Teaching Is Like Going On A Fly Fishing Trip

The Analogy of Fly Fishing
I am not a hobby or amateur angler. The only time I had any association with fishes was when I had gold fish as pets many years ago. But I have read about and watched programs on fly fishing. I know that an avid angler for fly fishing would use all sorts of fly-resembling baits to attract fishes like trout, salmon, steelhead or bass. The angler would be by the river or on a boat for hours, repeatedly casting the line with a bait-fastened hook. Teachers, in many ways, are like anglers.

My Day Out Fishing at Springbrook High
I returned to Springbrook High on my weekly visit as scheduled. My buddy teacher Chas was very kind to have brought forward the figure drawing class from Friday to Wednesday as I had earlier expressed interest to co-teach in a figure drawing lesson.

The Fish Identified...
Chas asked for a volunteer from the class to be the student model and a boy eagerly volunteered. I would call him Paul in this post, which is not his real name. A few others volunteered too but Paul was like an eager beaver, jumping up and down with his arm raised high. I could see that the volunteers are mainly students who usually would not want to do much in the art class, and being the model of the day certainly gives one the licence to literally sit there and do nothing. Chas did not pick Paul and picked another student who did not even raise the hand. Paul was very annoyed that his scheme fell flat and openly expressed his displeasure declaring "That's it! I am out of here!" Then he perched himself on the counter at the back of the art studio instead of gathering around Chas to watch the drawing demonstration. After the demonstration, a few classmates tried to nudge him to start work but he refused. After some coaxing from Chas, he set up a drawing board and paper but still would not commence work.

The Angler Prepares The Bait...
I told Chas I would act as the artist-in-residence for the day by setting up an easel to draw alongside the students. I thought I would try the old school approach of 'master-apprentice in a workshop', where the master artist demonstrates techniques to the apprentices through his/her own work.

I deliberately set up easel and my drawing board very close to Paul, just as an angler would prepare the bait next to the river full of swimming fish.

The Angler Cast The Line...
I started drawing and Paul turned and looked at me. Just as an alert angler, I quickly turned my head to establish eye contact. 

The Angler Patiently Awaits The Right Moment ....
Paul asked "Are you painting?"  
"I am drawing" I answered.

I knew I needed time to draw greater curiosity from Paul and should not approach him right away. If an angler pulls the rod too soon, it will scare the potential catch away. So I kept drawing, leaving the bait to sit in the river for just a little longer.

Another curious student came over to peep at my drawing and was excited by what she saw. I can not remember what she had said but her words got Paul's attention, and raised his curiosity.

The Fish Bit The Bait!
Paul looked over again and I asked him "Wanna come over and have a look? Come on.."

Paul got over and marvelled at the drawing. I have to say that the drawing is far from my best effort but this class had never done figure drawing and it wasn't difficult to impress them. It was like a young shoal of bass seeing a new bait for the first time!

The Angler Reeled In The Line.... 
I let Paul spend some time looking at my drawing then I told him I would show him how I did it. I explained to him I looked for negative spaces between the body and the limbs, and also analysed the figure using geometric shapes. I reminded him not to expect much drawing accuracy in first attempts and told him I have had a lot of practice. I assured him that if he tries, he would start to get it.

Releasing The Fish Back Into The River 
I went on to set up easel at another spot to make a new drawing, but I kept an eye on Paul, and was satisfied that he started to draw. I left him alone. The Angler turned her attention to other interested fish.  

Analogy Explained
This may be an unexpected or unusual analogy but I am drawing from a Greek text reference, which the work of translation into English was started by William Tyndale (1490 - 1536). According to the text, the first Apostles were to become 'fishers of men' (Matt 4:19, Mark 1:17). Keen observation, skill, good timing, and understanding of fish behaviour and movement is key to a successful fishing trip. Teaching, in many ways is like going on a fly fishing outing. A teacher often has to play the role of the angler in a classroom, looking for that 'dis-engaged' fish, and cast a line in hope to reel him/her in. The key element in my analogy is the angler's persistent attempt to get the attention of the fish. Fly fishing is an engagement not for those with a lukewarm heart in fishing. Just read an angler's blog or two, the sharing of knowledge within the blog community of fellow anglers and you get a sense of that passion. 

