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I just read this article on CFPing's blog. It is exactly what I have preached to parents here for years. Let kids be kids to explore the outside world before putting them in any confined setting. I often see parents use TVs, video games and the computer as a babysitting tool. My words often fall to deaf ears. 

The other day when we were estimating how tall a giraffe is in class. Nine kids told me that they have never been to a zoo and they don't know how tall a giraffe really is. Sad! I bet they all have PlayStations, GameCube, or Xboxes at home. I didn't have any of those technological devices when I was growing up but I sure know how to learn to operate a computer well and do a little programming later on in life. Internet was not even invented when I was in elementary school. (Correction: OK. To be more specific, maybe it was invented already before my school age, but it was only for military use. I am not "ancient". Hahaha.) We did not learn English until we were in Grade 7, but it did not hurt our learning curve for any other foreign languages. (I also know a little Japanese and Spanish as well.)  I had a solid foundation for oral language in both dialects (Taiwanese and Mandarin) at home and thorough written Chinese at school. Children should have a solid foundation for their mother tongue before learning a new language!

I am just a nobody (hehehe) to parents in Taiwan, but here is an article from somebody who has made it big in Taiwan. Maybe his words would carry some weight to parents there. 
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If you want to read CFPing's personal comments, please go to his site. (Sorry, CFping. I couldn't copy yours because you locked the right key on your page.) http://www.wretch.cc/blog/CFPing&article_id=17353074#trackbacks

This article was copied from another site. Here is the link. http://blog.yam.com/eyesfun/article/8155310#comments

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I was extremely busy during my freshman year. My friend ND got me a part time job working at the university snack/photocopy shop as a photocopy girl. I was so excited about that job because that was where the PhyEd students hang out. Hahahaa… I got to meet all the famous national baseball players from my hometown Chia-Yi. (I should have asked all of them for the autographs.) Where I worked was right under the auditorium and right next to the building of Students’ Centre. So, I could go to the Club and hang out with my pals before my class or after work.



I might not be the smartest student but I sure did work hard, at least to the best of my ability. I hang out at the library a lot. To be honest, the first year was a bit of a culture shock for any freshmen at the English Department. Remember, we did not grow up learning English at a very young age. In fact, language centres for young children were unheard of when we were young. Suddenly, we were put in a full English immersion setting and had all these foreign instructors and professors teaching us in English. It definitely took a while for all of us to get used to it.



My favourite course was Linguistics. Our instructor was a very interesting character who was not too much older than we were. I think he just graduated from the grad school at Fu Jen. He certainly introduced me to a very important stage of my English learning as well as the realm of English rock music. I got to listen to the first album of the bands, America, Eagles and W.A.S.P., when a group of us visited his home in Shih Lin. The instructor for our Conversation class, a Philippino Chinese, was big into another band, Air Supply’s music. She used to tell us to listen to their songs because the band sang each and every word so clearly that it would be easy for us to understand. It is very interesting that I officially stepped into the pop rock music at this time.
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Happy Thanksgiving to all friends new and old who are in or from the U.S. of A.! 
American Thanksgiving is always the day that all Christmas decorations or sales would come on in full gear. On my way to school this morning, the radio was finally blasting with Christmas songs for the first time. We also got the first "white stuff" in the air today, not enough accumulation to stay on the ground but enough to cause many car accidents. I like to watch snow when I am home with a mug of hot coco, but not too keen on driving on the snowy road. The freezing rain made the road to work even more treacherous this morning. It is dangerous enough to drive in the freezing rain, but, somehow, people forget how to drive properly after half a year. There are always those people who have big “I”(a five-letter word that ends with ot and rhymes with riot) stenciled on their forehead when driving on the first day of snow by zooming, changing lanes and passing recklessly. Thank God for getting me to work safely.
I always like the thought of Thanksgiving. My students are currently working on the Native Studies. When we had our Canadian Thanksgiving in October, I read a simple picture book about the Thanksgiving prayer from the native Chiefs. I don’t remember the exact book title, but here is a very similar one on line from http://www.aaanativearts.com/article1011.html. It is a great concept to teach the children about how to appreciate the Mother Nature. 

I thank the web site for kindly sharing this prayer with all of us.
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Haudenosaunee thanks giving prayer....KEYWORDS: native American prayer thanksgiving prayer Haudenosaunee prayer Seneca prayer turtle clan prayer corn planter tribe Indian prayers prayer of thanks giving give thanks

AUTHOR: Family members state that the following prayer, as translated into English, was confirmed as being accurate by a woman who, at the time, was the hereditary Grandmother of the Turtle Clan of the Corn planter Tribe of the Seneca Nation of the Haudenosaunee. (She has since passed.)

