hot tub. So awesome! I dipped my toe into another hot tub, but it was way too hot. I tried out another tub with clear brown water. I have a feeling it was some kind of tea. After the tea tub I rinsed off again and rinsed out the conditioner.
I thought about going into the sauna, but when I opened the door my glasses fogged from the overwhelming heat. Next, I went to the scrubber ladies. The scrubber ladies wear undies while they exfoliate people. I didn't know they would only take cash, so I only had $3.50 left on me. They had one service that cost $3 so I pointed at that one. The lady seemed confused. She motioned that it was a hair shampoo and I agreed. She was trying to get me to do the $5 service, but I mimed that I only had a card. She told me to lie down on her table and washed, conditioned, and scrubbed (ferociously) at my head. It was assah!
Next time, I'm for sure going to take cash so that I can get a full scrub down. If you don't want to pay to have someone scrub you, then you just go with a friend or relative. I saw lots of mom/daughter and friend/friend couples scrubbing on each other. In the nude. So unusual. I rinsed off again, changed into my uniform, and paid around 10 cents to blow dry my hair. Not too bad for my first jimjilbang! My skins feels squeaky clean and rejuvenated. They also have a unisex sleeping room (pass out on the floor), a small restaurant, and masseuses. I sooo would've gotten a massage if they took debit cards! This guy does a really good job of explaining jimjilbangs.
In other news, Typhoon Kompasu is supposed to hit Korea tomorrow! I wouldn't be very nervous about this, except that it looks like the eye is going to pass straight through Seoul. Most of my coworkers are unconcerned, but we did talk quite a bit about whether or not school will be cancelled. Most likely not. I read in one place that it was a category 3, but I believe it has been down-graded to a 2. I will blog with an update after the storm passes.
The semester ended on Tuesday and I got ALL new classes today. At first I was pretty bummed because I have to learn the names/learning styles/etc. of a zillion new kids. I get to start fresh though and introduce all my rules and we got all new books. The reason I have all new classes is because I switched to all 2nd floor. Before, I taught half the day on 2nd floor and then had to go upstairs to 4th floor. So if I needed to plan or grade anything, I'd have to run up/downstairs to get my stuff.
Before, I used to teach a ton of reading. Now I don't teach ANY reading. Reading is a little bit more difficult to plan for because they just tell us what story to do and what practice book pages. We have around six worksheets but those have to last for two weeks usually. With my new classes, (grammar, vocabulary, writing, math, reading comprehension, speaking) there is less prep work. Mostly it is one lesson per each class. I will usually plan fun activities to do in my classes, but it's not like I HAVE to come up with tons of other stuff. I was super excited to get to teach math again, until one of the teachers told me it's a pretty confusing curriculum. I've only glanced at the book, so I'll have to see what it's like later.
I only got all new first-third graders. My pre-K classes stayed the same. From what I hear, they never switch teachers because the younger kids need stability. That makes complete sense. I feel very blessed to teach my adorable pre-K kiddos every morning and wouldn't trade (most of) them for the world!
Wow! I almost left out a very important part of my week (well I did leave it out and added it later.) On Tuesday night, we had a sort-of-going-away dinner for a foreign teacher. Her usual contract has come to an end, but she has agreed to teach part-time in order to help out the hagwon. All of the pre-K teachers, and all of the Korean co-teachers headed to a little restaurant that specializes in dok-boki. You know as I'm typing this, I'm not 100% certain that is the name of what we ate that night. I will check with someone and edit this later. The meal was a wee bit spicy for my taste, but overall really delicious. They even give you aprons so that you don't splash the juices onto your clothing :)
After dinner, we went to a small, mostly-empty place called Ice Bar. It was great to get to hangout with coworkers and I even got to sample some beer from North Korea! Apparently the maekju slightly altered my sensibilities, as I agreed to go to noraebang with the group. We sang and danced our hearts out and finally called it a night much, much to late. After the anxiousness of waiting for and receiving a new teaching schedule, it was nice to cut loose, have some fun, and bond with the group.
So as some of you know, my hot water has been off for an INSANE amount of time; 12 days so far. They are cleaning and possible repairing the plumbing. I was at Erica's place on the third day so I got to take a hot shower then. I freaking loathe taking cold showers! Plus, I feel less clean after several days without hot water. My solution? I went to the jimjilbang tonight!
I paid $6 entrance fee and got my uniform and 3 small towels. I had to take off my shoes and put them in a little locker. Then, I walked around a corner. I immediately noticed stuff for sale. They had food, lotions, shampoos, clothes, undergarments, accessories, and lots of scrubby tools. Next, I noticed naked ladies. O_O I knew that this was what I was getting myself into so, "when in Rome"...I headed for the locker and stuffed all my clothes in. I went and bought little packets of face wash, shampoo, and conditioner. Then, I went into the "bath" room. All along the walls they had showers and on one end of the room they have little vanities. Ladies sit at those and wash/scrub themselves and each other! I took a shower and used all my little packets of Korean cleansing products. I left the conditioner, or "rinse" as they call it here, in my hair. After that, I went and sat in a hot tub. So awesome! I dipped my toe into another hot tub, but it was way too hot. I tried out another tub with clear brown water. I have a feeling it was some kind of tea. After the tea tub I rinsed off again and rinsed out the conditioner.
I thought about going into the sauna, but when I opened the door my glasses fogged from the overwhelming heat. Next, I went to the scrubber ladies. The scrubber ladies wear undies while they exfoliate people. I didn't know they would only take cash, so I only had $3.50 left on me. They had one service that cost $3 so I pointed at that one. The lady seemed confused. She motioned that it was a hair shampoo and I agreed. She was trying to get me to do the $5 service, but I mimed that I only had a card. She told me to lie down on her table and washed, conditioned, and scrubbed (ferociously) at my head. It was assah!
Next time, I'm for sure going to take cash so that I can get a full scrub down. If you don't want to pay to have someone scrub you, then you just go with a friend or relative. I saw lots of mom/daughter and friend/friend couples scrubbing on each other. In the nude. So unusual. I rinsed off again, changed into my uniform, and paid around 10 cents to blow dry my hair. Not too bad for my first jimjilbang! My skins feels squeaky clean and rejuvenated. They also have a unisex sleeping room (pass out on the floor), a small restaurant, and masseuses. I sooo would've gotten a massage if they took debit cards! This guy does a really good job of explaining jimjilbangs.
In other news, Typhoon Kompasu is supposed to hit Korea tomorrow! I wouldn't be very nervous about this, except that it looks like the eye is going to pass straight through Seoul. Most of my coworkers are unconcerned, but we did talk quite a bit about whether or not school will be cancelled. Most likely not. I read in one place that it was a category 3, but I believe it has been down-graded to a 2. I will blog with an update after the storm passes.
"God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform. He plants his footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm. " -William Cowper
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