Yesterday as I casually scrolled through Tumblr (as one does in the 20 free minutes one has before students return from lunch), I stumbled across a video captioned, "Ever wonder why a Korean girl is named 'Rachel Rostad'? Watch my newest piece & find out." Living in Korea and working with Korean students, my curiosity was piqued, so I watched the video. (Here, you can too!)
What a powerful piece. A powerful speaker, a powerful woman, a powerful story. It led me to reflect on the population I work with daily, the students I serve. We are members of an international school community, and here's how that shakes down in my class. 15 of our students are Korean; 1 is Japanese-Korean; 1 is American. 3 other students are listed as foreign passport holders; I am not sure of their nationalities, or if they are dual citizens. So let's call it 15 Korean students. Of those 15, 14 students have a Korean birth name listed with the school. Of those 14, only 2 choose to be known by that Korean name at school; the remaining 12 have selected an English name that they prefer.
Why? We're an international school. International means your background and culture have as much value as mine. Why do you want an English name? Why do you want to give up being called Mi-Yun* in order to be Rose*? Do you fear that I as a teacher will like or respect you less as Minsoo* than as Eric*? You don't need a made-in-the-USA sticker. You don't need to put on an American wrapper for me to appreciate you. I love you for who you are. I love you wherever you come from, I love you whatever language you speak at home, I love you whatever your background. I love the ways in which my students are different and the interesting and unique ideas they all bring to our community.
To be fair, and play my own devil's advocate, here's the flip side. As Rachel Rostad says in her video, when you name your daughter, it's your dream for her. By choosing their own English names, my students can name a dream for themselves. They can explore their identities, be who they want to be. Apparently the middle school has some trouble with this as students will change their names frequently as they discover who they are! I remember myself, my sister, and my friends going through a similar phase with nicknames in late elementary and middle school.
But I'll say it again: we're an international school. The beauty of an international school is variety within the population, a celebration of backgrounds and cultures, an opportunity to share our lifestyles and become more open-minded and accepting of others. Ms. W mentioned to me recently that the school is encouraging students to stick with their Korean names -- and I sincerely hope more will choose to do so.
* Of course, names have been changed to protect students' identities.
**********
Currently reading: my Lonely Planet Korea guidebook
Current high: a postcard from my best friend brightened my morning :) And my day ended with babysitting two great kids and a brownie date with EB!
Current low: PD workshop coming up in Yokohama unfortunately means a non-weekend weekend
Monday, September 23, 2013
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Every day may not be good...
For the last two days I have been subbing with my kiddos in grade 3 while my co-teacher runs parent-teacher conferences. The first morning went really smoothly, and I felt like I was starting to use my own management style with my kids, and that they were responding to it. (My co-teacher's management is quite different from mine!) Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday, my students started to push back, which led to some not-so-fun student interactions.
This afternoon, the last period didn't go smoothly. They were assigned some independent work which required a lot of focus (copying something down into their journals) but we had folks running all around and the noise level was getting out of control. I had to hold a few kids behind for a few minutes before they went to their Exploratories so that we could have a conversation about attention and listening, and it was such a sour note to end my day on. I hate when the last period is eventful and I hate sending my kids home on a less-than-positive note and I hate when I have to be "mean" or give a "lecture." When this is how my day wraps up, for the rest of the afternoon, I am tired and defeated; the energy I usually draw from being with my students has instead been sapped out of me by these frustrating moments.
I was in the middle of writing a post similar to this (maybe a bit more whiny!) on my more personal blog, and began writing about how this exhaustion was going to make it hard to motivate myself to go to Korean class tonight. That led me to reflect on earlier today when I told my students about my Korean classes. I practiced my vocab words with them and they laughed and laughed. The memory made me smile, as I thought of their sweet giggles behind their hands at my limited knowledge and iffy accent.
I really love the quote, "Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day." (Attribution unknown -- anyone??) Would I say that, overall, today was a good day? Not really. I think that I failed my students in a lot of ways and that there are a lot of things I could have done better. But was there something good in today? Absolutely. I had some really wonderful moments with students and had one lesson that I thought I nailed.
