Christmas 2012

Thanks to my friends who took time to take videos of their local Christmas scenes!

The class in session.

“缺”

“缺”

坐在學校的辦公室裡常常會聽到這個字。不管是老師還是行政人員, 在七嘴八舌時往往會提到他們在那個部門的網站或從什麼人聽到哪裡有“缺”, 叫人趕快去申請, 要不然就是去考考看。

一個蘿蔔一個坑。

好像每個公務人員的價值都被有什麼“缺” 決定了。那專長呢? 興趣呢? 志向呢? 願景呢?

也就是說, 政府團隊不過是一群沒有理想及獨立思考能力的綿羊。

就連綿羊也有很高的生產能力。台灣的政府的專長就是生產問題。

產業要有競爭力和創造力。那政府呢? 一個沒有競爭力和創造力的政府有沒有存在的價值? 如果以商業的角度來看, 我們的政府無法提供社會及產業的需求, 但是人民(消費者)卻沒有其他選擇。我們可不可以上法院告政府壟斷市場?

政府拿人民的錢製造了一堆債。我們可不可以找黑衣人去潑油漆? 我們可不可以告政府詐欺?

公務人員的資格審評大部份是靠考試。不像我們在大學時就要開始寫介紹信, 履歷表, 作品集, 電話面試, 本人面試等。現在教育部要把教育制度帶離考試的文化。我想問的是, 如果政府自己都無法脫離考試製度, 那他們憑什麼說服人民說自己了解脫離考試製度的目的, 執行和目標呢?

感覺好像政府可以不受道德, 法律, 甚至是自己制定的制度規範。選了新的總統有用嗎? 立法院改選有用嗎? “換人做做看”已經演了好幾季了, 根本是一齣爆爛鄉土劇。劇組不改, 換湯不換藥。演員千篇一律, 劇本聊無新意。人家的爛鄉土戲用的是爛道具, 低成本的製作。政府的“換人做做看” 耗的是社會的資源, 國家的前途。而人民的痛苦指數就是它最具代表性的收視率。

那台灣最迫切的” 缺” 是什麼? 台灣不缺政府。台灣缺的是不被” 缺” 而左右, 有抱負, 有執行力, 最重要的是能夠創造自己的價值的人。其實"缺"就如代工一樣,都是看別人丟什麼骨頭過來才去跟彼此撕殺的搶機會。台灣不應該以代工為傲。反而應該以代工為恥。如果從公務人員到教育執行者都是以代工的心態來面對自己的人生, 那就不要抱怨自己的小孩長大後變成台勞。

The Elite Policy

The elite policy

Time flies and it’s been 7 months since I’ve been in school. It’s been a really long time since I was in a public school system, and my last memory of it wasn’t something I care for.

Every school is different. Every school’s teachers and students are different. The students in my school are such innocent kids, they are a blast to be with. The teachers…. Mix feelings.

Every school has its share of good and bad students. In my school, there are decent students. Many are playful, somewhat lazy, but most have positive learning attitude. There some who are doing well in certain areas, and some who lack behind due to several reasons.

Let’s talk about the good ones first. Over a year ago, a teacher(who’s no longer with us) started initiative on developing a sports team. She has sports background and therefore picked her favorite students to be on the team, most of them spread among 5^th and 6^th grade. She herself teaches the 5^th grade class. They have been very successful. Within a year of establishment, they’ve won several competitions and the students have enjoyed lots of attention and care. Obviously, the principal is backing this effort in full.

These kids are no where being pampered. The teacher has high expectation for them. She trains them, feed them, cloths them, yell at them and pretty much parent them. The kids grew to like this lifestyle. They are proud to be a part of this, and there’s nothing but good that this is happening.

Then there are a few lacking behind. Webber being one of them He doesn’t do his homework and that’s how he’s being labelled. The kid who’s never going to make it. The other kid is plain playful and lazy, but like Webber, he’s not stupid. He just needs more discipline and confidence. For both, they just need to develop interest in learning and they will soar like an eagle.

However, while the teachers have time to stay late to train the sports team, spend several weekends taking them to the sports center an hour away for professional training, order brand new and really smart looking sports uniforms for them and even prepare their meals, no one has time to give Webber and the other kid remedial classes.