I have been doing the same in the digital art classes. I walked around looking for those 'dis-engaged or indifferent fish', approach them and excite them with a few Photoshop tricks, then tell them "Ok, now over to you. Go play with the features I just showed you." Each time I throw in the 'bait', my objective is simple - make them see what they never thought could be possible, luring them to begin participation in learning. I know I do not have 100% success rate, some fish sniffed the bait but did not bite. But just like an angler, he/she cannot expect to reel in fish with every cast of the line. 

Each year I teach several classes of Grade 7 and 8 students, each class with 40 of them. These are the last two years of compulsory art education in Singapore. Many are indifferent to learning art, not knowing that art develops their ability to see possibilities. They are like shoals of fish passing by me. If I do not learn from that spirit of an angler, I will just miss engaging with them. 

How Many Fish Have I Missed?
Once again I ask myself, if I have let many chances of reeling in 'disengaged fish' pass me in my 18 to 19 years of teaching. Given the nature of art as a subject, the need for close guidance, it is mostly 'one fish at a time'. In a school curriculum, the 'fishing season' is year-long, and I have to remind myself that I must be diligent in casting the line again and again for each lesson. 

I must remember: An angler never plans to go home without a catch.

Teaching: A Continuum of Aesthetic Moments

Background
In the DFAT Program, each Fulbright teacher is attached to a school in either Prince George or Montgomery County. We have been scheduled to visit our respective attached schools once a week. School attachment is one of the highlight for the international teachers. A teacher may pursue graduate degrees in the US as an international student and be immersed in the US academia but may never get to experience what public school life is about. This is the precious opportunity we get to be in a school of a totally different system and culture. But the once-weekly visit has its challenges. While the local school teachers get to see their students on almost a daily basis, it is difficult to get such sense of continuity for the Fulbright teachers.

I decided I needed more first hand experience working with the Art Department staff and students at Springbrook High. So I opted to forgo a class on Mondays just so that I could go to Springbrook High School one more day in the week.

My First Aesthetic Moment in a US High School
An unexpected provision of opportunity
Just this Monday, I arrived in Springbrook High with the goal of arranging for a more structured involvement with the classes for my visits, and I chanced upon a drawing class where the teacher had to leave early as she was unwell. There was a substitute teacher but she is not trained in art so all she could do was to give the instructions and take attendance.

I jumped at the chance and volunteered to teach the students. I reckoned that since my undergraduate training is in Drawing and Printmaking, I would have little problem handling the technical aspect of the teaching. The task was a still life study of a skeleton model placed on a chair with a few smaller skeleton models leaning on the legs of the chairs at various angles. The students need not draw the whole subject matter and could choose to focus on a part. Nonetheless, I was acutely aware that I have been brought up and trained in Singapore and this is a totally different system, where students have been nurtured under vastly different teaching approaches. So after I had given out the materials prepared by the teacher who went on medical, I walked around just to get a sense of the class dynamics.

A familiar comment revisited in a new context
After about ten minutes, a group of male students were still joking amongst themselves while others have already started work. They were not loud but obviously had no intention to do the work at hand, with one of them sitting with his back facing the subject matter. I would call him Peter* in this post for easy reference. Peter was the main protagonist of the group so I approached him and explained to him that the task would require him to observe and draw, thus he should move to another corner of the table where he could see. Twice he refused and insisted he could still see by just turning around with his drawing board on an upturned recycle bin. The bin was simply not an apt surface to work on but I instantly knew this could spiral into a power play if I insisted, which was not what I intended, so I let him be so long as he was looking at the subject. Then he said: "I can't draw."

