So, that was the story of the accident. Now for the aftermath. The next day ie; today, the genius girl figures that almost dying does not count as an excuse to bunk school and comes anyway.She can't talk or write (Due to the chipped teeth and the elbow) but obviously,that doesn't matter does it? When she reaches school everyone finds that she makes a most excellent specimen to stare at and make sympathetic noises.Which she does not appreciate. What was I doing at this time you ask?? Well, me being the awesome, called her Cave-woman all day. Seriously, I was quite confused as to laugh or cry. She did look very funny. But you know she had a freakin' accident, so I was not supposed to be making fun of her and threatening people with " If you bug me one more time, I will make sure you look like Marthe"..Um..He.. Sorry Marthe, if you're reading this! So thats what happened today.

No, but something else did also. I guess this will be like a continuation to the Education post...

In our English class, we're doing this lesson called 'The Tiger King' by Kalki. Its supposed to be a satirical piece on Animal Cruelty....I think. Anyway, imagine a teacher trying to explain and define sarcasm!!! I think she said that satire was a way to "ridicule people in a humorous manner". I mean obviously there are a thousand other ways to ridicule people. We also had the following sentence added to our amazing mental database from where we are to spout these 'points' on command:

'We see politicians like prostrate before their masters to flatter them'

If anybody can, someone please tell me what exactly that is supposed to mean.... I thought I had misheard...but apparently I hadn't.

We also have these reading and comprehension passages in our exams. They are the most boring part of our paper. We have a bunch of fixed topics; Globalization, the Environment, Global Warming, Child Development ( I'm dead serious.), Religion and Science too once in a while. I don't even have to think anymore. I just write. Its automated.

Final Conclusion: Study for the exams. Do not actually learn anything. Pass the exams. Goooood.

More Coldplay now, I did go listen to Viva La Vida (the song) again yesterday and I absolutely fell in love with it!!!! Its just Wow!

I used to rule the world,

Seas would rise when I gave the word,

But now in the morning I sleep alone,

Sweep the streets that I used to own.

The rest of the song is even better. I also liked 'Yes'. If you haven't heard Violet Hill, Viva La Vida or Yes yet. Shoo! Off with you! Go listen NOW!

L8r!

For nearly four years, Britain's construction and hospitality industries have flourished thanks to the influx of an estimated one million Polish workers – but now Poland wants them back. The Warsaw government is so worried about a national labour shortage in the professions that it plans to advertise in the UK to encourage expatriate Poles to return to the country that many of them left after it joined the European Union.

According to Polish media reports, the adverts will soon appear in English and Polish-language newspapers in this country. They are part of a wider campaign by the newly elected government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who swept to power six months ago with a pledge to encourage migrant workers to return.

However, there is mounting evidence that many Poles are already heading back east, particularly because the current weakness of Britain's currency means they are getting fewer zlotys for their pounds.

Mr Tusk's administration has produced a brochure that it plans to give away with Polish newspapers and at the many Polish cultural centres across Britain. The Handbook for Re-Emigrants advises Poles how to find accommodation back home and apply for special loans.

After Poland joined the EU in May 2004, an estimated two million people – about 10 per cent of the population – left to find work, predominantly in Britain and Ireland. But while the British and Irish economies benefited from the influx of cheap and willing labour, Poland suffered acute staff shortages, particularly in the building and and hospitality trades.

Of major concern to Warsaw is the lack of skilled construction workers needed to build new football stadiums before the European championships in 2012, which Poland and the Ukraine will host jointly. The government estimates that up to 200,000 extra workers are needed to complete the multibillion-euro projects earmarked for the event.

In the past year, the Polish government has introduced a series of measures aimed at encouraging Poles to return. It has abolished a rule which meant migrant workers were liable to pay taxes both in Britain and at home. Mr Tusk's government also wants to grant a five-year amnesty to those who have failed to pay taxes in Poland while working abroad.

His opponents say this proposal is unconstitutional but, if approved, it will no doubt prove attractive to thousands of expats who have put off returning because they fear they will be receive a large tax bill when they arrive.

Estimating how many Poles return home each year is difficult because the government does not record the figure. However, many analysts believe that east European immigration to Britain may already have peaked. The numbers of east European migrants approved to work in Britain dropped from 227,875 in 2006 to 206,905 last year – a fall of nearly 10 per cent.

This may be because employment prospects in Poland have improved dramatically since it joined the EU. The current unemployment rate is 10 per cent – half what it was four years ago. Currency exchange rates may also have an effect on migration. When Poland entered the EU in 2004, £1 was worth seven zlotys; now it is worth only 4.2 zlotys.