We are at an era where the rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer. We are at a time when revolutions are incubated because of the inequality in society. This inequality is not because of wealth or opportunity. It is because of the lack of balanced development in education, that people who are in better positions do not have the ability to “feel” like humans should and put their shoes in those who are in need. These “elites” who are cared for because they bring honor to the school will no doubt grow up as the more successful ones if they keep up their good efforts, but that’s not really the purpose of education. If these successful ones can’t share their success by helping the rest become better, then we are doing the opposite of why we educate. We are creating a polarizing society that pushes the world to tipping points, over and over again.

Perhaps this is just what we call “human nature”. But is it? Perhaps I am just over reacting again. Who knows, kids change. May be they will suddenly become enlightened later and become a genius. May be I shouldn’t take this too seriously. After all, it’s just elementary school. Well, I really need to tell everyone that the moral and ethics of a person is most shaped in their childhood. A child can catch up with his school work in the later stages in his academic life, but once his moral values are shaped, it will take a disastrous life event for him to change his mind. We all, no matter whether you are in the business of education or just a pedestrian, have the responsibility to be on our best for our next generation. No one has the right to complain about our future, because we are the ones who shape it.

Thanksgiving 2012 by the Richards!!!

Thanksgiving was just last week and I was really excited to receive a video from my previous manager documenting how his family prepares for Thanksgiving meal as well as explaining its meaning. It was right on the night of Thanksgiving, which meant his son Brian probably put the video together right after the dinner. It was such an effort that I don't know how to thank except to film the kids' priceless reactions for them.

What I was really glad about this opportunity wasn't just for the kids to learn about the festival, but the need to be appreciative at all times, for every detail that defines their lives. Not only does the video explain Thanksgiving, it also explains family values. Tolerance, accommodation, sacrifice and trust.

Special mention:
At the end of the video, I had the kids make a card each to talk about what they are most thankful for. Many of these kids are raised by their grand parents or single parent families. They are not wealthy, some live in conditions that can be qualified as slum. There is this particular girl(and her younger siblings) whose parents are the most problematic couple in the whole school. They neglect their kids, don't bother to bath them(or make them bath themselves), or take care of their basic needs. The kids come to school smelly with dirty clothes and shoes. They come without books or even the entire school bag because they "lost" it in the house. Their house is basically a rubbish dump site. Approaching it, you will get hit by a strong stench. Stepping into the house will have you knocked over by a different strong stench. Basically, it's a combination of everything you can think of. Unwashed clothes, rotten food, urine and alcohol. The kids run around dangerous thrash that their dad picks up from who knows where. The parents aren't nice folks either. Often they get drunk. Sometimes they beat the kids.

This girl is the eldest kid in the family. Well, the "father" isn't her real father. It's complicated. Something along the line of "not getting married in order to stay on the government support program". She's the most mature one of the lot, the most considerate one, with the best learning motivation and attitude(but with a bit of laziness). However, she understands her situation is shows effort to be the best she can.

Despite her lousy parents, on her Thanksgiving card, she thanks none other than her parents. That's tolerance, accommodation, sacrifice and trust. I hope she makes her way out of her current ditch, but always remember her roots and always be there for her family.

So here's the original video from my manager. I just included the Chinese subtitles.





And here's the class itself with the video:

Meet Ragn!

Over the past few weeks, I've been hosting a series of sessions for the kids with the theme of exposing them to foreign cultures. I mean why not? There's the internet. There's the webcam, the speakers and microphones! It's been a lot of fun and challenges, and pleasant surprises too! Before I continue, I have to thank my Icelandic friend Ragn for her unbelievable support and participation. Everyone can say,"Thank you for making time out of your busy schedule..." Well, that will be an absolute understatement in this case.

So here we go....




Preface
前言

Learning is the most effective when one sees the purpose of learning. For an example, if an aspiring singer receives professional singing training, the result will be far more successful than a child being sent to a music school by his/her mother. To achieve a dream, the person will exercise initiative to acquire the necessary tools for his success. This is self motivation, which is what I want to cultivate within students by showing them the possibilities and surprises that English language can bring them in their future.