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The other day one of my long lost university classmates accidently came across my old blog at another web site and she emailed me immediately. What a surprise! Internet has made the world a little bit smaller and brought people closer to each other. My friend found out that I did not bring any old university photos with me. Immediately, she made up a PowerPoint slide show for me with many of her personal photos. At the end of her email, she said that she could not find me visible in any of those photos. I was always missing in action? (Hahahaha…. NO WAY! I guess she just purchased those photos with "her" in the photos.) I was there in most of those events, but I was always in the background. I guess I felt more comfortable to be the “mother hen” who organized the events, but I was often in hiding or shy away from group photos. I am not really photogenic anyway. Hehehe. The slide show definitely brought back lots of memories. Thank you again my friend (O.F.) for your thoughtful slide show and the effort.

I felt at ease when I was at Fu Jen. We lived in Yung Ho city at the time and I had to commute to Hsin Zhuan everyday. The only way for me to be close to the campus life was to get a job by the university campus or in the university. I was lucky enough to find part time jobs and later on a full time position within the campus. My first two years of university life was evolved around the campus.

I was very active in extra curricular activities, student clubs and student council. For the freshman year, I was in cheerleading team. I still remember that skimpy outfit we had to wear while doing those Can-Can kicks with two pom-poms and dancing to the song, Eye of the Tiger. (I never liked that song anyway.) I had a great experience participating in the team but also realized the cheerleading thing was not really my cup of tea. The outfit sure got some unwanted attention, though. Hehehe.

The main student club I was actively involved was very small and on the verge of extinction. I didn’t really know how I got dragged into it. I just remember I was at the Extracurricular Clubs Fair organized by the student council. Somehow, without much knowledge of all the clubs, I got signed on to the International Philately and Pen pal Club. Later on, the Club chair, a guy from the Math Department, kept calling me up at home and asked me to help him out. I did not really like the way he organized the event and how he managed the club, so I did help him out a bit to do the leg-work. Eventually, I became the chair a year later. Go figure!

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For those children who are not doing well in my class, I generally have an interview with the parents right away to discuss about the child’s difficulties. I hate to wait until after the report cards get sent home. It would seem to be a bit too late for me by then. I want the children to do well and I want to help them overcome any obstacle as soon as possible. Often, during the interview, I get to know the personal side of their family stories.
 
One day I had to talk to a parent for the third time regarding her child’s progress. The family just moved to Canada about a year ago. The child is still receiving additional language support from the ESL program. It usually takes an ESL student three to five years to fully function at the regular grade level. For this particular child, she has sufficient oral language competency to communicate in class. I am more concerned about her learning behaviour at school because she does not seem to acknowledge whether she fully understands a new concept after the instruction or she needs more teacher assistance. I can not help a student who simply stares at you blank with two big bright eyes, no nodding, no facial expressions or no words of YES or NO.
 
The parent was very supportive at the interview, and she told me that both she and her husband are aware of this problem. They are working consistently at home to help the child bridge the gaps. Afterwards, she started telling me about their family situation, which is just like many other family stories that I have heard over the years.
 
This family just came from Asia. Both parents were university lecturers with PhDs in their native home country. They came with a dream and a hope of securing a similar position here in Canada. Both of their credentials and qualifications have been evaluated, converted and recognized by the professional institutions here. The mother has to stay home with the youngest toddler and two older school-aged children due to the expensive child care cost. The father has been looking for work for the last six months in his field but is currently pumping gas at a gas station. They are distressed and disappointed that they can not find jobs in their professional field. It is only the matter of time when their saving runs out. When the family is distressed, the child usually reacts to the distress in their own way.
 
I call this one a typical immigrant story because I have heard many others like this one over the years. I have met teachers working as school custodians, engineers working in the factory, doctors working as maids at nursing homes or as taxi drivers, accountants working as cashiers or architects working in constructions. Historically, Canada is a country of immigrants but has not been able to fully utilize the highly skilled workforce they have welcomed with open arms in the recent years. It takes a long time for these foreign trained professionals to finally find suitable jobs for their skills. It is a waste of human resources and intellects in my view.
 
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We have novel studies for the Grade Three students. One of the novels that I would read with my students this year is Charlotte's Web. Ordinary Miracle, one of my favourite songs by the Canadian singer Sarah McLachlan, is used as the theme song for the movie, Charlotte's Web. Here is the video clip.


Sarah McLachlan-Ordinary Miracle

It’s not that unusual when everything is beautiful
It’s just another ordinary miracle today

The sky knows when it's time to snow
You don’t need to teach a seed to grow
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This is a song of my past. Every time when Bryan Adams started with that "Oh, thinking about all our younger years...” I used to feel so sad that all my close friends were so far away in Taiwan. Although I have lost contact with so many friends throughout the years, I have made new ones as well. Somehow, no matter how many friends I have made or how many years I have been here, once a while, my heart still aches whenever I hear the song play on the radio.
 