'I can't draw' are three words that I have heard many times from my students in Singapore. In that instance, it might have been said by one with a different accent, of a different ethnic group, one brought up watching American football rather than soccer. But the essence is the same - A resistance to objective drawing with the belief that such ability is only bestowed on a select few deemed as talented.

My reply was simple: "Who says you can't draw. Everyone can draw, it is just a matter of style."
I had no doubt that my reply did not suffice to convince this young lad so I asked him to choose a portion he would want to draw, which happened to be the skull, and I did a quick teaching on methods of observation. I first gave an overall estimation of the proportion, comparing the length of the skull to its width. Then I used a simple geometric angle analysis, pointing out to him the exact point when the vertebrate at the neck tilted away from the vertical axis. I told him just give the method a try.

The aesthetic moment
I went around helping other students while repeatedly keeping an eye on Peter just to see if he was trying. I returned to him and looked at his attempt. I was pleasantly surprised that despite having little drawing experience, he was able to capture the overall proportion, albeit with some distortions. More significantly, his drawing showed that he understood the two-part formation of the skull, that is the upper jaw is not fused with the lower jaw but connected with a joint. I commented that he has captured an important feature of the skull, the feature that allows us to eat and talk. Then before I walked off I said "So you see, you can draw!"

He turned and look at me and said "Thanks, that meant a lot to me."

I had never expected his response but kept my composure and smiled. Then I jokingly told one of Peter's talking buddies that there is something to learn from Peter as he did a better job because he looked carefully. The tease drew some sheepish giggles from the rest of the group and it was intentional, as a further encouragement to the one who earlier said "I can't draw."  

I walked away, but the boy's appreciative words rang in my ears. They were beautiful words. I believe that aesthetic moment was mutual - for him to hear that he can draw, and for me to know that my words were important to him.

A Second Unexpected Aesthetic Moment - All In A Morning
Easing a student's reluctance to take fresh challenge
I went to another class to co-teach a digital art lesson. This was a more senior class and they have had lessons on Corel Paint and Photoshop. The teacher has recently introduced Adobe Illustrator and the students have experienced some unease, which is common for beginners learning to use vector graphic software, and that unease is compounded with the need to quickly switch from using the bitmap platform of Photoshop just a week earlier.

I walked around and noticed a boy staring at a blank Illustrator file,  seemingly clueless as to what to do (I would name him Sam* here). I went to him and asked if he wanted to draw something in Illustrator. He did want to create something but was not sure what to do. And he uttered "I like Photoshop more".
"Me too!" I concurred but only in my head. I instantly recalled the many sleepless weekends I spent teaching myself the software many years ago, just to keep myself one step ahead of my IT-savvy students who could learn such things at lightning speed.

Sam said he wanted to draw a clock, and he was holding a Wacom sensor pen with much hesitation. From experience I knew it is much easier to sketch with a digital sensor pen on a bitmap platform instead of a vector one. And to draw an image as symmetrical as a clock with the hand using Illustrator Software is even more difficult. I decided to show him how to use Shape Tools to create circles and how to quickly create guides to subdivide the clock face in even spacing for twelve numerals. Such tools would be much faster than drawing with a Pen Tool in Illustrator, creating many anchor points that would need much editing later.

As I showed him, he kept saying "Cool! This is cool!", with a broad smile. My quick demonstration allowed him to realise that he could be a part of this collective endeavour into a new territory in digital art, and he did not have to be left behind.

At the end of the class, Sam came to me, shook my hands and thanked me. Sam's smile warmed my heart.

*Peter and Sam are not the real names of the students.

