Simple Life 2013 Jan 16

I don't know how many of these videos I will get to film. This was taken by chance and I've been wanting to do this, just without the courage. Here's a student from my school, a third grader who was from here, but left for the city with his mom for two years before being sent back to live with his grandparents. He's considered lucky, because he got to live with his mom for a while. The other little girl in the video is a first grader. I asked her where her parents are and how often she gets to see them. She just said once a year, for a few days. This is pretty much the norm here. This boy is also the best performing student in his class, academic wise, simply because he's been to school in the city before. The expectations between city and rural is huge. The kids here lack stimulation from home because they are mostly raised by their grandparents who don't know any better. This is a complicated vicious cycle of inadequate education, family values and low prospects.

Christmas 2012 Berlin and Madrid!!!!

Just a happy little quiet village

Over on the other side of the mountain is Hualien county. The rice harvest is over and farmers plant particular types of flowers on their land as fertilizers. Within a month or two, with they will bulldoze the flowers, the remains of the flower plants will become fertilizer for the next batch of paddy.

On the way to Hualien, there's a community along the mountain pass. It sits within a valley with monkeys as their companions. It is really quiet here, but people care about decorating their homes with gardens and bright colored windows and doors. Most importantly, everyone seemed to be having a pleasant time.






Plum Flowers along the mountain pass.













Drying pickled veggies

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: