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choudoufu
Joined: 25 May 2010
Posts: 3325
Location: Mao-berry, PRC
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 Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 5:23 am Post subject: |
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yep. american culture.....not multi-culti-crunchy culture.
or do 'merkans always spank pinatas while doing the hula on xmas?
i'm suprised she didn't have them making kwaanza cards! |
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7969
Joined: 26 Mar 2003
Posts: 5782
Location: Coastal Guangdong
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 5:27 am Post subject: |
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| choudoufu wrote: |
| i'm suprised she didn't have them making kwaanza cards! |
Festivus for the rest of us ! |
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therock
Joined: 31 Jul 2005
Posts: 1266
Location: China
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 6:23 am Post subject: |
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| If there is that much distrust between both parties that one side feels the need to secretly record the conversations I think it would be easier to just cut your losses, walk away and find another job. |
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xiguagua
Joined: 09 Oct 2011
Posts: 768
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 8:30 am Post subject: |
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| choudoufu wrote: |
yep. american culture.....not multi-culti-crunchy culture.
or do 'merkans always spank pinatas while doing the hula on xmas?
i'm suprised she didn't have them making kwaanza cards! |
.....Being 100% white, i've busted open my fair share of pinatas. It's a fun activity, and children love it. I also loved it when I was a kid. Sure it comes from Latin traditions, but I bet you could find a huge number of Americans that have busted them open. Heck, I'd still do it today if I had the chance it's fun and you get omnomnom candies.
And the hula is associated with Hawaiian culture, have you ever been to Hawaii? When I was there........I saw people......doing the hula.......if you ask Hawaiians......they will tell you all about their traditions. Are you against fun or something? |
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johntpartee
Joined: 02 Mar 2010
Posts: 3258
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 8:39 am Post subject: |
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| I don't think this is so much about what the OP taught as it is about her reactions to any perceived slight; I think she's in the wrong line of work. She's definitely in the wrong country. |
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MisterButtkins
Joined: 03 Oct 2009
Posts: 1221
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 9:00 am Post subject: |
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| In my experience Chinese regard most classroom activities we would consider fun (pinatas, Christmas cards, hula) as a waste of time. They would rather see you stand in front of the class and talk in a commanding voice for an hour. |
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therock
Joined: 31 Jul 2005
Posts: 1266
Location: China
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 9:20 am Post subject: |
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| MisterButtkins wrote: |
| In my experience Chinese regard most classroom activities we would consider fun (pinatas, Christmas cards, hula) as a waste of time. They would rather see you stand in front of the class and talk in a commanding voice for an hour. |
I think they would rather you stand in front of the class with a guitar and sing your greatest hits.  |
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choudoufu
Joined: 25 May 2010
Posts: 3325
Location: Mao-berry, PRC
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 9:58 am Post subject: |
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| xiguagua wrote: |
| And the hula is associated with Hawaiian culture, have you ever been to Hawaii? When I was there........I saw people......doing the hula.......if you ask Hawaiians......they will tell you all about their traditions. Are you against fun or something? |
i'm just sayin' OP seems to be teaching arts-N-crafts, with a bias
towards 'minority' rainbow culture. fun is fun. groovy and awesome.
but anyone consider.............what does the school want? do they
want the kids wasting weeks making pinatas? or learning the hula?
or do they want the students to be learning english with content
based on mainstream/traditional what-we-think-of-when-someone-says
'american culture?'
but, heck, why not just go all out and teach 'eubonics?' that'll prepare
the kids for school in 'merka. better than the hula anyways. |
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MisterButtkins
Joined: 03 Oct 2009
Posts: 1221
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 10:44 am Post subject: |
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| choudoufu wrote: |
| xiguagua wrote: |
| And the hula is associated with Hawaiian culture, have you ever been to Hawaii? When I was there........I saw people......doing the hula.......if you ask Hawaiians......they will tell you all about their traditions. Are you against fun or something? |
i'm just sayin' OP seems to be teaching arts-N-crafts, with a bias
towards 'minority' rainbow culture. fun is fun. groovy and awesome.
but anyone consider.............what does the school want? do they
want the kids wasting weeks making pinatas? or learning the hula?
or do they want the students to be learning english with content
based on mainstream/traditional what-we-think-of-when-someone-says
'american culture?'
but, heck, why not just go all out and teach 'eubonics?' that'll prepare
the kids for school in 'merka. better than the hula anyways. |
I agree. A little bit of fun and games is fine, but I don't see how making pinatas is supposed to improve their English. Plenty of Mexicans make pinatas without speaking English at all. Sounds too much like an arts and crafts class.
If the school didn't want her to be teaching such nonsense (and how could they), she should have changed her lessons. |
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colonel
Joined: 19 Jul 2005
Posts: 89
Location: Nanyang and Cha-Am
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 11:50 am Post subject: |
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| Viewing the OP's previous posts one begins to form an image. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 12:33 pm Post subject: |
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McGarrett wanted me to teach the new students speaking, university survival and academic skills, as well as American culture.
In addition to teaching the GAC students, he also wanted me to teach a high school class |
Just dropping in from other continents. Forgive. But I started reading the thread in an idle moment and got slightly hooked on language, attitude, and approach issues.
I was wondering about the song-and-dance and arts-and-crafts and how they promoted university survival and academic skills or even American culture in terms of how it's relevant to a foreign university student.
I mean, I guess you could do something with, say, pinatas, if there is a VERY clear language/communication focus, but if it's all a bunch of balloons and newspaper and paste in native language - what's the point? No wonder there were complaints.
I've taught Chinese university students in Canada. They didn't really need to know much about hula dancing or pinata making....but they could have definitely used better academic English skills. |
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TexasHighway
Joined: 03 Dec 2005
Posts: 779
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 12:54 pm Post subject: |
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Colonel wrote:
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| Viewing the OP's previous posts one begins to form an image. |
And now the administration is probably pasting that image of the OP on the pi�ata they stole from her. The fact that she was teaching hula dancing and pi�ata making were the least of her problems. |
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 1:18 pm Post subject: |
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| Are the actions and behaviour detailed in this thread typical of American culture? I don't think so, but then again, I wouldn't really know. But if so, perhaps the adminstration got more than they bargained for when they filled the position for 'teacher of American culture'? I'm always suspicious of these types of job descriptions in TEFL... |
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johntpartee
Joined: 02 Mar 2010
Posts: 3258
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 1:32 pm Post subject: |
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| I'm always suspicious of these types of job descriptions in TEFL |
Yeah, I am, too. I always refuse them. |
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maxand
Joined: 04 Jan 2012
Posts: 318
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| Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2012 1:43 pm Post subject: |
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| 7969 wrote: |
| choudoufu wrote: |
| i'm suprised she didn't have them making kwaanza cards! |
Festivus for the rest of us ! |
This is how the OP behaves in the classroom:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbHUwiUiOhw  |
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