I don't like not being good at things; I am a perfectionist to a fault. (Heaven knows that's a blog post all its own!) But I am a new teacher. I will fall short a lot. I will make a lot of mistakes. But I am constantly learning: from my errors, from my students, from my peers. I feel so privileged to be surrounded by such a great community and such incredible teachers.
In short: here's to finding the good in every day. It's there if you look for it.
**********
Currently reading: still in the middle of no less than four books...I have book attention deficit.
Current high: 1.5 days to vacation, and 5 days to the arrival of M and K!
Current low: less-than-rockin' afternoon in the classroom
This afternoon, the last period didn't go smoothly. They were assigned some independent work which required a lot of focus (copying something down into their journals) but we had folks running all around and the noise level was getting out of control. I had to hold a few kids behind for a few minutes before they went to their Exploratories so that we could have a conversation about attention and listening, and it was such a sour note to end my day on. I hate when the last period is eventful and I hate sending my kids home on a less-than-positive note and I hate when I have to be "mean" or give a "lecture." When this is how my day wraps up, for the rest of the afternoon, I am tired and defeated; the energy I usually draw from being with my students has instead been sapped out of me by these frustrating moments.
I was in the middle of writing a post similar to this (maybe a bit more whiny!) on my more personal blog, and began writing about how this exhaustion was going to make it hard to motivate myself to go to Korean class tonight. That led me to reflect on earlier today when I told my students about my Korean classes. I practiced my vocab words with them and they laughed and laughed. The memory made me smile, as I thought of their sweet giggles behind their hands at my limited knowledge and iffy accent.
I really love the quote, "Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day." (Attribution unknown -- anyone??) Would I say that, overall, today was a good day? Not really. I think that I failed my students in a lot of ways and that there are a lot of things I could have done better. But was there something good in today? Absolutely. I had some really wonderful moments with students and had one lesson that I thought I nailed.
I don't like not being good at things; I am a perfectionist to a fault. (Heaven knows that's a blog post all its own!) But I am a new teacher. I will fall short a lot. I will make a lot of mistakes. But I am constantly learning: from my errors, from my students, from my peers. I feel so privileged to be surrounded by such a great community and such incredible teachers.
In short: here's to finding the good in every day. It's there if you look for it.
**********
Currently reading: still in the middle of no less than four books...I have book attention deficit.
Current high: 1.5 days to vacation, and 5 days to the arrival of M and K!
Current low: less-than-rockin' afternoon in the classroom
Friday, September 6, 2013
Because I'm Pretty
Yesterday I was walking back from my recess duty with one of my favourite students. Strolling hand-in-hand, she asked me about her parents' homework. (We sent home goal-setting sheets for the parents to reflect on their academic and social goals for their children in preparation for conferences next week.) I explained that yes, we had homework for all the parents to talk to us about their children so that we could be better teachers for them.
"Don't worry," I told her, "your mom said lots of nice things about you!" Which is true!
"Of course she did!" OL exclaimed. "And do you know why?"
"Why's that?" I asked her.
"Because I'm pretty!"
"No it isn't!" I blurted out in response. "You are so much more than pretty," I tried to explain to her. "You are smart and loving and many other valuable things. Those are the kinds of things your mom wanted to tell us."
OL is a lovely little girl, but she is also bright, funny, kind, hard-working, a loyal friend, a voracious reader, a strong student, and a really wonderful child all around. The fact that she, at the tender age of nine, sees so much of her value in her appearance...that broke my heart.
I had another interesting student interaction involving appearance earlier this week. I subbed in grade 4 for the morning while the teachers and interns had a planning meeting, so I circulated and supervised their morning tasks.
"What do you do here?" one girl asked me.
"I'm an intern in grade 3." I explained.
"Like Ms. K?" another girl asked me. (Ms. K is one of the grade 4 interns.)
"Yup!" I replied. "I really like Ms. K, she's so nice. Do you like her?"
"Yeah," the first girl responded, "she's pretty. So are you."
Of course, everyone likes the self-esteem boost of someone telling you that you're pretty, but I want to be more than "pretty" to my students. I want to inspire them, push them, challenge them. I want them to view me as intellectual, hard-working, passionate, and strong!
