12th October
“Prisons are needed only to pride the illusion that courts and police are effective” Dune
Yep, I am still reading Dune… by book 4 it’s all gotten rather dialogue heavy and lacks the action that made the earlier books so engrossing. Which is why I don’t remember book 4, as I must have given up when I first read the series as a kid.
The quote was defending capital punishment, which I do not, but it was an interesting point. These days, many people no longer believe that prisons are in place to reform the bad, but are simply to segregate the “undesirables” from the rest of society. And aside from the practical view that this will make life safer and nicer for the rest of us, the point that the quote makes, that having prisons provides visual proof that the police are doing something, rings true.
In cash strapped western economies, I am surprised more people haven’t raised the idea of just executing people, instead of having tax-payers keep them. It would certainly save lots of money. But I am only playing devils advocate here, as I really don’t support killing people for crimes, regardless of how bad they were. Education and an attempt to improve the conditions that created the need for crime should always be the main focus. Although in theory I am not against castration for certain crimes.
Anyway, back to Kazakhstan, which is far more interesting than my strange hybrid of liberal and conservative views on crime. Today was the Autumn festival at school, which consisted of the 5-7th classes having to prepare food and costumes. To be honest, I was late to the event (was talking with some 11th class kids and a P.E teacher) and missed some of it, but caught the 2nd hour, and that included the standard fair of “talents” – singing, dancing and acting. In fact, there is a strong focus on these areas, plus sports, with a steady number of social events throughout the school year. It’s something that is often criticised about the modern British system, and I imagine the Japanese one as well, so it’s nice to see it alive and well in Kazakhstan. Of course, the academic achievements of the kids also seems to be directly related to how many non-academic activities they do, which would support the reasons for the reduction in such classes in England.
As a teacher, I am somewhat torn between both camps. Kids should have fun, and for those who are not academic, these events can provide a creative outlet and a chance to excel in something. It also helps develop other life skills, and keep children healthy – out of 500 or so pupils; there are probably less than 5 who are ‘fat’, and a further 10-15 who are ‘chubby’. Although with the diet here, once they hit middle age, these figures are greatly increased.
On the other side, for any country with an urban population, and Kazakhstan in slowly following other countries in that direction- a focus on academic study is very important, as the workforce needs certain skills that schools provide. School time is valuable and the time spent teaching children skills that they will potentially use for the rest of their lives, is relatively short – 10-20 years of school, but 80 years of life.
It seems the city schools have the balance about right, with academic success far greater than the villages, but still a healthy amount of extra-curricular activities on offer – the Beskol school team, undefeated in the village tournament, failed to score a goal at the regional finals, where they were up against the teams from Ushiral, the local town.
Of course, it could just be the lack of resources, and inability to attract good teachers that hinders the village schools. I will use my time with the English department here (do two teachers a department make?) to see if some fresh ideas and more books give much change to academic scores.
Friday, 14 October 2011
9th October
9th October
So the search for my own house continues. I thought I had found the perfect place, but I finally got the keys to look inside, and was really disappointed. Needs a lot of work, and what will the first snows only weeks away, I don’t have the time to fix the place up.
So I will stay with my current host family until I find something better.
I really want to move out, not because of anything bad (well, Kazakh food), but just because I prefer living by myself, and did so for much of the last 3 years!
These are the main positives for both options
Staying with family Moving out
Get invited to do Kazakh stuff Cook my own food
Practice Kazakh Be able to have friends over + host people
Safe and easy Have my own space
So the search for my own house continues. I thought I had found the perfect place, but I finally got the keys to look inside, and was really disappointed. Needs a lot of work, and what will the first snows only weeks away, I don’t have the time to fix the place up.
So I will stay with my current host family until I find something better.
I really want to move out, not because of anything bad (well, Kazakh food), but just because I prefer living by myself, and did so for much of the last 3 years!
These are the main positives for both options
Staying with family Moving out
Get invited to do Kazakh stuff Cook my own food
Practice Kazakh Be able to have friends over + host people
Safe and easy Have my own space
Thursday, 6 October 2011
7th October
7th October
“Stay hungry. Stay foolish” Steve Jobs
The advantage on the kindle is that I can read the news here, and is saw that Steve Jobs died yesterday. While I actually don’t like Apple products, and especially their use of Right-Protection for files, the impact the company- and Steve – has had on the technology world is undeniable. It is a terrible shame that a man with such energy and vision should die at 56, and sobering at the same time - Someone, to who money was no concern, couldn’t buy health. We are all destined to die, some of us far earlier than seems fair, and money doesn’t necessarily change that.
I have managed to find internet at one of my co-workers houses, hence the massive uploading of my ranting and rambling from the past month. It has also meant ive been able to get the class tasks for my Islamic Art course, and has been keeping me rather busy. I have written 3 short essays this past week, and its been fun!
“Stay hungry. Stay foolish” Steve Jobs
The advantage on the kindle is that I can read the news here, and is saw that Steve Jobs died yesterday. While I actually don’t like Apple products, and especially their use of Right-Protection for files, the impact the company- and Steve – has had on the technology world is undeniable. It is a terrible shame that a man with such energy and vision should die at 56, and sobering at the same time - Someone, to who money was no concern, couldn’t buy health. We are all destined to die, some of us far earlier than seems fair, and money doesn’t necessarily change that.
I have managed to find internet at one of my co-workers houses, hence the massive uploading of my ranting and rambling from the past month. It has also meant ive been able to get the class tasks for my Islamic Art course, and has been keeping me rather busy. I have written 3 short essays this past week, and its been fun!
4th October
4th October
I think I have been expecting too much from my English teachers here, and a small step back might help us all. Most Peace Corps volunteers, at least in the first year, only assist the English teachers, and plan a game for each lesson. That is it. I have tried to fundamentally change how they plan and think about teaching, and in hindsight I can see how this is scary, and why we might be finding the whole thing so frustrating.
While I can never just be a teacher’s assistant here – there are too many problems that need addressing – I think that picking one battle at a time might be the best idea.
So with that in mind, the quest for books is the primary goal. The idea to share the cost over a number of years hasn’t worked. I think the concept is just too alien. Instead, the Director will shout at the children and tell them to buy books, in the classic Kazakh way. This will most certainly result in more kids having books, but the result will be frustrating in another way - we will still be planning lessons with the 2007/2009 books, while a portion of the class will now have the 2011 books. I guess beggars can’t be choosers and I should be grateful we have (flawed) books at all.
5th October
There is a football tournament in the village today, with 5 teams taking part. All are from local villages and the kids seem to be from the 9th, 10th and 11th classes. It is nice to see such organisation in Beskol! The goals actually have nets, the white lines have been redone, and there are flags at the corners. And at least the white lines will remain after this as well.