學習最有效率的時候是當一個人對所學的內容有絕對認知。比如一個人想成為歌手而接受專業的歌唱訓練, 效果會比一個被媽媽送去才藝班學唱歌的小孩還成功。當一個人想達成夢想, 自然的會主動去培養能夠幫他達到目的的條件。這種學習的動力是自發性的, 而我就是要以啟發的方式來讓學生看到英語這個溝通工具能夠為他們未來的生活帶來的機會和驚喜。

English is not a critical language to master in Taiwan. Therefore, unlike Chinese, the main purpose of learning English is simply as a communication tool. Students just need to be able to communicate his/her own ideas through English. I feel that Taiwanese students need not learn too much technical English linguistic skills in the elementary school stage, but should focus on cultivating interest in the language. Basic elements such as the alphabets and phonics are essential and should be taught. After all, these are the gateway to learn the language and its application. However, I feel that vocabulary and grammar should be left till secondary school stage. If students have not developed a keen interest in the language, they will reject the education when being faced with these technical linguistic skills. With interest, a student will motivate him/herself to create learning opportunities even without being prompted.

英語在台灣不是主要語言, 所以台灣的學生不需要精通英文, 而是能夠運用英語來當一個對外的基本溝通工具。我個人認為台灣的學生在國小階段不需要學習太多技術層面的知識, 而是培養對英語的興趣。英文字母當然是必要學習的, 畢竟生活中英文字母出現的機會比比皆是。英文字母的發音固然也重要, 因為那是學習英語的入門條件。但是英文單字的認識就可能沒有必要性。如果學生在進入國中前還沒對英語培養出興趣, 那他們面對需要學習技術性知識時, 如文法, 就會有相當的排斥。如果學生本身對英語就有濃厚的興趣, 他自然就會自己創造學習的機會。

Without the confinement of specific curriculum, I am free to decide the content of my sessions. I use thematic contents to shape the lessons. However after a few sessions, I realized that I was too obsessed with students’ learning results and was unable to maintain the “interest” part of the content. It was then when I also realized that the success of English learning is actually not important to me. What I really care about is the development of the student’s moral values. Therefore I started to focus on the meaning of the contents that I present to the students, as opposed to its quantity.

在沒有特定課程內容的壓力下, 我以主題式教學來營造各種認識英語功能的機會。進行了幾堂課後, 我發現自己太在意英語教學的成效, 反而無法把” 興趣” 的元素帶給小朋友。後來我覺得, 英語的教學其實是其次, 重要的是學生的品格教育, 所以我把重心轉移到主題的內容。

To have any teaching result from a mere 30min per week session is challenging. To teach 53 students at one time, ranging from 1st to 6th grade is far more difficult than imagined because the teaching content needs to be able to capture the attention of all of them. If I prepare content that the lower grade students enjoy, the upper graders will find it childish. If I present contents that interests the upper graders, the lower graders may not understand it. Any lose in attention can result in chaos in the classroom, making teaching even more difficult. I then design the contents to have higher level of interaction. From PowerPoint slides and YouTube videos based on various themes and cultures, I turned to more active sessions, such as basketball right on the court. Of all of the different methods and formats, I find the most effective one to be video meet with foreign friends.

要在30分鐘內達到教學成功有一定的挑戰性。同時教一到六年級, 總共53位同學,對授課內容的要求是比想像中的困難, 因為內容必須能夠抓住所有學生的興趣。低年級喜歡的內容, 高年級可能會覺得很幼稚。高年級有興趣的內容, 低年級可能聽不懂。當有一方開始覺得無聊時, 課堂的秩序就很難維持。所以我到後來的內容都儘量以高互動性的為主。從坐在教室裡透過照片及影片認識不同題材, 運動和文化, 到直接上場教學生打籃球, 我嘗試了各種不同的內容和授課模式, 而當中最有效果的是與外國人士的直接對談。



Meet Ragn!
認識瑞根姐姐!

Learning is the most effective when one sees the purpose of learning. For an example, if an aspiring singer receives professional singing training, the result will be far more successful than a child being sent to a music school by his/her mother. To achieve a dream, the person will exercise initiative to acquire the necessary tools for his success. This is self motivation, which is what I want to cultivate within students by showing them the possibilities and surprises that English language can bring them in their future.