This article circulated some time ago, and it's something I reflect on often. As I speak to young girls, especially my students, I always try to refrain from telling them that they are pretty, or cute, or complimenting their outfits. I love reading with them, suggesting books that I loved at that age, talking about their ideas and their aspirations. I want to show them that I value their minds and unique thoughts and perceptions of the world.
The level of internalized sexism in the world outside of my women's college haven shocks me every time. At least once a day, some offhand comment will make me silently seethe. I'm still reeling over hearing that in middle school intramural soccer, "having girls on your team can make a big difference in that every goal in soccer made by a girl counts for 2 points!" But so much of it is that people don't realize it's offensive. Sometimes, such as in that last comment, they may even think it's a positive thing. This is why I think it's important to call people out on it, speak my mind, explain why that comment makes me uncomfortable. It makes me sad when people tell me that's being "too PC," when I think it's a crucial step toward creating a culture that I want to live in. I am striving toward always assuming a positive intent, and one of my personal goals is to be more gentle as I bring up these topics and have these conversations. I have a lot of strong feelings which I've realized can make me seem aggressive, and that's not what dialogue is about.
As I have made abundantly clear on this blog, I am staunchly feminist (sorry-not-sorry for the rant). What I wonder now is how to use my knowledge and beliefs to bring about positive change. How can I help OL see herself as more than just a pretty girl? How can I teach young girls to value others on their ideas instead of their looks? What can I do to help my fellow educators improve the way they interact with their students and peers? The conversations I had with OL and the grade 4 girls led to one of my professional goals for this year: to teach both implicitly and explicitly about sexism, racism, heterosexism, and so on in the classroom. I hope to open my students' minds and hearts to what is different and unfamiliar, and begin to equip them to dialogue with those who think differently and learn new things. Ideas and suggestions for teaching social justice to kids are totally appreciated :)
**********
Currently reading: SO MANY BOOKS. Right now I'm digging The Perfect Summer, written by Juliet Nicolson and recommended by Weave :)
Current high: just completed my first 5k! Next up, Songdo Marathon 5k in October.
Current low: seeing and experiencing sexism always makes me miss MoHo.
"Don't worry," I told her, "your mom said lots of nice things about you!" Which is true!
"Of course she did!" OL exclaimed. "And do you know why?"
"Why's that?" I asked her.
"Because I'm pretty!"
"No it isn't!" I blurted out in response. "You are so much more than pretty," I tried to explain to her. "You are smart and loving and many other valuable things. Those are the kinds of things your mom wanted to tell us."
OL is a lovely little girl, but she is also bright, funny, kind, hard-working, a loyal friend, a voracious reader, a strong student, and a really wonderful child all around. The fact that she, at the tender age of nine, sees so much of her value in her appearance...that broke my heart.
I had another interesting student interaction involving appearance earlier this week. I subbed in grade 4 for the morning while the teachers and interns had a planning meeting, so I circulated and supervised their morning tasks.
"What do you do here?" one girl asked me.
"I'm an intern in grade 3." I explained.
"Like Ms. K?" another girl asked me. (Ms. K is one of the grade 4 interns.)
"Yup!" I replied. "I really like Ms. K, she's so nice. Do you like her?"
"Yeah," the first girl responded, "she's pretty. So are you."
Of course, everyone likes the self-esteem boost of someone telling you that you're pretty, but I want to be more than "pretty" to my students. I want to inspire them, push them, challenge them. I want them to view me as intellectual, hard-working, passionate, and strong!
This article circulated some time ago, and it's something I reflect on often. As I speak to young girls, especially my students, I always try to refrain from telling them that they are pretty, or cute, or complimenting their outfits. I love reading with them, suggesting books that I loved at that age, talking about their ideas and their aspirations. I want to show them that I value their minds and unique thoughts and perceptions of the world.
The level of internalized sexism in the world outside of my women's college haven shocks me every time. At least once a day, some offhand comment will make me silently seethe. I'm still reeling over hearing that in middle school intramural soccer, "having girls on your team can make a big difference in that every goal in soccer made by a girl counts for 2 points!" But so much of it is that people don't realize it's offensive. Sometimes, such as in that last comment, they may even think it's a positive thing. This is why I think it's important to call people out on it, speak my mind, explain why that comment makes me uncomfortable. It makes me sad when people tell me that's being "too PC," when I think it's a crucial step toward creating a culture that I want to live in. I am striving toward always assuming a positive intent, and one of my personal goals is to be more gentle as I bring up these topics and have these conversations. I have a lot of strong feelings which I've realized can make me seem aggressive, and that's not what dialogue is about.