This is the kind of thing that I was expecting to have to put together, so it’s great that I don’t have to. Of course, that now means I have to think of something else to do. Frisbee is fine for the 4 schools in the area that have volunteers, but as you cant buy the disks here, we cant expect other schools to take part, making it rather limited, and not at all sustainable.
Something that struck me at the tournament was how each team addressed the issue of uniforms. Only one school had a real kit, and 3 of the others made an attempt with colour co-ordination. Beskol however, made no such attempt, and I was trying to think why. Maybe it was just that the home team doesn’t have to, but I doubt this. Which either means that maybe people here really ARE too poor to buy such things, or that the attitude in the village is such that people just don’t care. It is impossible for me to know the answer, but it gave me something to think about, especially as I am still trying to work out what to do for community projects here. I can apply for grants for many things, but the community has to come up with 25% of the money, and this might prove impossible, either through poverty or apathy.
I think I have been expecting too much from my English teachers here, and a small step back might help us all. Most Peace Corps volunteers, at least in the first year, only assist the English teachers, and plan a game for each lesson. That is it. I have tried to fundamentally change how they plan and think about teaching, and in hindsight I can see how this is scary, and why we might be finding the whole thing so frustrating.
While I can never just be a teacher’s assistant here – there are too many problems that need addressing – I think that picking one battle at a time might be the best idea.
So with that in mind, the quest for books is the primary goal. The idea to share the cost over a number of years hasn’t worked. I think the concept is just too alien. Instead, the Director will shout at the children and tell them to buy books, in the classic Kazakh way. This will most certainly result in more kids having books, but the result will be frustrating in another way - we will still be planning lessons with the 2007/2009 books, while a portion of the class will now have the 2011 books. I guess beggars can’t be choosers and I should be grateful we have (flawed) books at all.
5th October
There is a football tournament in the village today, with 5 teams taking part. All are from local villages and the kids seem to be from the 9th, 10th and 11th classes. It is nice to see such organisation in Beskol! The goals actually have nets, the white lines have been redone, and there are flags at the corners. And at least the white lines will remain after this as well.
This is the kind of thing that I was expecting to have to put together, so it’s great that I don’t have to. Of course, that now means I have to think of something else to do. Frisbee is fine for the 4 schools in the area that have volunteers, but as you cant buy the disks here, we cant expect other schools to take part, making it rather limited, and not at all sustainable.
Something that struck me at the tournament was how each team addressed the issue of uniforms. Only one school had a real kit, and 3 of the others made an attempt with colour co-ordination. Beskol however, made no such attempt, and I was trying to think why. Maybe it was just that the home team doesn’t have to, but I doubt this. Which either means that maybe people here really ARE too poor to buy such things, or that the attitude in the village is such that people just don’t care. It is impossible for me to know the answer, but it gave me something to think about, especially as I am still trying to work out what to do for community projects here. I can apply for grants for many things, but the community has to come up with 25% of the money, and this might prove impossible, either through poverty or apathy.
2nd October
2nd October
I haven’t had much chance for reading over the last few days, so you are spared another Dune quote.
I spent the last two days in a small village 2 hours south of here, with a volunteer who came in the group before me, so has been in Kazakhstan a year. I went with Steven and Jason, ostensibly for ‘Baseball day’, but mainly as an excuse to get out and see another site (and person of course). She lives in a tiny village, about 700 people, and her school only has 175 students! Its is also at the foot of the mountains, and her house has a cow, and pets, and chickens, and a big garden. The milk from the tea came from the cow sitting in the garden…and… and…
I have ‘village envy’ unfortunately, but I know I will get over it. It’s just a shame that this village meets every one of my criteria for a perfect village! I bet it even has an ice skating pond in the winter - It had an arm-wresting table for goodness sake!
Baseball was fun, surprisingly so actually, seeing as we had to teach the kids the game from scratch, including throwing and catching – they don’t play tennis, or baseball, or cricket here, and so it was amazing to see how well they did with their hand to eye co-ordination.
Hitting and the basic idea of the game were grasped fairly quickly, and we had a great 3 hours of getting sunburnt in the field, which was grass! Not the dust bowl I have here.
The village was lovely and quiet, and dark. The view of the stars last night as I was brushing my teeth in the garden was just amazing. I really should find a star-chart and work on my constellations, or at least work out which is the North Star etc.
I haven’t had much chance for reading over the last few days, so you are spared another Dune quote.
I spent the last two days in a small village 2 hours south of here, with a volunteer who came in the group before me, so has been in Kazakhstan a year. I went with Steven and Jason, ostensibly for ‘Baseball day’, but mainly as an excuse to get out and see another site (and person of course). She lives in a tiny village, about 700 people, and her school only has 175 students! Its is also at the foot of the mountains, and her house has a cow, and pets, and chickens, and a big garden. The milk from the tea came from the cow sitting in the garden…and… and…
I have ‘village envy’ unfortunately, but I know I will get over it. It’s just a shame that this village meets every one of my criteria for a perfect village! I bet it even has an ice skating pond in the winter - It had an arm-wresting table for goodness sake!
Baseball was fun, surprisingly so actually, seeing as we had to teach the kids the game from scratch, including throwing and catching – they don’t play tennis, or baseball, or cricket here, and so it was amazing to see how well they did with their hand to eye co-ordination.
Hitting and the basic idea of the game were grasped fairly quickly, and we had a great 3 hours of getting sunburnt in the field, which was grass! Not the dust bowl I have here.
The village was lovely and quiet, and dark. The view of the stars last night as I was brushing my teeth in the garden was just amazing. I really should find a star-chart and work on my constellations, or at least work out which is the North Star etc.
26th September
26th September
“If you over organise humans, over-legalise them, suppress their urge to greatness – they cannot work and their civilisation collapses.” Dune
While I agree with this, SOME organisation is always good, and it’s something I have come to realise here.
The plan didn’t even make it to the director. Apparently, the school wouldn’t be able to afford the initial expenditure. Which seems possible, but is very annoying. There is money is this country – it was just announced that Kazakhstan has twice the GDP of any of the other Central Asian countries and plans to be in the top 5 oil exporters with the next few years. However very little of this money seems to reach the village level, either through tax avoidance, or more likely, skimming. The school must be getting money, but where it goes, I don’t know. But our director is the only person in the village with an I-phone.