I have been in Canada for a while and have made this place my home. For those people who have left your home countries and have been far from friends and family for years, maybe some of you can understand my sentiment here. I sometimes feel like I just don't belong to a particular place anymore, a misfit. When you situate yourself in a foreign land, no matter how long you have been in the place, you are always looked upon as an immigrant from afar, an outsider. I know I have made this country my home, but once a while, I have this romantic thought about the rosy past in Taiwan. I miss my past and everything old. I love Taiwan.
 
The truth of the matter is I probably would miss Canada if I were in Taiwan right now. I love Canada, too! Last time when I was in Taiwan, I could sense that I was treated as a guest in my own country. The sense of belonging has gradually faded. Sometimes I wonder if my world in Taiwan has changed to the point that I can not recognize or relate to any longer. It simply has become a completely different reality from the memory of my past. I have close attachment to both places, but I also feel that I don’t belong to either. I am merely a passenger through time.
 
A few days ago, an old classmate accidently came across my blog and got in touch with me. I was so excited to hear from an old pal from the past. Through blogging, I am also getting in touch with people, strangers, schoolmates and acquaintances alike, whom I would have no way of communicating years ago. I am grateful and also cherish deeply for this kind of special encounters. The world at large is suddenly only a click away on my desk by my coffee.

 
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October 31, 2007

Happy Halloween for the Little Ones: Monster Mash

This is a popular tune for Halloween Party for the little ones at school. I'd better get my recipe for my Witches' Brew ready for this afternoon. Yahahahahahaha........(with a shrieking voice)! My kiddies just love me when they drink my secret potion with the ingredients of spider legs, toad blood, lizard tail,..., and a grain of salt. YahaHAHAHAHA(can not stop my shrieking laugh)!

I have to laugh because it will be a super hyperactive day today for the Halloween costumes and a sugar pumping day tomorrow. I am not too keen on either! Boo!


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It is quite popular right now. Some kids really like these two movies, High School Musical 1 and 2. I have never watched the movies, so I can not really give you the critique. My friend was telling me that his daughter in grade three could watch and listen to the songs all day long. Anyway, here is a couple of cute clips of the song, I Don't Dance, from the movie. The first one is the version that I like, and the second video clip is the kids' perferred version with lyrics. Enjoy it!







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Wherever there is a war, atrocity or disaster happened in a particular country, we know that we would be getting a few students from that region in a year or two. Canada is quite well known for taking in refugees. Years ago, we had the children from Somalia. Then we had children from the Balkan region when the war was raging in Europe. Not too long ago, we had a surge of Afghan children. Now we are getting students from the Middle East. I have a student who just came from Iraq five months ago. All these refugee children have one thing in common; they do not speak a word of English when they arrive.
 
The little Iraqi boy I have is a very bright little boy. He landed in Canada with his family and registered at our school in June. It is amazing to see how much English he has picked up over the last few months. Whenever I am teaching in class, I could tell from his sparkling big eyes that his mind is trying to process all this information in a completely different language. He laughs at my jokes and shows so much enthusiasm to participate in class. So far, he seems to be able to follow the class’ momentum quite well.
 
One quarter of my class is ESL students and another quarter is children with special needs. The rest of the students are within a range from being average to tremendously smart. To teach a class like this, it takes a lot of thinking and planning ahead. Quite often I find myself being “a comedian” or I have to resort to use “physical drama” like a clown in order to teach a new concept to the class. I turned the lesson on “photosynthesis” into an action drama. The lesson on “pollination” was done without getting too much into the technical birds and the bees. My students seem to take the words such as “eggs” and “ovary” quite normal like a scientist without any woo or ahhh. (Hehehe….My drama professor would be very impressed with how I have applied everything I learned from her class.)
 
In September, the little boy and his mother came to our Curriculum Night for the first open house. The mother tried using her limited English to tell me that the boy really enjoys being in my class and he thinks that I am very funny. (Hahaha…. I AM very funny! Tell that to my sister. Maybe I should just forget about teaching and get into acting or stand-up comedy instead.) I was so pleased after I talked to his mother. At least I know he is grasping some of my instruction in class.
 
The other day, I was reading a book titled The Lotus Seed by Sherry Garland. It is a lovely book that I read every year whenever I get to teach the part how some plants grow from seeds and the seeds can stay dormant for years. When I was reading the part that the main character and her family had to flee Vietnam and escaped from the war to come to a new country, I could see my little student from Iraq with tears swelled up in his eyes. I had to stop reading for a few seconds to pretend to cough and then secretly wiped away my tears. The boy UNDERSTOOD my story reading very well and he was able to relate his personal experience to the story.
 
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