Sam with his clock image in Illustrator (picture taken with the teacher and Sam's permission)

Identification With the Collective Learning Process is a Prerequisite to Learner's Engagement
Wenger (1998) wrote about how identity/membership in a community of practice is not automatic by sheer physical inclusion. Apply that to a classroom, a student may be sitting in the same lesson but have never felt being part of the collective learning experience as he/she is mentally and emotionally sitting on or outside the periphery of the community border, whether by choice or by situational obstacles. Wenger discussed how each member could negotiate his/her identity within the community and such actions are termed as 'brokering'. My take on Wenger's discussion on brokering is that the teacher does play the pivotal role of the broker. Indeed such brokering can only be effective if it is concurrently practiced by both the learner and the teacher. But the teacher either must take the lead or have the acumen to detect when a student may be ready to broker his/her identity in the learning community. In Peter's case, his open comment that he cannot draw in itself is a window and invitation for brokering by the teacher. In Sam's case, his silent awkwardness is a signal that he yearns to broker his identity and his place in digital art class.


A Reminder Ringing Loud
A question for myself
I have realised that on Monday, in both of the classes, I have consciously approached the students and attempted to broker their identity as learners in the lesson, with the aim to have them participate. The fact is I chose to initiate the brokering. Back in Singapore, I have come across many 'Peters' and 'Sams' in my years of teaching. I tried to recall how I had responded to their resistance and reluctance. I asked myself if I had simply ignored them. I know I have seized many such opportunities but have also let others slipped past me.

I knew I was extra sensitive in my observations in Springbrook High, simply because I am conscious I was in a different context. Would I have maintained that heightened awareness and sensitivity if I was back in my familiar classroom environment in Singapore? This is a good moment to critically reflect and remind myself that it is a choice, my choice.

Teaching is a continuum of aesthetic moments, and we can choose to seize such moments more.

Till next time..........

First 2013 Fulbright Potluck: An Unlikely Gathering of a New Minority

From A Simple Dinner to a Potluck Party

After nearly three weeks into our stay at College Park, Maryland, I thought I could cook a simple dinner and invite a couple of the UMD International Initiative Office (IIO) team members as a way to show appreciation. So I told my flat mates that they are invited to join in. Then as more Fulbrighters got to know, Patricia from the next Fulbright apartment said she would bake something to bring over. Aida said she would make a fruit cocktail. Revathy and Manju said they will cook too, and Analia said she would chip in the costs since she is not cooking... basically, the simple dinner grew and grew! In the typical Singaporean term, this would be called a 'kampong' spirit! Kampong means village. It is not just a reference to a physical village or location but also refers to a community spirit. So we were the Fulbright Kampong in College Park, Maryland! 

We then invited the others to bring something to share.... and our only concern was space in the apartment! The Fulbright 'boys' wanted to catch a live football match on campus that night and decided to give it a miss. Well, Hassan preferred food to football so he joined us =) Inka, Maija and Rima who stay off campus came, with daughters and even Maija's mum who just arrived from Finland!

Letitia, Rashi and husband Rishi, Yali and Gourav were the VIPs that night and we were thrilled they could come!

So after our Friday seminar session, we went back and got busy in our respective kitchens. 

Sauteed mushroom in onions and rosemary, pan-seared steak.. the only carnivore dish that night for meat eaters 

Top Left: Aida's Fruit Cocktail Galore; Top Right: Bishakha's Mato's dish (Potato+Tomato),
Middle: Patricia's rustic mini pizzas  (she also baked a lovely cake which I didn't manage to capture)
Below: Revathy and Manju's vegetarian stew with vegetable rice.

The Fulbright Potluck Hilarity
We chat about many many things that night. We talked about our various experiences so far in a foreign land. We shared the 'trials and tribulations' of being the minority in the Varsity - bunch of older adults amidst undergraduate youngsters. We talked about our initial shock with the noise level and antics of the younger residents at the Varsity. We laughed over our observations of them. We even joked about starting a 'mature Fulbrighters' patrol' team to march down the corridors of the apartments to control noise level on a Friday night.

A pre-smart phone image taken by a smart phone

We shared how we almost launch a search team to find a fellow Fulbrighter who did not return from the nearby shops at 10pm in our first week at the Varsity residence. We shared about a few of us who bought basic phones from Cricket Mobile for temporary use while in US, and the phone is so basic that no one would bother stealing them. (see picture on left). We joked about us having to 'un-smarten' ourselves and re-learn the use of non-smart phones. 