So I have decided to modify the plan. Basically, I will buy the books and convert it into a two year plan. Between what the Peace Corps gave us as initial settling in money, and what I haven’t spent while living in the village (and being my usual frugal self) I have 200,000tenge in the bank, which is about £900. And its nothing that I am likely to spend until I finally get a holiday, which will be at Christmas, by which time ill likely have another 100,000 added to it. Therefore, I reason I have money that can be better used, in giving kids books, and making my life easier. If most of the kids have books, and books of the same edition, it will make the planning and teaching of lessons SO MUCH EASIER! The only negative is that I will have to wait a year to get half of my capital back, but that is no huge loss. So 500tenge for using the books for the first year, and 500tenge for the 2nd year. With the plan being that the other English teachers can continue doing this every two years. Which both ensures kids have books, and they also have up to dates ones (I counted at least 5 kids with books from 2002 today)
Also, when I sold my books in Japan, I said that the money would be going to charity, and that I would pick it later. I gave 3000yen to a Buddhist volunteer, who teaches kids in S.E Asia, and I have another 7000yen to spend, which equates to 10 text books here. Another reason that my initial plan was scuppered was the belief that some families couldn’t afford the £3 asking fee for books. And while I put that down to the lack of priority given to English, it is possibly true. Therefore, I think a good use of the money would be to buy books for these kids.
Of course, this 2nd plan needs approval, but as it’s all my own money, I don’t see why it won’t work.
I raised my voice today, during the lesson planning session with the other English teachers, and I regret it, but my frustrations are real, and they really need to understand this. They had been agreeing with me about how bad it was that there aren’t enough books, and how no one in Kazakhstan thinks of the future – only of today. I got annoyed with the fact that these same frustrations I have are clearly know by locals, but no attempt is made to change it!
So I hope that by presenting my offer, people can see me leading by example. The same goes for my English clubs. I currently have 2 x 1hour classes for the oldest kids who hope to study at English at University (3 of them), plus the kindergarten class, on the first Tuesday of the month. I have also proposed a club for 4th class (the year before English starts) for every other week, teaching them the basics and preparing them for the following year, and I would also like to offer a 5th/6th class club, and a 7/8th class one, as well as an indoor Frisbee club once winter arrives – which will be soon, its down below 10degrees at night now.
Teachers here complain about their work load, and its true they have a lot of needless and repetitive paperwork to do, but the fact remains that they will only work about 20 hours a week, and most don’t seem to spend any time planning. So by offering all these classes, in what is my ‘free time’, I aim to show how being a teacher is not simply a job, but a commitment to children’s education.
“If you over organise humans, over-legalise them, suppress their urge to greatness – they cannot work and their civilisation collapses.” Dune
While I agree with this, SOME organisation is always good, and it’s something I have come to realise here.
The plan didn’t even make it to the director. Apparently, the school wouldn’t be able to afford the initial expenditure. Which seems possible, but is very annoying. There is money is this country – it was just announced that Kazakhstan has twice the GDP of any of the other Central Asian countries and plans to be in the top 5 oil exporters with the next few years. However very little of this money seems to reach the village level, either through tax avoidance, or more likely, skimming. The school must be getting money, but where it goes, I don’t know. But our director is the only person in the village with an I-phone.
So I have decided to modify the plan. Basically, I will buy the books and convert it into a two year plan. Between what the Peace Corps gave us as initial settling in money, and what I haven’t spent while living in the village (and being my usual frugal self) I have 200,000tenge in the bank, which is about £900. And its nothing that I am likely to spend until I finally get a holiday, which will be at Christmas, by which time ill likely have another 100,000 added to it. Therefore, I reason I have money that can be better used, in giving kids books, and making my life easier. If most of the kids have books, and books of the same edition, it will make the planning and teaching of lessons SO MUCH EASIER! The only negative is that I will have to wait a year to get half of my capital back, but that is no huge loss. So 500tenge for using the books for the first year, and 500tenge for the 2nd year. With the plan being that the other English teachers can continue doing this every two years. Which both ensures kids have books, and they also have up to dates ones (I counted at least 5 kids with books from 2002 today)
Also, when I sold my books in Japan, I said that the money would be going to charity, and that I would pick it later. I gave 3000yen to a Buddhist volunteer, who teaches kids in S.E Asia, and I have another 7000yen to spend, which equates to 10 text books here. Another reason that my initial plan was scuppered was the belief that some families couldn’t afford the £3 asking fee for books. And while I put that down to the lack of priority given to English, it is possibly true. Therefore, I think a good use of the money would be to buy books for these kids.
Of course, this 2nd plan needs approval, but as it’s all my own money, I don’t see why it won’t work.
I raised my voice today, during the lesson planning session with the other English teachers, and I regret it, but my frustrations are real, and they really need to understand this. They had been agreeing with me about how bad it was that there aren’t enough books, and how no one in Kazakhstan thinks of the future – only of today. I got annoyed with the fact that these same frustrations I have are clearly know by locals, but no attempt is made to change it!
So I hope that by presenting my offer, people can see me leading by example. The same goes for my English clubs. I currently have 2 x 1hour classes for the oldest kids who hope to study at English at University (3 of them), plus the kindergarten class, on the first Tuesday of the month. I have also proposed a club for 4th class (the year before English starts) for every other week, teaching them the basics and preparing them for the following year, and I would also like to offer a 5th/6th class club, and a 7/8th class one, as well as an indoor Frisbee club once winter arrives – which will be soon, its down below 10degrees at night now.
Teachers here complain about their work load, and its true they have a lot of needless and repetitive paperwork to do, but the fact remains that they will only work about 20 hours a week, and most don’t seem to spend any time planning. So by offering all these classes, in what is my ‘free time’, I aim to show how being a teacher is not simply a job, but a commitment to children’s education.
25th September
25th September
“You are commanded to be contented!” Dune
You may be wondering how I keep managing to find all these Dune quotes, and that is because there are 5 books in the series, and I have almost finished book 3. Lucky you!
I was at another wedding this weekend, this time for a nephew of my host mother, and this time it was a 4 hour train journey east, right on the Chinese border. If fact we got to see it, as they wanted some photos taken there (the “drive around town, beeping your horn and having photos taken at the local sights” that happens here is certainly different). Ill try to get a video put up on flickr, although I quake thinking how long it might take.
Balancing my need to write notes and take photos, against being shot for being a spy, I was able to walk around town and see lots of stuff. Well, see what was there to be seen. The town is called Dostuk, which means friend in Kazakh, and it is a border town in feel as well as location. Most people work either at the train depot (its currently the only train link with China, where most of the stuff sold in Kazakhstan comes from, so its suitably busy) and the large military presence here. Almost everyone lives in apartment blocks, which is a bit of a novelty for rural Kazakhstan, and this removes the most redeeming feature of villages here, being the gardens around each home, and Dostuk is a dusty and brown town because of it. It is also incredibly windy, which the lack of trees doesn’t help with, but it does provide the first wind turbine ive seen here, so there is some hope that Kazakhstan’s dependency on cheap coal might be broken in certain areas. Although on the Chinese side, they actually had a whole wind farm!