現在台灣每間學校都有視聽教室或電腦室。不管是網路設備或者是視訊器材都不是問題。學生們雖然不一定都有自己的電腦, 但因為有上電腦課而對電腦的使用不陌生。

What’s unfamiliar is not technology or hardware, but the content.
陌生的不是科技或硬體。陌生的是內容。

When I was studying abroad, I met many Taiwanese students. Although many of them spend many years studying in English language living in an English speaking country, it seems as though they’ve never left Taiwan. Many Taiwanese choose to live in areas where other Taiwanese live out of convenience sake. Sometimes, they can get by with just speaking Taiwanese dialect; therefore there is no need to mingle with the locals. Many Taiwanese students don’t just bring themselves abroad, but also their computers and cyber lifestyle. They kept on using the Chinese interface, surf Chinese websites, read Taiwanese news, play Taiwanese computer games and linger in Taiwanese social community sites. Even when these Taiwanese students graduate from their schools, it will be very hard for them to find a job locally because they have no accustomization to local cultures. One cannot expect to be allowed to work along side with the locals if he can’t even understand local humor.

我在國外求學時, 遇到了許多台灣過去的留學生。很多留學生雖然在國外讀了書, 待了好幾年, 但卻好像沒離開過台灣。很多台灣人到了美國為了貪方便就住在華人區, 講台語也通, 不用跟當地人打交道。有很多台灣過去的學生不只把人帶出國, 連電腦和整個網路世界也一起搬了過去, 用的是中文電腦界面, 遊覽的是中文網站, 看的是台灣新聞, 打的是台灣的電玩, 泡的是台灣的社群網站。這些台灣人就算畢業了也很難在美國找到工作, 因為他們對當地的文化一概不通, 連當地人彼此講的笑話都聽不懂, 更不用說要跟他們共事了。

Language is just the beginning to the understanding of a culture.
語言只是認識文化的開始。

Ragn and I were classmates while I was going to school in the United States. She’s not an American, but Icelandic. I have no ability in Icelandic language and in fact, I can’t even pronounce Ragn’s full name. Icelandic culture also has no relationship with Chinese or Taiwanese culture, but Ragn has become one of my closest friends and one who I contact frequently. It is our common language that made this friendship possible – English.

瑞根是我在美國求學時認識的同學。她不是美國人, 而是冰島人。冰島語我完全聽不懂。其實, “瑞根” 只是簡稱。瑞根的全名我也發不出音來。冰島的文化跟台灣或中華文化完全沒交集。語言也差了一萬八千里, 但這位冰島人卻成為了我最要好的朋友之一, 也是我最常聯絡的朋友。而維持我們溝通的橋樑就是我們共同會的語言 - 英語。

Every adult here tells kids how important English is. However this “importance” is irrelevant to kids with respect to their current daily lives, nor can they see it in their future. However, this “importance” is really not about competitiveness or future career, but choices in life. The choices in life are very much related to one’s ambition or wishes. The more choices one has, the more ambitions or wishes that can be fulfilled. Every kid has his/her own ambition or wish, and for me, knowing a foreign language helped me expand my horizon without limitation.

大人都對小孩說英語有多麼重要。可是所謂的”重要”跟小孩們現在的生活還無關係。他們現在看不到未來的生活和需要。但是這些” 重要” 不是所謂的競爭力或事業, 而是生活的選項。生活的選項也就跟一個人的願望有關, 而越多生活的選項就代表一個人能實現越多的願望。相信每一個小孩都有很多想要實現的願望, 而外語能力實現的是能夠讓我不受限制的拓展我的視野。




“Technical” Issues
“技術”困難

There were many hurdles to over come during the preparation of this series of sessions. Activity time constrain, number of sessions, content, equipment and testing. However, the hardest to align is “willingness”. I have actually contacted about six friends to participate in this event, but only Ragn was able to make it. Time zone difference and work schedule are the main reasons, therefore flexibility is important. While discussing with Ragn on the agenda and teaching plans, we had to align our goals, and expectations as well as to anticipate the students’ reaction to the content, because this will shape the way we present our contents to the students.

在計畫和安排這個活動時面臨了一些技術困難。比如活動的時間限制, 活動的節數, 內容, 設備的準備及測試等。但最難湊合的是意願。其實我找了不下6位國外的朋友幫忙, 但談到最後只有瑞根最願意配合。每個人都有他們的難處。比如時差的問題, 工作上無法配合, 或根本沒有意願。當我在跟瑞根進行初步溝通時也因為對課程的目標做了很多的討論, 因為這關係到內容的準備以及如何期待學生的接受度。也關係到主辦者們對自己的期待。




First Phase: Meet Ragn!
第一階段: 認識瑞根姐姐!