Inka showed us a Viking dance that we almost wanted to stomp our feet and sing loudly to show the youngsters that we've still got fire in us despite being older and we believed we could be loud enough to bring the house down!

Below are some photos, but trust me, they cannot not fully capture the fun and hilarity of the night....

Arrival of our guests..

Wisdom from Letitia: Look babes, do not follow Yali's example when it comes to parking.
She parks anywhere and always gets a parking ticket.

Hassan beaming, thinking: Good thing I didn't go to the football games so I didn't have to eat lousy hotdogs
Yali: I can eat a horse!
Background - Bishakha to Letitia: You need to inspect each food item the way I would do at shops and supermarkets

Inka: I want a LARGER plate!

Analia with her pillow prop stolen from Patricia: I am SO FULL I am about to BURST!
(Ana should have been a theatre and drama teacher!)

Analia: Hmmm, this taste good!
Patricia: Ana, don't spill or you'll have to mop!
Aida: I don't know how to eat from paper plate..

Aida: I'm going to get everyone high on Moroccan tea!

A Tea Toast to ALL!

Aida must have put something into the tea... everybody got high and Yali couldn't stop dancing

Inka: Let's bring the whole building down with this Viking dance!! YEAH!!

New Minority New Meaning
This made me recall some childhood memories of the conversations my grandmother had with relatives, old neighbours and acquaintances from her home province in China.
My grandmother left China before the 1920's to escape the turbulent years when the warlords ruled factious China, before the Japanese occupation.

The conversations in one way or another involved comparisons between the old home of China to the adopted home in Singapore. Topics covered from bigger social topics in China and the pre-independent Singapore to small daily operational matters. A part of my historical knowledge of Singapore is gained from such 'oral archives'. A few decades before Singapore gained independence in 1965,  each South Chinese dialect group and clans of immigrants form clan associations as a way of mutual support. So it was not surprising that Chinese immigrants of a particular dialect group would stay along the same few streets in and around Chinatown so that those living within the neighbourhood could comfortably communicate in their own tongue. There was a lot of sharing of information within the community, from where to find jobs, where to find a reliable carpenter, and where to get authentic Chinese imports at a good price. It was a kind of 'kampong' spirit and there was no need for watsapp. The housewives would gladly baby sit a fellow neighbour's child if the mother needed to run errands. It was a loose but important form of mutual support system. As new immigrants, they were minority in many ways and such support was essential. 

I have learnt life in a foreign land when I studied outside Singapore sometime ago but this time is different. In the Fulbright community in Maryland, we come from 5 countries in 4 continents. Despite the need to quickly learn and adjust to one another in habits, preferences and cultural idiosyncrasies, we are bonded by a truth - we are all new settlers, a collective body of new minorities. This would be a piece of precious memory to bring home. We are learning what it is like to be a minority and I believe we will become more human and compassionate when we leave.

Cheers

Anecdotal Muses: Communication Frequency Mismatch...

So far as a foreigner, I have picked up some small but important differences in the use of English on operational matters in the US. This has nothing to do with accent or tone. It is just a choice of words for something simple like asking for directions.

On Which Side Of The Road?
A group of us (a Singaporean, two Argentinians) had wanted to go to the nearest REI shop. We knew the bus number that would take us there and the bus stops for that route are just outside the Varsity Apartments. We weren't sure which side of the road we should board the bus. So we asked the apartment management office staff if we take the bus on this side of the road or cross the road to take the bus. He said something "Take the bus to the left". We paused for a moment and clarified if we heard him right. I thought one sure way of clarification is to use hand gestures. My hand gesticulated an arch-shaped movement signifying the action of 'crossing over'. He repeated the same thing "yes, to the left". So we reckoned he was referring to the flow of the traffic, and the left bound traffic was on the opposite side of the road. We took the bus and reached REI. Now we have a new understanding when asking for bus route direction.