Wojiech Pisasrki, a spokesman for the Polish embassy in London, believes there is evidence to suggest that the number of Poles coming to the UK may be the same as the number who are going home. "The process of leaving has already started," he said. "Immigration to Britain is not as attractive a prospect as it was a few years ago."

Jacek Winnicki, a Polish lawyer who has settled in London, said he doubted that an advertising campaign would encourage many of his countrymen to return.

"Work is just one of many factors behind why people chose to live where they do," he added. "I don't think an advert saying 'come back to Poland' will work, but I do think it will make Poles think and maybe a few will be tempted to leave."

The UK's treatment of asylum seekers falls seriously below the standards of a civilised country, says a report. The Independent Asylum Commission heard from hundreds of witnesses, including asylum seekers who said the system had been unfair to them.

Germain Naruhana gave evidence to the commission in Leeds. He claimed asylum from the DR Congo in 2005. He says his father was beheaded by political opponents after the family spoke out against abuses. He has lost contact with his wife and three children. He says an asylum judge told him his story was not credible.

Afshin, who is originally from Iran, spoke to the Independent Asylum Commission about his experiences in the UK, where he has lived for the past 12 years.

He says he waited five years for a decision on his case - a refusal.

"If someone would tell an Iranian that in a Western country they treat you like this, they wouldn't believe you - because they think there is so much humanity there because we have such a brutal government."

Shoherah Muhummad, originally from Somalia, gave evidence to the commission in Leeds.

She says she struggled to get adequate legal representation to help her to prepare her case before asylum assessors.

"I was running around not knowing where I was going. The only thing that has been going through my head was why did I come to the UK - I made a very big mistake."

TOEFL® Test Locations and Dates

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The Southern Baptist Church has so far managed to advocate for the plight of the immigrant while not openly opposing government policy. The resolution of the Southern Baptist Convention on June 2006 entitled “On The Crisis Of Illegal Immigration” shows this tension between obedience to authority and advocacy for the “least of these.” The resolution follows, with emphasis added by me:

WHEREAS, The crisis of illegal immigration in the United States impacts tens of millions of people in many different ways; and

WHEREAS, Christians have responsibilities in two realms: as citizens of the nation (Matthew 22:21) and as citizens of the heavenly Kingdom (Philippians 3:20; Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 2:9); and

WHEREAS, As citizens of the nation, Christians are under biblical mandate to respect the divine institution of government and its just laws, but at the same time, Christians have a right to expect the government to fulfill its ordained mandate to enforce those laws (Romans 13:1-7); and

WHEREAS, As citizens of the heavenly Kingdom and members of local congregations of that Kingdom, we also have a biblical mandate to act compassionately toward those who are in need (Matthew 25:34-40), love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:39), and to do unto others as we would have them do unto us (Matthew 7:12); and

WHEREAS, The federal government’s failure to fulfill its responsibility in the area of illegal immigration, during both Democratic and Republican administrations, has caused severe consternation among a sizable constituency of Americans and has led to the crisis we now face; and

WHEREAS, The federal government has not only failed to control the borders but failed in its responsibility to enforce the immigration laws, not only with regard to the individuals who are here illegally, but also with regard to the employers who knowingly hire them; and

WHEREAS, There are reportedly 12 million immigrants and counting who are living and working in America without legal status, many of whom have children who are American citizens by birth; and

WHEREAS, Many of these hardworking and otherwise law-abiding immigrants have been exploited by employers and by others in society, contrary to James 5:4; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Greensboro, North Carolina, June 13-14, 2006, urge the federal government to provide for the security of our nation by controlling and securing our borders; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the United States Congress to address seriously and swiftly the question of how to deal realistically with the immigration crisis in a way that will restore trust among the citizenry; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the federal government to enforce all immigration laws, including the laws directed at employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants or who are unjustly paying these immigrants substandard wages or subjecting them to conditions that are contrary to the labor laws of our country; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge citizen Christians to follow the biblical principle of caring for the foreigners among us (Deuteronomy 24:17-22) and the command of Christ to be a neighbor to those in need of assistance (Luke 10:30-37), regardless of their racial or ethnic background, country of origin, or legal status; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage Christian churches to act redemptively and reach out to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of all immigrants, to start English classes on a massive scale, and to encourage them toward the path of legal status and/or citizenship; and be it finally

RESOLVED, That we encourage all Southern Baptists to make the most of the tremendous opportunity for evangelism and join our Master on His mission to seek and save those who are lost (Luke 19:10) among the immigrant population to the end that these individuals might become both legal residents of the United States and loyal citizens of the Kingdom of God.