From what I could see, the town is almost totally Kazakh, and the two Russians I met spoke fluent Kazakh, which is not only a rarity, but also rather a shock. The standard stereotype of “white = Russian” is rather ingrained, and is why everyone always first greets me in Russian. The police and army presence here is also very noticeably, with many people in uniform. There was an actual fort on the way into the town, with turrets and mud walls and watch towers (although it looked relatively modern, it followed the classic design of antiquity) but I thought it best not to take a photo. I had my first police check of my stay – for volunteers in the bigger towns, this is a common occurrence. It went smoothly though, and I was able to explain why I was in town, in Kazakh, which impressed both of us!
Despite seeing a bus with Chinese number plates, there was very little to tell you how close to China this town is, which was rather a disappointment as I had been hoping for a Chinese restaurant and some different items in the local shops. I want to buy a rice cooker, and had hoped to get one here!
So, the wedding was different in a number of areas from the last one. The biggest being this time I got to go to the mosque to see the marriage ceremony. Which was rather an anti-climax as it was just the family and a few friends sitting in the Imam’s office, while he read a few things, and gave them their official certificate. It was all over in 20 minutes and on the way out the groom had to pay at £15 in cash. A fairy-tale ceremony it wasn’t!
The party was much the same as the other one, just with tapes of famous songs, not the actual artists. Lots of food, lots of dancing and this time, lots of speaking German. There was a large Kazakh presence in East Germany during the Soviet Period apparently, and with Kazakhstan having a 2 year conscription, many men in their late 30’s/40’s spent two years there. Which was enough time to pick up a smattering of the language and provides my only way to attempt communication with people once the basics are through in Kazakh.
What else is there to say about the town? Not much really, I am very glad I don’t live there. The difference between a half built, and half abandoned building here is very difficult to judge here, especially as many people’s yards resemble building sites, even in houses they have lived in for years. It leads to an overall feeling of decline, despite the obvious new building taking place. Its hard to explain. There were two schools, which was a surprise, although I guess military families = babies. I imagine ill be back here sometime in the next two years to do an “English day”.
“If you don’t study hard, you will end up with the same job as your father, just working at the train depot” An internal dialogue of mine
There are always students who do not enjoy school, or who cannot see the benefit in it (how I wish I had taken Latin now!), and this is especially true of the non-essential subjects, such as English here.
By the 8th class, the kids have a general idea of what subjects they like, or deem important, and motivating them to try in English, if it isn’t on their list, is a challenge I am working on. Trying to involve them into class activates and games, is in theory the best way to do this, as it is fun. It should also help hide some of the ability differences that they might possess, but when they cannot answer simple questions as ‘How are you?’ it makes Verb Charades rather difficult. In this case, involving them in the group only highlights their lack of understanding, which in turn is only likely to reduce their interest even more.
Finding ways to motivate them is something I haven’t had to deal with before, both professionally and in my own experiences. Having gone to private school, almost all of the students in my classes where driven by a desire to achieve at least what their parents had, and understood the work that required. As almost everyone was safely middle-class, this meant aiming for jobs that would ensure the same standard of life. And University attendance was a given. My students in Japan came from similar economic backgrounds, and their parents were paying a lot of money for my classes, but the general attitude to studying is also rather unique. It meant that I had very few students with motivational issues.
Which is what makes working in a working class village in a rather insular country - where people don’t often stray far from their home town - teaching a periphery subject, so new for me. “Study English so you can travel and work in different countries” isn’t as motivating for students here as it could be for students in Japan. Likewise, “it’s important to know English as a student, as most journals are published in English” doesn’t work when less than 1/4 of students will end up going to University.
English isn’t needed for the semi-skilled jobs that employ most of the men in the village, and with most women being housewives, its just hard to sell it is as something worth the effort. Which might also explain the attitude of the parents. Apart from my 5th classes, I don’t think I have a single class where every student has a copy of the text book. Now, the book isn’t great, and every edition of it is different (and there are 2002, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2011 editions in most classes), but NOT having it, is even worse, and its crazy to imagine parents letting their kids go to school without the book. It costs 1000tenge, which is about £5, or in local terms, the price of a meal and drink at a restaurant. Many of the parents plead poverty, and its certainly true that there are some poor people here, but it strikes me as being a problem of priority. And English text books are very low on many family’s lists unfortunately.
I just had an amazing idea, which would see the school buy a full set of the books, plus a few spares. They would then rent these to the kids, at the full price of the book. If, at the end of the year, the book was returned in good condition, then they would get 800tenge back, meaning that it had cost only 200tenge to use the book for the year. Next year, do it again, but returning 600tenge etc, until 6 years have passed, and a whole new set of books could be bought. Between the 200tenge a book rental fee, and the full cost as a fine for damage, it seems that this could pay for itself, only requiring an initial investment by the school. Maybe I will suggest it to the director.
“You are commanded to be contented!” Dune
You may be wondering how I keep managing to find all these Dune quotes, and that is because there are 5 books in the series, and I have almost finished book 3. Lucky you!
I was at another wedding this weekend, this time for a nephew of my host mother, and this time it was a 4 hour train journey east, right on the Chinese border. If fact we got to see it, as they wanted some photos taken there (the “drive around town, beeping your horn and having photos taken at the local sights” that happens here is certainly different). Ill try to get a video put up on flickr, although I quake thinking how long it might take.
Balancing my need to write notes and take photos, against being shot for being a spy, I was able to walk around town and see lots of stuff. Well, see what was there to be seen. The town is called Dostuk, which means friend in Kazakh, and it is a border town in feel as well as location. Most people work either at the train depot (its currently the only train link with China, where most of the stuff sold in Kazakhstan comes from, so its suitably busy) and the large military presence here. Almost everyone lives in apartment blocks, which is a bit of a novelty for rural Kazakhstan, and this removes the most redeeming feature of villages here, being the gardens around each home, and Dostuk is a dusty and brown town because of it. It is also incredibly windy, which the lack of trees doesn’t help with, but it does provide the first wind turbine ive seen here, so there is some hope that Kazakhstan’s dependency on cheap coal might be broken in certain areas. Although on the Chinese side, they actually had a whole wind farm!
From what I could see, the town is almost totally Kazakh, and the two Russians I met spoke fluent Kazakh, which is not only a rarity, but also rather a shock. The standard stereotype of “white = Russian” is rather ingrained, and is why everyone always first greets me in Russian. The police and army presence here is also very noticeably, with many people in uniform. There was an actual fort on the way into the town, with turrets and mud walls and watch towers (although it looked relatively modern, it followed the classic design of antiquity) but I thought it best not to take a photo. I had my first police check of my stay – for volunteers in the bigger towns, this is a common occurrence. It went smoothly though, and I was able to explain why I was in town, in Kazakh, which impressed both of us!