Sign Reading
For a visual learner like myself, signage is very important. An arrow pointing to the left is not the same as an arrow pointing to the right, whether flat at 180 degrees or at a gradient of 45 degrees.

We were heading back from DC after a visit to the National Art Gallery and we got into the Archive Station. This is the first time we stepped into the Archive Station as it is the nearest to the gallery. We were trying to determine which platform to go to and we saw this direction sign (see the diagram below)

In the group, I am the Singaporean and there were two Indians and an Argentinian. Upon seeing the sign, the 3 different nationals could not quite ascertain if we should take the escalator on the left when the sign points to the right, although the arrow was pointing somewhat downwards. We had been in situations where we were on the wrong platform so we just wanted to verify and confirm if we were reading the sign the way it is intended to.

We asked a station officer who happened to be there and his response was "Just follow the sign". Now that wasn't too clear, so I asked again if that escalator would bring us to the platform for the Green line, the line that would bring us back to College Park. We were hoping his answer would be short and sweet like "Yes". But he repeated "Just follow the sign". Then he said "You can't go anywhere else so just follow the sign".

Anyway, we reckoned he would just say the same thing if we asked again so we just went down via the escalator and we found the platform. Revathy (from India) told me she would have asked the officer the exact same way I had done and would have expected him to say a "yes" or "that's right". 

English is not the same for all English speakers
A British educator from Cambridge told me that it took him sometime to understand that when a Singaporean says 'Correct', he or she actually means 'Yes'. He had initial unease when in his first stint in Singapore as he thought that what he had said was being 'assessed' for correctness or accuracy and the Singaporean response of 'Correct' was a verbal approval rather than a mere concurrence of thoughts. I assumed his uneasy encounters were mostly with Chinese as this is an issue of linguistic nuances in the Chinese language. I explained to him that the word 'correct' is a direct translation of the Chinese word '对' (pronounced as 'dui'), which has a dual meaning of 'yes' and 'correct', depending on the intent and context of usage. It is often a casual utterance in a conversation. It works like saying 'yes', and may not even be a concurrence of opinion but a verbal indication to show that one is listening to the other person, something like a 'yes, I am with you'. I am thankful he did not prematurely conclude that he was being judged by Singaporeans all the time in his first encounters.

What is clear to you is clear to you only
Now what has that got to do with teaching? Well, I am asking a rhetorical question here so the answer is obviously "yes".

I recall my stint in the Curriculum Planning Division, in Art Unit. I remember the initial frustration at unit meetings on art syllabus matters was that everyone spent a lot of time interpreting and clarifying what one another were saying. There were only six of us, despite the fact that we are all trained art teachers and we all grew up in the Singapore school system, we had various interpretations of the same word 'express', a key word in the syllabus text. What we were doing in those meetings seemed like hair-splitting torment but it is very important we used the best word we could find.

To 'knock' 敲 (qiao) or to 'push' 推 (tui)? A small option in word choice but big in impact
That experience made me appreciate a Chinese phrasal verb 推敲 (tui-qiao). It is a double-verb directly translated as 'push-knock' and the meaning is careful deliberation (for maximum effectiveness/result). It comes from a story about a Chinese poet travelling on a country road. Inspired by the idyllic surrounding, he decided to compose a poem about a Chinese scholar who chanced upon a house at night, got curious and wanted to enter it. The poet initially used the verb 敲 (knock) in his poem but decided that the knocking sound would break the serenity of the night. So he changed the verb to 推 (push) and was satisfied that the creaking sound of the door hinge from the push would add a mysterious romance to the nocturnal atmosphere. Since then 推敲 is used as a verb for discerning deliberation.

We certainly did a lot of 推敲 in our meeting on syllabus text. After many discussion sessions, one thing that rang in our minds (and it still does for me) is that text or verbal words has many limitations as a way of communication. It is easy to clarify if two persons are speaking face to face over the same point. But when it comes to crafting official documents that is meant to be read by people we don't even get the chance to speak with, the scope for plural interpretations is impossible to define. This also applies to anything written for a wider audience, that include dissertations, journals, even twitter texts.