The most empowering statements of the Southern Baptist Convention come at the very end of the document. The Church does well to remember that ours is a faith of redemption. It is truly our duty, as people of faith, to come alongside our brothers and sisters and welcome them to American society as well as the Church. If the Church took seriously its obligation to the immigrant, if churches all across these United States began holding English classes and citizenship seminars, if the Church would organize a united front for the immigrant, laws would change. We must never forget that part of the Lord's Prayer which inspires today as much as it did in 33 B.C., “thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-11)

(or why I need to re-think an effective teaching strategy)

On February 7, I reserved L-105 and took my history students to the Bradner library.

My plan was to conduct an exercise where I would first present materials and then have the students use library resources to complete a project that would re-enforce information I covered, assess their understanding of the material, and lay the groundwork for the next lesson. After I finished my presentation, I released students from the classroom to begin using the library.

It used to be easy for students to do the tasks I wanted completed during the next half hour. But, beginning fall semester, students began to have problems.

I tried to ignore the difficulties, because I use this effective class structure for several assignments in four different courses. However, at 10:45am, February 7, I had to accept the fact that I need to make adjustments to this strategy because students are running into too many difficulties.

The problem is that the library is getting much too popular.

Three of my students were able to share the one computer that was not already in use.

Fortunately, two students—who were not in my class—were already sharing a computer. Otherwise, there would have been no open computers for my students.

Two students had laptops to use in the classroom. Having laptops in the classroom helps, but I can’t require students to bring them to class.

Nine students left the library to do their work in MC 100. Because the computer lab does not open until 9:00am, this option is not available to students in my 8:00am classes. Furthermore in the computer lab, students are limited to on-line resources and cannot easily consult books, magazines, and the reference librarians.

I’m glad that L-105 was available because that gave a needed place for my students to work together, because...

...all of the study rooms were in use

...all of the tables were in use

...the atrium was crowed

Because I was formerly the Coordinate Writing Fellows, I “know” that mornings were not the most popular time for tutors. But I realize that this knowledge would not past the currency test. As I tell my students, what used to be true—even last year—may no longer be true.

Even this early in the semester, at 10:45am on February 7, at least 20 people were working in the LAC. So using that room as an overflow for my students was not an option.

Even when I used to bring classes to the library, there was never much of a wait for the reference librarian even when he or she was working with other students. But at 10:45am on February 7, the demand was so great that students could have waited up to a half hour to meet with Professor Nuffer.

Fortunately, Professor Pricer ran a supplemental reference desk out of his office. I am aware that Professor Nuffer and Professor Pricer routinely back each other up when lines begin to form.

Usually, as a way to force students to develop relationships with the reference librarians, I refuse to answer questions until they first talk to a reference librarian. But because of the demands at 10:45am on February 7—not just from my students—on Professors Nuffer and Pricer, I taught students how to use the on-line card catalogue. Students then taught other students how to use this resource.

For selfish reasons, I would welcome an empty library reserved for my students.
But I’d rather see a well-used library.

I guess I’ll just have to re-think this effective teaching strategy.

Photo Gallery

Click on the thumbnail to see a larger version of the photographs.Some of the thumbnails may be distorted.

(Not to metion that my actual weblog is out of service, what just drives me CRAZY! I'm addicted!)

Well, to keep my privace I'll just use nicknames for people, some Gossip Girl thing like B for Blair and S for Serena and so it goes. Let's start with my English teacher, that I'll call TM.

TM is a good-looking 30-ish man and sometimes I think he's trying something else (maybe extra classes lol). But then I think he's just a player and can't help playing with me too (Well, what can I say? I do the same all the time! I just can't blame him!). I was complaining to TM that I have this blank screen when I need to write something *important* in English, like a bussiness letter or something and he was like "WTF?!". Ok, I read big books in English (it's part of my job, btw) but writing is way far from reading. Hey, I was telling the truth, I'm not THAT confident and I do a lot of mistakes (you're welcome to help me, reader!).

So I wondered: "why not?". Yes, why not try to write a blog in English? It's funny, it's easy, I can talk about anything, and not only "business stuff". So, here I am! :D

I don't have many plans to this blog and I don't wanna became famous (but it'd be funny, don't you think?). So hope you enjoy and we have some fun!