Despite seeing a bus with Chinese number plates, there was very little to tell you how close to China this town is, which was rather a disappointment as I had been hoping for a Chinese restaurant and some different items in the local shops. I want to buy a rice cooker, and had hoped to get one here!
So, the wedding was different in a number of areas from the last one. The biggest being this time I got to go to the mosque to see the marriage ceremony. Which was rather an anti-climax as it was just the family and a few friends sitting in the Imam’s office, while he read a few things, and gave them their official certificate. It was all over in 20 minutes and on the way out the groom had to pay at £15 in cash. A fairy-tale ceremony it wasn’t!
The party was much the same as the other one, just with tapes of famous songs, not the actual artists. Lots of food, lots of dancing and this time, lots of speaking German. There was a large Kazakh presence in East Germany during the Soviet Period apparently, and with Kazakhstan having a 2 year conscription, many men in their late 30’s/40’s spent two years there. Which was enough time to pick up a smattering of the language and provides my only way to attempt communication with people once the basics are through in Kazakh.
What else is there to say about the town? Not much really, I am very glad I don’t live there. The difference between a half built, and half abandoned building here is very difficult to judge here, especially as many people’s yards resemble building sites, even in houses they have lived in for years. It leads to an overall feeling of decline, despite the obvious new building taking place. Its hard to explain. There were two schools, which was a surprise, although I guess military families = babies. I imagine ill be back here sometime in the next two years to do an “English day”.
“If you don’t study hard, you will end up with the same job as your father, just working at the train depot” An internal dialogue of mine
There are always students who do not enjoy school, or who cannot see the benefit in it (how I wish I had taken Latin now!), and this is especially true of the non-essential subjects, such as English here.
By the 8th class, the kids have a general idea of what subjects they like, or deem important, and motivating them to try in English, if it isn’t on their list, is a challenge I am working on. Trying to involve them into class activates and games, is in theory the best way to do this, as it is fun. It should also help hide some of the ability differences that they might possess, but when they cannot answer simple questions as ‘How are you?’ it makes Verb Charades rather difficult. In this case, involving them in the group only highlights their lack of understanding, which in turn is only likely to reduce their interest even more.
Finding ways to motivate them is something I haven’t had to deal with before, both professionally and in my own experiences. Having gone to private school, almost all of the students in my classes where driven by a desire to achieve at least what their parents had, and understood the work that required. As almost everyone was safely middle-class, this meant aiming for jobs that would ensure the same standard of life. And University attendance was a given. My students in Japan came from similar economic backgrounds, and their parents were paying a lot of money for my classes, but the general attitude to studying is also rather unique. It meant that I had very few students with motivational issues.
Which is what makes working in a working class village in a rather insular country - where people don’t often stray far from their home town - teaching a periphery subject, so new for me. “Study English so you can travel and work in different countries” isn’t as motivating for students here as it could be for students in Japan. Likewise, “it’s important to know English as a student, as most journals are published in English” doesn’t work when less than 1/4 of students will end up going to University.
English isn’t needed for the semi-skilled jobs that employ most of the men in the village, and with most women being housewives, its just hard to sell it is as something worth the effort. Which might also explain the attitude of the parents. Apart from my 5th classes, I don’t think I have a single class where every student has a copy of the text book. Now, the book isn’t great, and every edition of it is different (and there are 2002, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2011 editions in most classes), but NOT having it, is even worse, and its crazy to imagine parents letting their kids go to school without the book. It costs 1000tenge, which is about £5, or in local terms, the price of a meal and drink at a restaurant. Many of the parents plead poverty, and its certainly true that there are some poor people here, but it strikes me as being a problem of priority. And English text books are very low on many family’s lists unfortunately.
I just had an amazing idea, which would see the school buy a full set of the books, plus a few spares. They would then rent these to the kids, at the full price of the book. If, at the end of the year, the book was returned in good condition, then they would get 800tenge back, meaning that it had cost only 200tenge to use the book for the year. Next year, do it again, but returning 600tenge etc, until 6 years have passed, and a whole new set of books could be bought. Between the 200tenge a book rental fee, and the full cost as a fine for damage, it seems that this could pay for itself, only requiring an initial investment by the school. Maybe I will suggest it to the director.
23rd September
23rd September
“Governments, if they endure, always tend increasingly toward aristocratic forms. No government in history has been known to evade this pattern. And as the aristocracy develops, government tends more and more to act exclusively in the interests of the ruling class- whether that class be hereditary royals, oligarchs of financial empires or entrenched bureaucracy” Dune
I was so excited thinking of my plan that I couldn’t sleep. I was like a child on Christmas Eve, which is really rather silly, as this wont be for another two years!
If I ever get a new passport of course as I lost my Peace Corps one, somehow. Its one of those situations where there is a lot of time between when you last saw/used something, and then the moment you cant find it. And I spent the whole day at the police station today trying to explain that. And I have to go back on Monday.
But to make myself feel better (slightly), I bought myself an amazing Kazakhstan tracksuit at the market. 4500tenge, which at about £20 was I thought it a bit of a bargain, especially as it is branded as both Adidas AND Subaru (the Japanese car company). Which is quite an achievement really, and just goes to show the true value of branding. My tracksuit was possibly made in the same factory that makes Adidas and Subaru clothing, and they thought nothing of mixing the two together, as they are just simply famous logos.
It also just shows how fickle our reasons for wearing a brand can be. With many items these days, they are bought at much for what other people will think, as for any liking for the item.
If you are buying a tracksuit with 3 stripes down the side, because you want other people to think you are wearing Adidas, then it doesn’t really matter, if it was made by Adidas or not (I still don’t understand how 3 stripes can be copyrighted, not that bothers the Chinese of course). And this is something that China has realised; people will buy something for the brand printed on it, not for the quality, or if it was actually made by that company. It undermines the belief in “brand loyalty” that I was taught in Business Studies at school. While yes, people are buying a “brand”, be it Nike or Lacoste, and therefore showing loyalty, they don’t care if its real or not. And therefore the companies benefit very little (increased advertisement for the brand being the only advantage). Although even this isn’t guaranteed. When Burberry started to be worn by trashy celebrities and fake copies found at markets around England, those traditional wearers of it (the rich), abandoned the brand due to its new image.