The first stage is for Ragn to introduce herself, while I translate the live meet. The venue was Ragn’s apartment. The time was 12 mid night Iceland time. Under the night light, the students met Ragn’s husband and her pug Panda. They learnt that Ragn is a designer and Ragn showed the students her latest work. Ragn also shared her toy collection, and explained Icelander’s dependence on sheep, that sheep not only provides food, but clothing as well. Ragn also told the students that the early snow trapped sheep that had to be rescued by emergency rescue teams. Of course, the students screamed at the volcano photos, and found it almost fairytale like when learning that Vikings are Icelanders’ ancestors. They also find familiarity knowing that Iceland depends on fishery, just like their own home town. The students also raised interesting questions, like how much does a hand knit sweater cost, is shark meat delicious and if Iceland has trains. In merely 30 minutes, the students didn’t learn English, but what English enables one to do.

由我同步翻譯,第一階段是透過現場視訊的方式讓瑞根介紹自己。現場是瑞根的家裡。時間是冰島晚上12點。在微暗的燈光下, 忠孝國小的同學們見到了瑞根本人及她的先生, 也看到了瑞根的帕克狗Panda。他們知道瑞根是一名設計師, 也看到的瑞根最近在製作的作品。瑞根不只把自己收集的玩具秀給大家看,也讓學生了解冰島人對綿羊的依賴, 因為綿羊不只提供了冬天穿的毛衣, 冰島人還很喜歡吃羊頭料理。而比往年早到的大雪迫使冰島出動救難人員把被雪困住的羊隻救出。當然, 學生在看到冰島有名的火山爆發照片時驚聲連連。學生聽到冰島人的祖先是維京人時 , 好像有種童話成真的驚奇。但知道冰島跟成功鎮一樣是靠漁業為生時又覺得很親切。學生也對瑞根姐姐提出了許多好玩的問題。如羊毛織的毛衣貴不貴? 鯊魚肉好不好吃? 冰島有沒有火車等。就在區區30分鐘內, 學生學到的不是英語, 而是英語的神奇。








Second Phase: Meet Ragn’s Iceland!
第二階段: 認識瑞根的冰島!

Although it is still a live show this time, Ragn prepared a presentation that included many photos to be shown from my end. This allows the students to have a much clearer view of Iceland, understand Icelandic history and traditions. The presentation started with Iceland’s map, city scapes and natural scenery. It also featured Vikings, traditional Icelandic costume and houses, mysterious legend characters, astronomical and geological phenomenon. It also featured spectacular volcanic eruption images, snow covered landscape and traditional Icelandic sheep dishes. Just like the last time, the contents got the kids staring at the screen, sometimes with jaws dropped. And just like the last time, they had endless questions!

這次雖然瑞根還是有現場演出, 但準備了簡報與學生分享。簡報裡準備了許多的照片由我這裡播放, 瑞根講解。這樣學生能夠跟清楚的看到冰島的樣貌, 了解冰島的歷史及傳統。這次的內容包括了冰島的地圖, 城市的樣貌, 自然的景色,維京人的模樣, 傳統的房屋及服裝, 神秘的傳說人物, 特別的天文和地理景象, 爆發中的火山, 白茫茫的大雪及傳統羊頭料理。就如上次一樣, 內容依然豐富。學生們看得目瞪口呆, 也很激動的爭先恐後發問, 好像有永遠問不完的問題!








Third Phase: Tour de Iceland!
第三階段: 冰島趴趴走!

This time, Ragn wasn’t doing live telecast. In order to show Iceland better, especially in the day, Ragn made a video taking the students around the different spots of her city to better explain what Iceland is like. Like a travel show, Ragn introduced various spots, from the most popular shopping district, landmarks, sea port, airport to her own work studio. Students also saw traditional Icelandic houses and the colorful roof tops. Ragn also took the students to the top of Iceland’s tallest church to get a better view of the city. They also went to the museum to see a Viking, then to the wool store to see sweaters made for wine bottles. Although the students could not feel the cold climate, it was as though they’ve taken a tour of Iceland in person. And just like the last time, and the last time, the more they know, the more questions they have. So I had them take a few minutes to write down one question they have for Ragn, to be answered by Ragn herself!