XOXO

*Whew* We have made it through the first part of the year! Although I want you all to enjoy your winter break and get plenty of rest, you still have work to do. Please have your assignments completed by your return on MONDAY, JAN. 7th in order to receive credit for your work.

Periods 1-4: English

Your assginment is to read a book of at least 75 pages and complete a book rerpot on it. Please use the book report form I handed out in class. If you've lost your book report form, you can print one out here (Book Report Form click the link). This project is worth 35 points!

Period 5: Creative Writing

Over the break you will complete the 1st draft of your fictional narratives. If at all possible, you should type this draft. If you are unable to type it, you should write it neatly. Bring your rough drafts on Monday, Jan. 7th so I can read through it and give you comments. Also, you will be sharing your rough drafts with the class that week so that your peers can give you a helpful critique of your story.

HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY BREAK!!

~ms. j

Xoxo

Still, the exercise was worth the time, for I found a few that relate to topics discussed in one of my classes, and helps in leading me back to what I need to do for the next class meeting. And, I found yet another NaNoWriMo writer--for excitedly I have found a few in just these past few days, and on a forum with a website that isn't bogged down by thousands of people logging in at once like on the official site.

This particular NaNoWriMo entry detailed the woman's struggle with her fear of failure, and I loved her artistic rendering of this fear of a giant ringing her door bell and telling her that she would fail once again. Maybe I identify with her entry so much because it is part of why I am procrastinating so with my own writing--my own fear of failure. Or even crazier, I have often written that I have a fear of success (but will write about that another time).

As I wrote in a comment that is awaiting moderation:

Thank you for reminding me why I turned on my computer in the first place–to write today’s installment of my NaNoWriMo opus. I am glad that you managed to fight your fear of failure!

Also, thank you for the first entry of yours that I saw tonight through my TagSurfing, on your definition of a blended family. I am a graduate student, with one of my classes being American English Grammar, and I loved the break-down of the meaning of the word and what it means to those actually living the reality of a blended family.

And now I remember what I have to work on after my NaNo writing . . . more homework. At least what I learn in my classes goes to helping with my passion for writing and films, so it is time well spent.

Good luck with your quest to 50,000! You’ll make it–don’t worry! Just keep up the strength that helps you deal with any step-mothering issues, and that strength will see you through this relatively short struggle . . .

And with that reminder to myself as to why I turned on this modern device that is supposed to help me with my writing but manages to give me so many distractions to keep me from it as well, I must wrap up this entry and go about what I am truly meant to do with my time. I am after all a writer at heart, and while this kind of writing in a blog is good for me and takes me towards where I want to go with my life, my true passion is memoir, fiction and screenplays. After all, I am spending all that time in school to help me be the best at my chosen craft, so I might as well exercise my already numbing fingers (damn neuropathy!) and let out the deepest part of my brain that NEEDS to get this story out. I woke up out of a nap with this need to write, so why am I still doing something else an hour later?

I must go . . .

The very helpful assistant came all the way out from behind her desk ("making a break for it, I am") to show me where I can find a bar with a wireless access point. So here I am, eating a scone I don't want and drinking scorched Americano (when did a black coffee without milk become an Americano?) so that I can post and read. However, on my way here I couldn't help but listen to that annoying Newstalk phone in show going from 9 to 11am - Your Call.

She's not a bad presenter at all; like Joe Duffy I'm sure that she had aspirations to becoming the next Walt Kronkite but sadly, she takes calls from John in Navan instead: "why should I have to pay out of my income tax for these people to be given free English language classes??" In the grand tradition of the three minute trial, most callers and already had their tiny little mind made up before picking up the phone or emailing the show. The argument goes something like:

"My girlfriend had to pay for German language classes when she was a child minder in Frankfurt in 1985; these people get far too much already with their free nappies and cars; why should we encourage non-nationals to come here and take up jobs when they can't even understand the fire drill in my factory."

I generally tend to get all closed minded and liberal (That's outrageous, you cannot say that on the radio, how could someone think that) and such like on these occasions but I couldn't help thinking what a Lithuanian man said to me recently in a pub conversation:

"We don't care about your country. We care about your money."

Kind of turns things on their head, doesn't it? Back in the land of scone-less wifi by Friday.

Children from asylum seeker families have overcome language barriers and racism to outperform Scots pupils in national exams, according to a report.
A major report by HM Inspectorate of Education found that many of the children of asylum seekers in the Glasgow area did not speak English.

However, in primary school, they became as good at reading, writing and maths as other average children.