Now, this argument ignores that fact that many people don’t buy clothing based on the brand, or if they do, they buy the ‘real’ thing - although, with most things being made in similar factories in China, the difference between a £5 fake Polo Sport t-shirt and a £55 real one may actually be very small. It is undoubtedly true that there are some companies out there that still make decisions based on ethics not simply cost. But they tend to make more expensive clothes that put them out of the price range of the average shopper.
Back to my purchase, all I wanted was a tracksuit with Kazakhstan written on it, not caring WHO made it. The only options at the market were the same price, and I liked the design of this one the best. The fact that it has 3 stripes down the sides, and the tag says Subaru are just extras. The fact that neither Adidas, Subaru nor the Kazakhstan Sports Organisation benefit much from this sale is just business.
“Governments, if they endure, always tend increasingly toward aristocratic forms. No government in history has been known to evade this pattern. And as the aristocracy develops, government tends more and more to act exclusively in the interests of the ruling class- whether that class be hereditary royals, oligarchs of financial empires or entrenched bureaucracy” Dune
I was so excited thinking of my plan that I couldn’t sleep. I was like a child on Christmas Eve, which is really rather silly, as this wont be for another two years!
If I ever get a new passport of course as I lost my Peace Corps one, somehow. Its one of those situations where there is a lot of time between when you last saw/used something, and then the moment you cant find it. And I spent the whole day at the police station today trying to explain that. And I have to go back on Monday.
But to make myself feel better (slightly), I bought myself an amazing Kazakhstan tracksuit at the market. 4500tenge, which at about £20 was I thought it a bit of a bargain, especially as it is branded as both Adidas AND Subaru (the Japanese car company). Which is quite an achievement really, and just goes to show the true value of branding. My tracksuit was possibly made in the same factory that makes Adidas and Subaru clothing, and they thought nothing of mixing the two together, as they are just simply famous logos.
It also just shows how fickle our reasons for wearing a brand can be. With many items these days, they are bought at much for what other people will think, as for any liking for the item.
If you are buying a tracksuit with 3 stripes down the side, because you want other people to think you are wearing Adidas, then it doesn’t really matter, if it was made by Adidas or not (I still don’t understand how 3 stripes can be copyrighted, not that bothers the Chinese of course). And this is something that China has realised; people will buy something for the brand printed on it, not for the quality, or if it was actually made by that company. It undermines the belief in “brand loyalty” that I was taught in Business Studies at school. While yes, people are buying a “brand”, be it Nike or Lacoste, and therefore showing loyalty, they don’t care if its real or not. And therefore the companies benefit very little (increased advertisement for the brand being the only advantage). Although even this isn’t guaranteed. When Burberry started to be worn by trashy celebrities and fake copies found at markets around England, those traditional wearers of it (the rich), abandoned the brand due to its new image.
Now, this argument ignores that fact that many people don’t buy clothing based on the brand, or if they do, they buy the ‘real’ thing - although, with most things being made in similar factories in China, the difference between a £5 fake Polo Sport t-shirt and a £55 real one may actually be very small. It is undoubtedly true that there are some companies out there that still make decisions based on ethics not simply cost. But they tend to make more expensive clothes that put them out of the price range of the average shopper.
Back to my purchase, all I wanted was a tracksuit with Kazakhstan written on it, not caring WHO made it. The only options at the market were the same price, and I liked the design of this one the best. The fact that it has 3 stripes down the sides, and the tag says Subaru are just extras. The fact that neither Adidas, Subaru nor the Kazakhstan Sports Organisation benefit much from this sale is just business.
22nd September
“Atrocity has no excuses, no mitigating argument. Atrocity never balances or rectifies the past.” Dune
There is a relevance to this post, somewhat tenuous, but still, the point was not to depress you!
With the reading I am doing, both about the history of Islam, and for my Islamic Art course, my desire to explore the Islamic world is growing greatly. This coupled with plenty of free time in the evenings (there is nothing to do apart from read), I have planned my escape trip! It is epic, and for those who knew me in Japan, know I like planning epic trips (although most never see the light of day alas).
This one however, takes in at least 10 countries:
Starting from my house, its only a few hours to the Chinese border, so head across to Urumchi, the capital city of the Uigur region of Western China. From there, head towards Kashgar, the famous ancient city, before heading through the mountains north into Kyrgyzstan. In the summer, this country is amazing for hiking and horse trekking apparently, so that sounds great. From Kyrgyzstan, head south into Tajikistan and experience the mountains there, before briefly passing through northern Afghanistan, mainly in an excuse to visit Herat. From there, head north into Turkmenistan for a brief (the transit visas are only 3 days) stop in Merv, before dropping down into Iran. Skirting the Caspian Sea would take me up to Azerbaijan and then into Georgia and Armenia, before taking me to Turkey, the only country on this list so far that I have already visited. That’s 10 countries so far!
Now, if I have the time, I would love to then visit Syria, Jordan, then Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco, before going up through Spain and Portugal, then France and home.
The last part I fear is only a dream. While I think the countries will be safe enough to visit in 2 years, my plan is to start University in September, and with May being the end date of my time here in Kazakhstan, that gives a fixed period of 3 months. And 20 countries in 3 months might just be too much. Although my current record is 8 countries in 5 weeks, so its not unheard of.
Money won’t be a problem, which is always a nice situation to be in, especially when I think about all the Visas I will need to buy. I get $7500 at completion of my Peace Corps time, and that will cover this nicely, and I have enough money saved from Japan to pay for a Masters. The biggest problem with this is probably loneliness. Not only do I not imagine anyone would want to come with me on this trip, there is also the fact that this part of the world is not visited by many tourists in general. Oh well, I guess I will continue to read a lot then. There is no fear of my running out of books at least. I still many thousands to read on the Kindle. And in case I haven’t mentioned it before, that e-book really is an amazing useful bit of plastic - Space for 3000 books, in something smaller and lighter (and slightly more water resistant) than a normal book, and free internet. It makes entertainment on a trip such as this much easier.
Ah right, the link to atrocities was to do with some of the countries I plan on visiting. Afghanistan and Iran (and Turkey) are not known as the friendliest of countries, although I guess most countries have committed their fair share of terrible crimes. That was it, I told you it was rather tenuous.
Right, sorry for sharing that with you. Especially as it will change throughout the next two years, and you will probably have to read about those changes as well. But a man can dream cant he?!
“Atrocity has no excuses, no mitigating argument. Atrocity never balances or rectifies the past.” Dune
There is a relevance to this post, somewhat tenuous, but still, the point was not to depress you!
With the reading I am doing, both about the history of Islam, and for my Islamic Art course, my desire to explore the Islamic world is growing greatly. This coupled with plenty of free time in the evenings (there is nothing to do apart from read), I have planned my escape trip! It is epic, and for those who knew me in Japan, know I like planning epic trips (although most never see the light of day alas).