My ex-boss ever said this to us "Remember, what is clear to you is clear to you only". So true!

Implications on Teaching
In the classroom
I have learnt over the years, that an instruction is useless if less than 90% percent of the class understood it in no uncertain terms. We need to be prepared to craft instructions to reach varying profiles of learners.  I am still learning every time I walk into a class. And interpretations of an instruction can change with changing generation of students. An instruction that was effective 5 years ago can be become ineffective for a same age group of students simply because communication style and trend has changed amongst the youth. With technology, the mode and style of communication is going to be evermore pluralistic. 

Well, at least in a class, we have the face-to-face time to clarify. 

In written Test
This is the part where face-to-face clarification is not available to the learners. I have learnt in a training on assessment and an important segment was on Modifiers of Difficulty in test design. The concept is parallel to Assessment Bias in Robert Marzano's writing (Marzano, 2009). 

So if text is not enough in providing clarity in a test paper, would an additional illustration, chart or other visual or diagrammatic cues help? It can be a 'yes' and 'no'. In some examples I have seen, the diagram given is the very cause of confusion and they stumble students, costing them more precious time to decipher the test question or task instead of helping.

I guess the signage at the Archive Station is an example where the arrow symbol pointing away from the escalator is a very good illustration of Modifier of Difficulty, as it has taken us a little longer to get to the platform and we could have missed the next train.

It was a small matter and did not bother us but it is a good reminder, to me at least, that I cannot assume I am always clear to students. 

Negotiating Diverse Communication Wavelengths
As a global citizen, we increasingly need to negotiate diverse frequencies in communication, this is all the more significant for educators. I suppose this is a perennial phenomenon since the Tower of Babel. A few fellow Fulbrighters (from two continents on either side of the hemispheres) have shared that their classrooms are increasingly pluralistic in ethnicity because of new immigrants. The complex culturally-evolved nuances and habits in communication will be something we teachers need to deal with when they all come together in a localised melting pot called 'classroom'. 

A British comedy sitcom in the 70s called Mind Your Language (My English teacher's favourite) depicted an English instructor Mr Brown, who taught a night class. His class had a Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Punjabi Sikh, Sri Lankan, Spaniard, German, French, Italian and Greek. Almost all the time the mismatched communication wavelength created much frustration for Mr Brown and hilarity for the viewers. That situation seemed far-fetched in those days but with increasing global migration of workforce, this is more real than ever. 

The role of a teacher before the 1990s was rooted in instruction. By the turn of the century, the role has evolved to that of a learning facilitator. I believe it will take on another dimension progressively, to be a cross-cultural negotiator and bridge builder.  Maybe there will be a revival of Mind Your Language! 


Till next time.... ciao!

Moments of fantasy!...Annapolis and Museum Fun Anecdotes

The State House at Annapolis - the first Capitol of United States

The UMD team took us to Annapolis to see two places of great historic significance in the US: The State House, and the Navy Academy.

The guide told us that the Maryland State House is the oldest state capitol still in continuous legislative use and is the only state house to have ever served as the nation's capitol.  The building has since been structurally altered, with the original staircase removed and the interior extended. They have restored the state senate and representative assembly rooms and kept the place well. But the need for practical matters have interfered with the visual congruence of the room.. the green waste bin liners kind of stood out awkwardly. Operational efficiency has compromised aesthetics.

When the Fulbrighters were there, we did the thing that every tourist would so, see picture below. Well, I wasn't the only one who pretended to be the president of the state senate (for 1 minute)... 

United States Navy (USN) Academy

We went on to visit the USN Academy. This is one of three arm forces academy, the other two are the army academy, popularly known as West Point, and the airforce academy. If Top Gun was a real story, this academy would have had midshipmen (the term for navy cadets) like Maverick (Tom Cruise). 