In Standard and Higher grades, they were found to outstrip their peers.

Inspectors praised much of the work done by schools and colleges to help the youngsters develop.

However, they highlighted the frustration of pupils who wanted to go on to university.

Asylum seeker children are treated as overseas students and have to pay tuition fees which can range from £8 to £26,000 a year.

Their parents are unable to help, as asylum seekers are not allowed to take on paid jobs.

The report flagged up examples of good practice throughout the report.

It commended Glasgow's All Saints Secondary School where the head teacher personally welcomed and enrolled children of asylum seekers.

Ready to move

The report said: "The school uniforms were made available for children so that they could immediately feel they belonged to the school community.

"They were first placed in the international unit where their learning and emotional needs were assessed by staff.

"This assessment contributed to the development of a personal learning plan for each pupil.

"Children remained in the unit until they were ready to move into mainstream classes.

"Staff in the international unit welcomed pupils back at any time and provided advice to mainstream teachers throughout the school."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6240534.stm

The Government has called on local authorities to encourage immigrants to learn English instead of routinely translating documents into foreign languages. Ruth Kelly, the Communities Secretary, said translation had been used "too frequently" and could become a "crutch" which discouraged integration. The practice enabled new immigrants to avoid learning English when they first arrived - meaning they never did, she said. A report this week from the Commission on Integration and Cohesion, set up after the 7/7 bombings in London, is expected to address translation services. They are estimated to cost taxpayers more than £100m each year, with National Health Service trusts spending £55m, the courts £31m and councils £25m. Ms Kelly told BBC1's The Politics Show yesterday that the commission would issue guidance to local authorities leading them away from "routine" translation. It would then only be used in appropriate situations, such as emergency services. She said: "I do think translation has been used too frequently and sometimes without thought to the consequences. So, for example, it's quite possible for someone to come here from Pakistan or elsewhere in the world and find that materials are routinely translated into their mother tongue, and therefore not have the incentive to learn the language." Ms Kelly added: "I think speaking the language is absolutely key. Something the commission looked at specifically is whether we should be translating from English into different languages as a matter of routine." David Davis, the shadow Home Secretary, said: "This is an attempt, albeit overdue, to deal with a very real problem." But Andrew Stunell, the Liberal Democrats' communities spokesman, said: "This is another wild swing in the dark by Ruth Kelly. Her government has cut access to language classes but now wants to leave vulnerable members of ethnic minority communities - many of whom are women - cut off from mainstream society and public services."

In the on-line discussion¹ about this assignment, I cited the example of teaching a Freudian concept in a psychology course.

To internationalize a psychology module dealing with the oedipal complex, information might be presented about Freud’s Vienna. If the module is well developed, students will come to appreciate the cultural influences that impacted Freud. This historical/cultural focus provides a positive internationalized experience.

After I posted this example, one student asked “How does this relate to ENG 200?”

The question is valid and deserves more than a simplistic answer stating that “a film clip is required as part of the module.” After all, simply inserting a film clip into a module about the Oedipus complex is insufficient justification. Anyone could do that. However, film students should be able to do it well because they have learned the elements of a good movie.

As I was writing this entry, I did a You Tube search and found that of the 432 clips that deal with Oedipus, 41 specifically deal with the Oedipus Complex. Sigmund Freud is the subject of at least 148 videos. I didn’t check to see how many of the 2,390 Freud videos dealt with our Sigmund. And I am sure that some of the 16,700 videos concerning Vienna might be appropriate.

Although students in another class might pick a poor video to make a point, I would expect students who have taken ENG 200 to only include high quality videos in their modules; a module that should also include a section on film literacy.

For example, in another class I am teaching this semester, a student cited "The French and Indian War Rap" to make a valid point in a discussion about learning history through film. However, given the poor production qualities, an ENG 200 student who selected this video clip as a teaching tool for their final exam would undoubtedly fail the assignment.

Every once in a while, I get lucky and quickly locate an appropriate video to illustrate a point. Such was the case for "Student Inspired Teaching Module." But, more often than not, I spend a considerable amount of time trying to find a video with good production qualities (sound, movement, acting, camera angles, et cetera), with the proper ideological approach or lack there-of, and with the proper writing and story.

Selecting film clips is not difficult. But, but selecting appropriate film clips to illustrate a point shows that film students can apply what they have learned to the real world. In the process, they "evaluate the aesthetics of film by analyzing the combination of film elements" and, as a result, show that they have mastered one of the course objectives.