This one however, takes in at least 10 countries:
Starting from my house, its only a few hours to the Chinese border, so head across to Urumchi, the capital city of the Uigur region of Western China. From there, head towards Kashgar, the famous ancient city, before heading through the mountains north into Kyrgyzstan. In the summer, this country is amazing for hiking and horse trekking apparently, so that sounds great. From Kyrgyzstan, head south into Tajikistan and experience the mountains there, before briefly passing through northern Afghanistan, mainly in an excuse to visit Herat. From there, head north into Turkmenistan for a brief (the transit visas are only 3 days) stop in Merv, before dropping down into Iran. Skirting the Caspian Sea would take me up to Azerbaijan and then into Georgia and Armenia, before taking me to Turkey, the only country on this list so far that I have already visited. That’s 10 countries so far!Now, if I have the time, I would love to then visit Syria, Jordan, then Egypt, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco, before going up through Spain and Portugal, then France and home.
The last part I fear is only a dream. While I think the countries will be safe enough to visit in 2 years, my plan is to start University in September, and with May being the end date of my time here in Kazakhstan, that gives a fixed period of 3 months. And 20 countries in 3 months might just be too much. Although my current record is 8 countries in 5 weeks, so its not unheard of.
Money won’t be a problem, which is always a nice situation to be in, especially when I think about all the Visas I will need to buy. I get $7500 at completion of my Peace Corps time, and that will cover this nicely, and I have enough money saved from Japan to pay for a Masters. The biggest problem with this is probably loneliness. Not only do I not imagine anyone would want to come with me on this trip, there is also the fact that this part of the world is not visited by many tourists in general. Oh well, I guess I will continue to read a lot then. There is no fear of my running out of books at least. I still many thousands to read on the Kindle. And in case I haven’t mentioned it before, that e-book really is an amazing useful bit of plastic - Space for 3000 books, in something smaller and lighter (and slightly more water resistant) than a normal book, and free internet. It makes entertainment on a trip such as this much easier.
Ah right, the link to atrocities was to do with some of the countries I plan on visiting. Afghanistan and Iran (and Turkey) are not known as the friendliest of countries, although I guess most countries have committed their fair share of terrible crimes. That was it, I told you it was rather tenuous.
Right, sorry for sharing that with you. Especially as it will change throughout the next two years, and you will probably have to read about those changes as well. But a man can dream cant he?!
20th September
20th September
“I am terror” Dustan, aged 10
There was a small fire at school last weekend, the fuse box for the whole school caught fire, and it has meant no electricity and therefore no internet. So sorry about that.
Today’s quote is a break from the current Dune themed ones, so I hope you appreciate it. It was from a student yesterday, who didn’t quite manage to say what he intended. The lesson was based around the structure, “How are you?” “I am...” and he meant “I am terrible”. He is an energetic child, and always eager to please and receive praise, but as a child of a vice-principle here, he is basically ‘untouchable’ and he is always pushing the boundaries of what he can get away with. So my goal for the two years is to focus his energies on English, in the hope that his statement can be kept as a comical error, and not a prophecy.
I had a thought today, while teaching a class, and it is something that I don’t readily have an answer for.
In the lesson planning sessions, I have been actively pushing a simplification of lessons, with more time spent on practicing structures and group work, and homework that is based on the lesson, not simply translating text or remembering lists of words. However, my 8th class today really worried me. They not only didn’t know what a Verb was, but when they were told in Russian, they could only give me 4 English examples (and 2 nouns). This is their 4th year of learning English.
The system that was in place clearly didn’t work, and that is why I have opted for the big change in how lessons are planned and taught. But is simplification the answer? Should I in fact be giving the kids MORE information and lists?
Something isn’t working, but I am not sure how to fix it. After 3 years of German at school, I was able to converse on simple topics. Here, I find myself teaching 11th class students (they are 17 years old, and have had 7 years of English classes) the days of the week and ordinal numbers. What was different about language at school in England? I am pretty sure we also only had 2 x 45min lessons. I guess the fact that all of us had text books, and they were the same edition as the teachers was a big help, but that’s another issue here!
“I am terror” Dustan, aged 10
There was a small fire at school last weekend, the fuse box for the whole school caught fire, and it has meant no electricity and therefore no internet. So sorry about that.
Today’s quote is a break from the current Dune themed ones, so I hope you appreciate it. It was from a student yesterday, who didn’t quite manage to say what he intended. The lesson was based around the structure, “How are you?” “I am...” and he meant “I am terrible”. He is an energetic child, and always eager to please and receive praise, but as a child of a vice-principle here, he is basically ‘untouchable’ and he is always pushing the boundaries of what he can get away with. So my goal for the two years is to focus his energies on English, in the hope that his statement can be kept as a comical error, and not a prophecy.
I had a thought today, while teaching a class, and it is something that I don’t readily have an answer for.
In the lesson planning sessions, I have been actively pushing a simplification of lessons, with more time spent on practicing structures and group work, and homework that is based on the lesson, not simply translating text or remembering lists of words. However, my 8th class today really worried me. They not only didn’t know what a Verb was, but when they were told in Russian, they could only give me 4 English examples (and 2 nouns). This is their 4th year of learning English.
The system that was in place clearly didn’t work, and that is why I have opted for the big change in how lessons are planned and taught. But is simplification the answer? Should I in fact be giving the kids MORE information and lists?
Something isn’t working, but I am not sure how to fix it. After 3 years of German at school, I was able to converse on simple topics. Here, I find myself teaching 11th class students (they are 17 years old, and have had 7 years of English classes) the days of the week and ordinal numbers. What was different about language at school in England? I am pretty sure we also only had 2 x 45min lessons. I guess the fact that all of us had text books, and they were the same edition as the teachers was a big help, but that’s another issue here!
18th September
18th September
“Empires do not suffer emptiness of purpose at the time of their creation. It is when they have become established that aims are lost and replaced by vague rituals” Dune
Sorry about all these quotes from Dune, but there are many passages in it that I like. Some of them borrow from existing philosophy or religions, but none the less, I still find that they are poignant today. Which is remarkable seeing as Dune is a science-fiction book written in the 1960’s. Today’s quote is in relation to the Soviet era bureaucracy that still saturates Kazakhstan. Everything requires a stamp from a superior before it can be implemented or used.
I went fishing today with some of my pupils, and it was a very interesting experience. Something that struck me while I was standing next to the pond was how forward and friendly the kids had been to invite me. I am after all, a teacher at school, and at least 10 years older than them. They don’t ask the other teachers to go fishing, so it was a unique invitation (I doubt I would have invited a new teacher to go cycling with me when I was in school). And this is why I accepted I think, as it’s certainly not from a liking of fishing. Winston Churchill once called golf the best way to ruin a walk, and I would have to call fishing “the best way to ruin an afternoon of reading”. Standing or sitting around, waiting to see IF you catch a fish, and then more often than not, it being too small to be of use, just isn’t my idea of fun.
