Sunday, January 31, 2010

A Political Quandry.

Now I tend to keep politics out of my blogs.  It has nothing to do with a general malaise or disinterest in the subject, but primarily because of the political environment today.  For someone who finds himself slightly to the right of center on the political spectrum, I am increasingly targeted and misrepresented by those on both extremes.  To the liberals I am just another misinformed moron who wants a case of Natural Ice and my shotgun.  To those on the far right I am not truly one of them.  I cannot be counted on to provide support at all times.

The curiosity I have is this.  When did it become politically unacceptable to make up your own mind?  When did it become un-American to vote your conscience?  I'm reminded here of Thomas Jefferson:


"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but inform their discretion."


Jefferson believed in an educated citizenry.  Yet, today, those of us who disagree with liberal politics are seen as uneducated, slovenly scum, who don't deserve the right to vote.  We're seen as unfit and therefore the government should make our decisions for us.  Well forgive me for rejecting the paternalistic notion of "you don't know whats good for you."  I have received a world class education through my years.  Even with this it's assumed that I just don't know any better.  Yet, the true nature of Democracy is that even if we do not agree, I am entitled to voice my opinion.  Look at what Jefferson said, "the remedy is not to take it from them, but inform their decision." 


I want to use an example of something that recently occurred between some friends and I.  An article was posted that stated President Obama is still very popular with the "over-educated."  Most people instantly took this to be a Fox News article and attacked it as Right Wing Propaganda (some of these quotes are from my friends, other just random people, but all of these are actual quotes.  I removed their names):


"That's the typical Republican mentality. People who are educated are elitist and dangerous. Look who their absolute darling is right now: Sarah Palin. "
 
"Cain't truss dem feller's what got alla dere teef."
 
"I didn't know one could be OVER-educated. Is this some new catchphrase designed by Sarah Palin-ites to diss intellectuals?"
 
"It baffles me to no end. Just a strange way of creating a most structured class system. I know this is a stab at the "Liberal Elite" but I'm sure there are a lot of over-educated folks on the Right that can't stand Obama."
 
Here is the thing about this whole exchange.  The article was written by a writer who works for the Huffington Post.  This is a Progressive news website which decidedly tilts towards the far left of the political spectrum.  However, nobody spent anytime to investigate the source of this article before instantly proclaiming it to be a right wing smear job.  It took me all of one minute to find out the author and then find out who he writes for.  However, people love to show their ignorance by jumping to conclusions.

This also shows just how vile the current political environment is.  We have a system in place that vilifies the middle.  A majority of America is located in the middle, but both parties are currently being held hostage by the far ends of the spectrum.  I think that President Eisenhower said it best:
 
“People talk about the middle of the road as though it were unacceptable. Actually, all human problems, excepting morals, come into the gray areas. Things are not all black and white. There have to be compromises. The middle of the road is all of the usable surface. The extremes, right and left, are in the gutters. ” 

Monday, January 25, 2010

Another Passing.

Today I am saddened by the news that my Grandfather has passed away.  My mother's father had been in and out of the hospital for the past few months for various problems.  His death is still rather sudden it seems.  He passed away today with his wife of over 50 years by his side.  Apparently he just stopped breathing and went very peacefully.  My mother is headed out to San Diego to help make arrangements for his burial.  We appreciate your thoughts and prayers.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Great Educational Videos.

These are some of the best educational videos I've found online to help with the teaching of English.  I think it will be an interesting way to help you enter the mind of a ESL teacher in Korea.

Hamsters Alphabet Song:  Teaching the alphabet can be a repetitive task here in Korea.  The official government line is that they are not supposed to actually learn the English alphabet until they are in the 4th grade.  The problem with this fact is that well over half of the students attend Hagwons (private academies).  The problem this presents us with is that half of the class already knows the alphabet, and the other half either have no interest in learning it or have never learned it before.  What this means is that it is like pulling teeth to get the kids to practice.  This video is an essential way to make the kids want to practice.  All that is required is to play the video and the students will start signing along.  I even repeatedly received requests for this video.