As I have made abundantly clear on this blog, I am staunchly feminist (sorry-not-sorry for the rant). What I wonder now is how to use my knowledge and beliefs to bring about positive change. How can I help OL see herself as more than just a pretty girl? How can I teach young girls to value others on their ideas instead of their looks? What can I do to help my fellow educators improve the way they interact with their students and peers? The conversations I had with OL and the grade 4 girls led to one of my professional goals for this year: to teach both implicitly and explicitly about sexism, racism, heterosexism, and so on in the classroom. I hope to open my students' minds and hearts to what is different and unfamiliar, and begin to equip them to dialogue with those who think differently and learn new things. Ideas and suggestions for teaching social justice to kids are totally appreciated :)
**********
Currently reading: SO MANY BOOKS. Right now I'm digging The Perfect Summer, written by Juliet Nicolson and recommended by Weave :)
Current high: just completed my first 5k! Next up, Songdo Marathon 5k in October.
Current low: seeing and experiencing sexism always makes me miss MoHo.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
House
At my college, we always joked that it was basically Hogwarts. The library looked like a castle; you could swear some of the buildings had moving staircases; and the number one reason, our classes were divided not unlike Hogwarts houses. Each class year was assigned a color and a mascot (green griffins, red pegasi, yellow sphinxes, and blue lyons) which was loudly and colorfully celebrated throughout and beyond our years at the college. The #1 event for class spirit was the annual convocation, ringing in the start of a new school year.
On Friday at CI, we had our first day of house. Now, I'm still figuring out what exactly house is, but here's what I know. All students from pre-K to grade 10, plus all faculty and staff, are assigned to one of four houses: earth, fire, air, or water. (I'm earth house -- green again, yay!) Every other Friday there are house competitions, collaborative efforts across the grade levels that promote community and teamwork.
This week was our first house event. Donning our brightly colored shirts, we started with a really cool picture -- check out this time lapse video to see the final result! After that, each house took one quadrant of the outdoor track and lined up by grade level. When the signal was given, everyone ran or walked around the track, leading to a blending of colors, houses, grade levels, and people. It was such a fun event to be a part of! The jubilant spirit and excitement to welcome new faces to the community brought me for a moment back to my college, and I fought tears as I fondly remembered sharing those celebrations with my friends.
Soon, the college will officially welcome a new class of green griffins on convocation day. And while I will always be a green griffin, I am proud to have found a new green home here in South Korea.
**********
Currently reading: Wild Hike by Jake Maddox, recommended to me by a student
Current high: busy weekend of cooking and cleaning means starting the week with a clean apartment and a full fridge!
Current low: didn't get around to washing my sheets this weekend...that and a few other cooking projects will have to be tackled next weekend!
On Friday at CI, we had our first day of house. Now, I'm still figuring out what exactly house is, but here's what I know. All students from pre-K to grade 10, plus all faculty and staff, are assigned to one of four houses: earth, fire, air, or water. (I'm earth house -- green again, yay!) Every other Friday there are house competitions, collaborative efforts across the grade levels that promote community and teamwork.
This week was our first house event. Donning our brightly colored shirts, we started with a really cool picture -- check out this time lapse video to see the final result! After that, each house took one quadrant of the outdoor track and lined up by grade level. When the signal was given, everyone ran or walked around the track, leading to a blending of colors, houses, grade levels, and people. It was such a fun event to be a part of! The jubilant spirit and excitement to welcome new faces to the community brought me for a moment back to my college, and I fought tears as I fondly remembered sharing those celebrations with my friends.
Soon, the college will officially welcome a new class of green griffins on convocation day. And while I will always be a green griffin, I am proud to have found a new green home here in South Korea.
**********
Currently reading: Wild Hike by Jake Maddox, recommended to me by a student
Current high: busy weekend of cooking and cleaning means starting the week with a clean apartment and a full fridge!
Current low: didn't get around to washing my sheets this weekend...that and a few other cooking projects will have to be tackled next weekend!
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