This is one of the most prestigious higher learning institution in the US, except that this comes with a five-year military service commission after graduation, and only the fittest and the brightest could get a place. The midshipmen are to graduate with a bachelor degree in engineering before they would be assigned to various divisions, with the marine corp the most prestigious and hardest to get into. Famous graduates from the USN Academy include Jimmy Carter, former president of the US and John McCain, US senator, once a presidential candidate of the Republican Party.

We came across a parade drill and we went pass many midshipmen. I didn't look too carefully, but amongst those we passed, there could be a future President, Secretary of Defence or Chief of Staff!

And one of the Fulbrighters, Patricia (below) found a very good-looking midshipmen with the name Richard Gere, in dress uniform! Patricia has been mesmerised by the 'fairy-tale' movie An Officer and A Gentleman, and she was really hoping to find Gere in the USN Academy. So she requested for me to find her a Gere....... I kind of 'just managed' to... 

Ok, it's up to you whether you choose to believe it.

Top right are chunks of lump crab and below left are potatoes!

Well, we didn't get an aircraft carrier or destroyer ride when at the academy so we had a ferry ride out from the historic port of Annapolis (The original port and dock has been filled and became part of the USN Academy). And of course, crab cakes and potato chunks would go well with a ferry ride!

The boss at his routine coin trick

There are several places that sell crab cakes at Annapolis. But at Chick and Ruth Delly, the boss may come around to perform a magic trick or two... He did the disappearing handkerchief trick, but of course I could see the little thumb cover he had on his right thumb. My uncle did that trick when I was a kid and he revealed the secret later. It was a trick he had bought when he travelled to the US way back in the 80s. Looks like that trick still can amuse a few folks. I certainly love the giant crab cake more than the trick.

My indulgence for the day!

The ferry ride was very stable and I had no problem eating my crab cake. Annapolis skyline is quite flat so any old dome or landmark can be seen. Think the next best part was the ice cream after the ferry ride. I found a flavour "Deep Dark Chocolate" so being a 'noir chocolat' fan, I had to have double scoop... (went gym the next day of course!)

Rashi and Revathy enjoying the sun! 

Reliving My Childhood Fantsay at Air and Space Museum in D.C.

When I was a little kid, I saw on TV the Apollo missions landing on the moon. I can't remember which Apollo mission now but to a kid, it was fascinating! I had found the space suit so cool and the floating walk on the moon was captivating. I always had problem with long jump and high jump in school and the notion of weightlessness was a very appealing one! So my childhood dream was to be an astronaut. 

Amongst the exhibits was the historic adjoining space capsule of the then Soviet Union (or CCCP) spacecraft and the US space craft in 1975. It was the height of the Cold War and the hand-shaking of US and Soviet astronauts in space was a very significant moment. I remember seeing the footage of the space handshake on TV news and the photograph (in picture below) was splashed all over the newspaper, even in Singapore. 

   


Upon entering the museum, we were all excited about the space craft parts and missiles on display. I guess space travel is something that captivates almost all folks, old or young. One of the Apollo capsule (above left) that had returned to earth carrying the astronaut was on display and it was amazing to see how this little thing (in relativity to the vastness of the earth and space) could withstand the incinerating heat upon re-entry to the earth's atmosphere. And of course I was excited the see the Apollo Lunar Module used for landing onto the moon surface (above right)!

But for those who do not like to eat from vacuum packs with a suction tube and tins with jelly-like food, then space travel is not for them. Below is a picture of the dining room in space. Notice the dining table is full of suction tubes... porridge anyone?

 

If this is just for a few days, I wouldn't mind even for a foodie like me. But if I had to be like those astronauts assigned to the space station for months, I will certainly lose weight! 

As mentioned earlier, my childhood dream was to be an astronaut. Since I was terrible at physics in school, and being a Singaporean (not US or Russian citizen), that dream is an impossible dream. But, with modern digital technology, somethings are still possible....... 

Ok, if you can believe this, you will believe in anything....