But that wasn’t the point of today. It was a chance to socialise with some of my students, and this was the first time ive been in a totally Russian environment, which presented some new challenges, namely, not being able to speak to anyone who didn’t speak English. Despite them having taken Kazakh classes for longer than I have, my spoken Kazakh is better than most Russians (which isn’t saying much).
I also ate the first pork since ive been here, some of that pork fat I have mentioned in the past. It was salty and surprisingly tasty, but just a small mouthful is enough I assure you.
I am running out of patience with living in a host family situation, and will start looking for a place I can move into by myself. So many small factors that have mounted up and just annoy me and moving out would solve them. I was just served my 2nd breakfast (its only 11am), its beshbarmak for lunch in an hour and I know I will be told off again for coming home at 7.30pm from football and having missed dinner.
Its little things like this that I am unused to, having lived by myself for a large part of the last 3 years, plus university. And I appreciate some of problems stem from my actions and inability to adapt to family life. But for the time being, at least till I am better able to express myself in Kazakh, it would be easier to live by myself. So ill start spreading the word!
“Empires do not suffer emptiness of purpose at the time of their creation. It is when they have become established that aims are lost and replaced by vague rituals” Dune
Sorry about all these quotes from Dune, but there are many passages in it that I like. Some of them borrow from existing philosophy or religions, but none the less, I still find that they are poignant today. Which is remarkable seeing as Dune is a science-fiction book written in the 1960’s. Today’s quote is in relation to the Soviet era bureaucracy that still saturates Kazakhstan. Everything requires a stamp from a superior before it can be implemented or used.
I went fishing today with some of my pupils, and it was a very interesting experience. Something that struck me while I was standing next to the pond was how forward and friendly the kids had been to invite me. I am after all, a teacher at school, and at least 10 years older than them. They don’t ask the other teachers to go fishing, so it was a unique invitation (I doubt I would have invited a new teacher to go cycling with me when I was in school). And this is why I accepted I think, as it’s certainly not from a liking of fishing. Winston Churchill once called golf the best way to ruin a walk, and I would have to call fishing “the best way to ruin an afternoon of reading”. Standing or sitting around, waiting to see IF you catch a fish, and then more often than not, it being too small to be of use, just isn’t my idea of fun.
But that wasn’t the point of today. It was a chance to socialise with some of my students, and this was the first time ive been in a totally Russian environment, which presented some new challenges, namely, not being able to speak to anyone who didn’t speak English. Despite them having taken Kazakh classes for longer than I have, my spoken Kazakh is better than most Russians (which isn’t saying much).
I also ate the first pork since ive been here, some of that pork fat I have mentioned in the past. It was salty and surprisingly tasty, but just a small mouthful is enough I assure you.
I am running out of patience with living in a host family situation, and will start looking for a place I can move into by myself. So many small factors that have mounted up and just annoy me and moving out would solve them. I was just served my 2nd breakfast (its only 11am), its beshbarmak for lunch in an hour and I know I will be told off again for coming home at 7.30pm from football and having missed dinner.
Its little things like this that I am unused to, having lived by myself for a large part of the last 3 years, plus university. And I appreciate some of problems stem from my actions and inability to adapt to family life. But for the time being, at least till I am better able to express myself in Kazakh, it would be easier to live by myself. So ill start spreading the word!
16th September
16th September
“The concept of progress acts as a protective mechanism to shield us from the terrors of the future” Dune
Things I wished I had done in Japan but didn’t manage:
Actually see Mt. Fuji (I climbed it, but the weather was terrible)
See the cherry blossoms on Mt.Yoshino
See the northern part of Honshu (the main Island)
Take part in a festival
Visit Hokkaio in the winter to see the ice festival
That’s all I can think of for now, I am sure there are more. I was looking through a bunch of old online comics I had on my computer and found this one that I thought somewhat fitted the theme of today, and made me giggle.
Now for another list – things I feel are priorities for the English lessons here.
Speaking – too many kids are not speaking in the class. The teachers mainly choose the ‘good’ students for speaking or giving answers
Planning – what is our focus for the lesson? Build the lesson around that.
Praise – My counterpart is quick to criticise and scold, but needs to be quicker to praise good work
Homework – very few students do it (what is assigned is often confusing and not properly planned out, but that’s another problem) so I have devised the following grading to try and boost homework and general class participation
Grade Requirements
2 No speaking/ No homework
3 Little speaking/ No homework
4 Some speaking and homework
5 Lots of speaking and great homework
I have been warned here that grading is often not related to actual achievement but to who the child’s parents are, and how well the student does in other subjects. But I hope this plan will work. By clearly setting out what the student has to do to achieve a certain grade, the idea is that is it motivating for the student. At the same time, we can clearly show the parents why their child received the grade they did, hopefully removing the fear of upsetting someone important.
“The concept of progress acts as a protective mechanism to shield us from the terrors of the future” Dune
Things I wished I had done in Japan but didn’t manage:
Actually see Mt. Fuji (I climbed it, but the weather was terrible)
See the cherry blossoms on Mt.Yoshino
See the northern part of Honshu (the main Island)
Take part in a festival
Visit Hokkaio in the winter to see the ice festival
That’s all I can think of for now, I am sure there are more. I was looking through a bunch of old online comics I had on my computer and found this one that I thought somewhat fitted the theme of today, and made me giggle.
Now for another list – things I feel are priorities for the English lessons here.Speaking – too many kids are not speaking in the class. The teachers mainly choose the ‘good’ students for speaking or giving answers
Planning – what is our focus for the lesson? Build the lesson around that.
Praise – My counterpart is quick to criticise and scold, but needs to be quicker to praise good work
Homework – very few students do it (what is assigned is often confusing and not properly planned out, but that’s another problem) so I have devised the following grading to try and boost homework and general class participation
Grade Requirements
2 No speaking/ No homework
3 Little speaking/ No homework
4 Some speaking and homework
5 Lots of speaking and great homework
I have been warned here that grading is often not related to actual achievement but to who the child’s parents are, and how well the student does in other subjects. But I hope this plan will work. By clearly setting out what the student has to do to achieve a certain grade, the idea is that is it motivating for the student. At the same time, we can clearly show the parents why their child received the grade they did, hopefully removing the fear of upsetting someone important.
Sunday, 2 October 2011
update
sorry guys. There was a small fire at school 3 weeks ago, and its meant no electricity in the computer room = no internet.
i am still alive!
i am still alive!
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