這次瑞根姐姐雖然不是現場與學生們見面, 但是為了能讓學生們看到跟完整的冰島樣貌, 瑞根利用白天的時候錄制了冰島的街貌, 並像旅遊節目般的為學生介紹不同的景點, 主要的商圈, 重要的地標, 港口, 機場, 以及她的設計工作室。學生看到了冰島傳統的建築以及那七彩繽紛的屋頂。也跟著瑞根姐姐爬上冰島最高的教堂上俯瞰冰島街景, 進入到博物館裡看維京人的傳統服裝, 還到毛衣專賣店看給酒瓶穿的毛衣。這次學生們如親自到了冰島一趟, 只是無法感受當地的寒意, 不過如上次一樣, 每個人越看問題越多, 所以趁下課時讓學生提問,下回解答。





 




Forth Phase: Mystery solved!
第四階段: 答案揭曉!

What does your Halloween look like?
What’s the most delicious fish in Iceland?
Is there Kantoni in Iceland?
Note: Kantoni is a kind of Japanese stew popular in Taiwan’s convenient stores.
Are there trains in Iceland?
What festivals are there in Iceland?
Are there Vickings in Iceland now?
Are there ghosts in Iceland?
Why do you want to live in Iceland?
Who is your idol?
Are there rockets in Iceland?
Do you have kids? I really want to meet them!
Are there gas stations and 7-Elevens in Iceland?
What are you dressing as on Halloween?
What do you sing?
Are there rice noodles in Iceland?
A: Are there gas stations in Iceland?
B: Are there sashimi in Iceland?
Are there playground slides in Iceland?

你們的萬聖節長什麼樣子?
冰島最好吃的魚是什麼?
冰島有關東煮嗎?
冰島有什麼節慶?
冰島現在有維京人嗎?
冰島有鬼嗎?
你有偶像嗎?
冰島有火箭嗎?
你有小孩嗎? 好像見他們噢!
冰島有7-11嗎?
萬聖節你要扮什麼?
冰島有米粉嗎?
冰島有加油站嗎?
冰島有生魚片嗎?
冰島有溜滑梯嗎?



Like in the third phase, Ragn went all over the place with her video camera to find answers for the students. However, this time, Ragn also took everyone to Iceland’s most famous haunted house, made a cooking show demonstrating how to cook a simple Icelandic fish dish, sang Icelandic children’s song with a Ukulele and had Panda show her tricks. Ragn also showed her grandparents’ photos and explained her grandparents’ influence on her life. At the end of the video, Ragn took everyone to a local playground to show the students what it is like, and of course, there are playground slides in Iceland too!

瑞根姐姐如上次一樣, 帶著攝影機上山下海的為學生解答問題。這次瑞根不只帶學生趴趴走, 去看冰島最有名的鬼屋, 還親自下廚教學生如何製作冰島簡單的傳統料理, 彈著烏克利利唱冰島的童謠, 還叫她的帕克狗Panda表演絕技。瑞根還用她成長的照片介紹了她的爺爺奶奶及外公外婆, 並解說為什麼他們對她的意義重大。在影片最後, 還帶學生到冰島的游樂場看溜滑梯, 仿彿不管到了世界哪個角落, 永遠找得到溜滑梯!





At last, it was time for the students to show their gratitude. I allocated about 15min for the students to write a thank you card for Ragn, providing some simple English vocabs so that they can use them in the card. The simple yet lively cards represented the students’ spirits and appreciation for Ragn’s time and efforts, and I am sure if Ragn pay a visit to the school, the students will go even crazier than Jacky Chan’s visit!

到了最後階段, 請各位學生花十五分鐘做一張感謝卡片給瑞根姐姐。我也在投影機上打出簡單的英文感謝詞讓學生們抄寫在卡片上。雖然只有短短的十五分鐘, 學生們都很專心的在卡片上作畫。一張張簡單但精美的卡片充份的代表了學生對瑞根姐姐的感謝。我想如果瑞根造訪忠孝國小, 學生的反應肯定比成龍的訪問還瘋狂!














Thoughts
感想

It hasn’t been very long since the event came to an end, so I am still making observations on how this event has influenced the students’ learning motivation with regards English. However, from excitement to anticipation, the students were asking “Where’s Ragn?” every week. Although now that we have moved on to other themes, both sides can’t bear to say good bye. Thanks to technology, “good bye” is not necessary, because Ragn has never left and will eventually make a return soon. Even as the students grow older, they can always find Ragn though the internet… but of course, they have to learn English first!