School House Rock:  Ohh yes, that.  Believe it or not YouTube has become a veritable bonanza for English teachers.  You can find almost all of the School House Rock series located on the site.  School House Rock still today is an effective tool in teaching language.  I mean, how many of remember the immortal line "conjunction junction, what's your function"?  Well, it turns out that several of these videos have use here in Korea.  Prepositions, Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Pronouns, and even Interjections are something that we teach.



Vocabulary Videos:  Teaching vocabulary is unfortunately an essential part of learning any language.  As such we tend to spend lots of time going over thematic vocabulary units.  These units vary from rooms in a home, to parts of the body.  It is essential to reinforce this vocabulary through targeted practice of essential words.  To this end the internet is a valuable resource.  Take this clip for example, which was at one time aired on Sesame Street.  While it is short, it effectively covers parts of the body, and more importantly engages the students in using vocabulary.



Music Videos:  Something we do to change the rhythm of a course is use music videos which highlight key phrases and thematic units which we are teaching.  Take for example the unit "Will you help me please?"  The curriculum comes with a song for this chapter, however it is pure rubbish.  A better song to use would be the Beatles song "Help!"  This song provides a more colloquial usage of how to ask for help, and more importantly doesn't make me feel like throwing something at the computer.



Change of Pace:  Sometimes you just need to have a change of pace with your students.  Whether it is general malaise or just a need to refresh your and their spirits.  This is best accompanied by a video showing something funny.  Anything funny really will work in this situation.  I have found that the best results come from funny animal videos and clips that would qualify for America's Funniest Home Videos.  Enjoy.



Scary Videos:  I know it's mean to do to the students, but nothing will get their attention faster then starting with a video like this.  What is best is that none of them have seen it before you show it to them.  It's great, and would probably get you fired if you tried something like this in America.



The Noun Song:  I recently just finished a grammar session in the English Camp that I am teaching.  I stumbled upon this song when I realized that I needed something to help reinforce the definition of a Noun.  Little did I know that this little diddy would be so catching that I would be signing it in my head.



Videos are just one of the ways that we as teachers try to utilize technology to enhance our lessons.  Sometimes the videos work wonders, and other times they are just an effective way of wasting 5 minutes.

A longer duration then planned.

I have taken some time off of writing for the past few weeks.  I have two basic reasons for this brief sabbatical from my normal writings.  The first is that I have been on vacation, and have spent most of the time bumming around Seosan.  This means that a majority of my days have been spent wandering around my town or tooling around online.  Some small things have happened during this time, but nothing that was worth noting on my blog. 

The second reason is that I have been mourning the loss of my Grandmother.  She passed on New Year's Eve surrounded by my parents, her husband, and one of her sisters.  It was hard for a while for me to post anything about this.  I love my Grandmother very much, and have been saddened by her passing.  I am however grateful that she is no longer suffering and I know that she is at peace.  It has been a hard time for my family and I am grateful for all the love and support we have received from friends and family.  It has made a world of difference and I know that my parents as well as myself have been much buoyed by it. 

Sunday, January 3, 2010

New Years Thought.....

It comes upon us every year, and most of those that I know stop for a minute to reflect upon what happened to them. We pause to make promises that most of us will not keep for more then a week or so. We say "This year I will lose weight. This year I will stop smoking. This year I will go back to school. This year, this year, this year...." All of this is an attempt to justify what we spent the last year doing, and realizing that as we get older, the chances are we will spend the next year doing the same things. I will talk with my friends, I will miss my friends, but when the dawn comes on the next new year, chances are that the world will still be a different place for us.

I find myself here before the dawn of a new decade, and I realize that I will soon lose two or four people who are very close to me. Some will pass sooner then the others, and others will quietly fade into the long goodbye. I guess it with this looming loss ahead of me that I look towards my next decade on this planet. A decade which promises great joy, great achievements, and immense hardship. In light of these future events, I would like to offer a toast, a prayer, or just some old fashioned hope for all of you.

May the dawning of the next decade find you well. May the memories of those we lose outweigh the memories of the way we lose them. May we all find love, be it love renewed, love obtained, or love forgotten that is found again. May we all endeavor to find those who mean, meant, or will mean everything to us and tell them just how important they are. May you have peace, joy, and happiness and may god smile upon us all. No matter by what name we call him. Happy New Year everyone, may its dawn find you well, and may its course enrich us all.