28
Jan
12
Naked Man Festival
03
Jul
11
Joe and Shannon
Finally.
12
Jun
11
Joe & Shannon teaser
For the 5 year SWIX reunion- Joe & Shannon asked for some Mizzou-themed engagement shots- annnnnnd they’re pretty disgustingly cute… More to come- but get your barf-bags ready.
27
Nov
10
New Shoes
A little over two years ago, I stepped into a small school high in the mountains of rural Japan. There, I spent every day slipping my tennis shoes off; sliding my giant feet into my tiny indoor shoes and shuffling around desks trying to teach English to about 100 teenagers who were convinced Japanese was the only language they would ever need to know. Frustrated that their only view of Americans was the cartoon blonde wearing a party dress in the textbooks, I pressed on. I referenced websites, reached out to former English teachers, and read article after article that stressed it was the education system that needed to be changed. Each resource I tapped had the same dismal outlook on English education in Japan. I couldn’t help but begin to feel hopeless.
As the weather became colder, so did my feet. I cursed my indoor shoes daily. They didn’t fit. They slid on for a second, but flew off my feet anytime I wasn’t consciously curling my toes inside to keep them on. I had to walk slowly and drag my feet. There was nothing keeping them on besides the constant pressure from moving my foot forward. This isn’t practical! I thought. No one would wear these outside for a reason… and even inside they don’t do any good.
It might sound strange, but in a sense, the way I was teaching English to my students was a lot like those shoes. It didn’t fit. It wasn’t practical. It went in one ear and out the other as soon as the kids left the room. The shoes weren’t comfortable, and the students weren’t interested.
So I changed. Our focus shifted from grammar to culture. Expanding beyond just the US borders, my students were shocked to find that Jamaica was, in fact, NOT a part of Africa; that Arnold Schwarzenegger and kangaroos do NOT come from the same country; and that English is NOT used in only 3 countries… try more than 50. Suddenly I had attentive eyes on me. Questions were being asked. My sleepers no longer slept. My silent students were participating. I heard my students discussing what we’d learned OUTSIDE of class. We got a world map and began pinning facts about the people and culture from various countries. We watched videos and read about the New Zealand Haka, the bullfighters in Spain, and of the mythic gods of Greece.
Did their grammar improve? A little. But the interest was there now. The seed was planted. It does us no good to teach a language without the culture. Learning about various cultures around the world is fascinating and leads us to want to know more about the people, the languages, the history… It diminishes fears and comforts us. It encourages curiosity and helps propel us forward. It triggers learning and suddenly the lessons stick. For many, culture is what makes a language fit.
Education, like shoes, has to fit. My students were learning… And I got a new pair of shoes.
15
Nov
10
Greek to me…
It’s been a while and I haven’t shot much lately- so thought I’d post a few from the past- These are from probates at the University of Missouri. Fascinating stuff.
06
Oct
10
A few favorites
05
Oct
10
Kendo… Can do!
Japan Festival 2010
26
Apr
10
Sakura
Rough month, website-wise… I created this new thing… and in the process lost my self-hosted blog… bummer.
So here we are… back to phase one… I have a great new site- but this blog is not …. what I want… pictures are too small… blah blah… but that will have to be edited later… For now… enjoy the Cherry Blossoms!