活動剛結束不久, 這個經驗對學生的學習效果還有待觀察。不過從一開始的興奮到後來的期待, 學生們每個禮拜都在問” 瑞根姐姐” 呢? 雖然活動告了一個段落, 雙方彼此都不捨得就此道別也就拜科技之福, “道別” 已經不是必要的了。” 瑞根姐姐” 還是會再回來與大家見面的。甚至當學生長大了, 也可以時常與瑞根網上交談, 不過要先學英文啦!

As mentioned in the preface, I hope that students are not occupied with what on tomorrow’s examinations, or the future career competitiveness, but a life full of options. It takes self-motivation to learn language, knowledge, skills, methods and logic. A student’s future does not end upon graduation, but all the way through his entire life. The key to his success lies on how he maintains being a humble person with self-sustained motivation to learn, to constantly generate new values and contributions. The students may not be able to see their future now, but if they can cultivate interest as the foundation to future learning instead of being forced to, it will be a lifetime of influence, and a positive sustained contribution to the society’s future.

就如前言所提, 我希望學生看到的不是明天的考試, 也不是工作的競爭力, 而是未來多彩多姿的人生。不管是什麼語言, 什麼知識,技能, 方法及邏輯, 必須還是要運用個人的自我啟發來創造學習的動力。一個學生的未來不是只到大學畢業, 而是他在人生中如何不斷的虛心學習, 不斷的創造新的價值。或許學生們現在還看不到未來, 但是如果能先培養學習的動力作為未來的基礎, 而不是以壓力來逼迫學習, 造成往後對學習的排斥, 對一個人的影響才是長遠的, 對一個社會的發展才是永續的!

The boy "Webber"

There's a boy in school.... well, I'll call him Webber here. There are a few problematic kids in school and Webber is one of them. No he is not a naughty or rude boy. In fact, you will hardly hear his name being called any time. The problem with Webber is he never does his home work.

Webber's former class teacher is a spartan-style hot head. Don't get me wrong, she's a great teacher in certain aspects and she has more compassion for her students than anyone I know. However, her style of teaching isn't for Webber. She practically leaves him behind because she only had patience for the elite.

The teacher passed away recently, so a replacement teacher came. That doesn't seem to help. Webber still isn't doing his home work.

Last semester, I have briefly guided Webber on his home work. It was quite an weird experience. The home work was a comprehension essay in Chinese with a couple of multiple choice questions. Webber can read all of the words. He understands the literal meaning of the essay, but he simply cannot understand the moral value that the essay was trying to teach. It seemed as though Webber had never ever come across this moral value, which is one has to be determined to finish what he started no matter how much harder it gets.

It was tough for Webber. He can spend hours writing just a few words. Is it concentration issue? Is it understanding issue? Or is it attitude?

One thing for sure is Webber has already recognized himself as the slowest student in the whole world.

Under the previous regime, the teacher banned Webber's classmates from lending him anything to work with. Webber came to school everyday without his home work, and of course, he gets punished by having to do his unfinished home work while the rest of the class was having fun. Of course Webber won't want to focus on his unfinished home work. He wanted to be a part of the class that has rejected him.

So I have a theory on Webber. He comes to school knowing that the teacher is going to give him a hard time for not doing his home work, but he still doesn't do his home work. Just like a suicide attempt, most just want attention, sending a message calling for help. Webber can be in the same state, trying to send a message in his subconsciousness. It just take someone to figure out what it is. I haven't.

Kids in this school gets tagged by teachers. Not good. Webber is one of them. So much so that Webber doesn't really have any play mate, all but his puppies.

Well, Webber isn't a good dog buddy either. He borderline abuses his dogs and I've been told that he has caused many deaths of his past pets. He sounded like a serial pet murderer or something. However, Webber has this adult yellow dog that just adores Webber. Seeing him interact with Webber, I've never seen such a loyal dog in my life. He follows Webber to school in the morning, and waits for him to get off. Webber doesn't treat him badly. He just doesn't know how to treat him the right way. Webber also has two other puppies in his cage, too small to be let out. One of them died. Perhaps illness, perhaps it was just too weak to survive. I told Webber to stop adopting puppies. He doesn't know how to take care of them.

Webber tend to have this habit of tailing other kids. When some kids get together to play, Webber tails them. He doesn't go up to ask if he can join them because he knows that he will get rejected, but he tails them any way. So one afternoon, Webber was tailing two kids. These two kids got fed up with Webber and confronted him. They exchanged words and then one of them held Webber while the other hit him. The two kids then went to tell on Webber to the cops and to Webber's grand mother. Webber's grand mother thought Webber was at fault, but later found out that Webber was sort of the victim, and went to confront the two kids. The grand mother then came to school to report the incident to the teachers. Mean while, one of the two kids thought they needed revenge. So they opened Webber's puppy's cage and let it run loose. The puppy, being in the cage all the time, went wild and onto the road. It wasn't long before a car came along and ran over it.

Webber, devastated, was crying. A teacher saw Webber and went over to find out what's going on. It was then when the adult yellow dog took a bite to the teacher's leg, thinking that he was going to do Webber harm.

So Webber not only lost his puppy, but also the yellow dog because his grand mother doesn't want another biting incident and sent the dog away. Webber has no one to play with now.

Never mind the two idiots. It's a shame that we can no longer punish kids. I'd have had them kneel in front of the whole school if I am in the position to school them.

I briefly spoke to Webber's teacher about this, but was very disappointed that she can't see beyond this "good student/bad student" mentality. Webber lost what's important to him. Sure he needs to do his home work. Sure the dogs are consuming too much of his attention. However, these are not the reason why he is being tagged. Webber never found the help he was looking for when he started having problems. No one really helped him and he's lost. I can't bear to see him fall deeper especially with the lost of his companions. He's not a stupid kid. He's polite, soft spoken, just with bad attention span and serious lack of confidence.

So I decided to have him stay behind on Wednesdays for remedial, hopefully to restore some of his confidence while putting some pressure on him to perform. Today was the first session.

While helping other kids, Webber was told to finish some home work. It's a simple one, just copy and write the words selected by his teacher. It's just a task of copy and write many many times, and it's not even that much work. Webber works really slow, reaaallly slow. For the first two hours, he only did about 1/10 of the work. I kept telling him that he needs to train himself to write faster, because no one's going to wait for him outside of school. He just kept dragging his feet.

Mean while, I was drilling on another kid teaching him the first five letters in the alphabets. He's 4th grade and should have learnt this by third grade. Even the third graders do better than him. While doing so, I was drawing stuffs on the black board to liven the teaching. Instead of just testing the kid on the letters, I draw a dragon to test him on "D" and "A", and an elephant to test "E" and "A". Then as I was drawing a .....

"Donkey!" A voice spoke. It was Webber. He said,"Donkey" which no one in school has taught him.

Then he said,"There's a donkey in Shrek, and an Ogre too!" He said "Ogre" in English, with perfect pronunciation. Ogre with the "R", not Engrish like most kids do.

He said the local hostel-style hotel puts up outdoor movies on weekend nights and he loves watching Shrek, and picked up those words. I was impressed, very impressed! I think I found Webber's talent!

It was 3.30pm and I meant to wrap the session up at 4pm. I told Webber, "If you finish that line in time, I will draw you a Dracula." He looked and the clock, took a deep breath and went to town with his home work. In no time, as in just 15 minutes, he finished that line. That line alone was more work than what he did in the first two hours. I asked him how long did he take to do that. He looked at the clock and said 15min.

"See, you can do it!"

Then I said, if you finish the next line before 4pm, I will draw something else. He did it in 5min. I think he must have been impressed too!

Then I said, if you finish the rest of the home work tonight, I will draw you anything you want. Now that's raising the stake!

Tomorrow, we'll see. I better get my pen ready!



*Update* The son of a b*tch didn't do his homework the that night.

Sports Day!

Just photos of joy from the sports day. Enjoy!





The day started with an excruciating hour and a half of speech.




The show started with the kindergarteners in action!



 





Then comes the parade.




Pretty lame "exercise", designed for fat city kids, that every kid had to do.



 Grandma comes to help!



Everyone gets a chance to dash for the finish line!









And the winners!!!



Some actions with the parents, grandpas and grandmas!















Lunch break!


Huge rice bun....






Kids running in a circle to see who gets tossed out first. Training to become a fighter pilot/race car drivers ( G-load resistance training?).


And the fattest kid always ends up being the one catching everyone else.


Meanwhile there's a grasshopper massacre going on.


Older sister swinging her younger brother.


More winners!



Toss the ball!












Soooo ready for action!




6th grader helping 1st grader.


Last event: Relay!