Philosophy Statement for Music Education

à“What’s the good of music?” – Too caught up in our struggle to make ends meet in the competitive world today, we - the adults often find ourselves belittling the value of music and music education. However, we may forget that a child who is able to say no to hanging out with his friends after school just so he can return home and practice his piano piece until he perfects every single note today, is not likely to grow up and become someone who is easily distracted from his goal. A child who will stop whatever she is doing at the moment to pay attention a fine tune over the radio is not likely to grow up and become a person who is apathetic to beauty.  In my opinion, music and music education does not only play a crucial role in nurturing a child’s appreciation of beauty but also teaches him admirable values that would benefit his entire life time. 

àI cannot help but completely agree with Billy Joel’s opinion: “Music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we're from, everyone loves music.” Music does wonder to the human’s soul. Classical music has been proved by science to stimulate and aid the development of infants’ brain. The mother’s lullaby can calm an upset baby, stop him from his tantrum. Music brings happiness, thus it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to say that the music education is the teaching of another form of communication. If we take away music education from our children, we are robbing them of an opportunity to convey their heart message in such a delicate and subtle way – but not any less sincere than blatant words.

àFurthermore, music education teaches children every single value that we ever want to instill in their innocent minds and shape their belief system in such an enjoyable way. As care givers, we have choices. We can tell our children a thousand stories again and again about what hard-working and will power means or we can sparkle their interest with a beautiful tune, show them how to recreate such amazing music(,) and watch them put these values in practice with music as the new companion. Isn’t it true? To teach a child to master a piano piece is to teach him patience and determination. To teach a child to put her all emotions in a song is to teach her sincerity and wholeheartedness.

àSo how exactly a music education benefits my child, many people may still wonder. But the answer lies within each and every fortunate child whose  soul is touched by the beauty of music. To this future pianist, music may soon be his entire world, his power, his fame. To another future banker, music may be his much-needed escape from the competitive world he has to face every single day. However to this particular future janitor, music merely means the reason why she would be able to stop thinking about her a long exhausting day and the piles of bills accumulating on the top of her empty fridge to sing a little tune from an old song of the past – the particular tune which never fails to bring her joy.

Professor Fredna Grimland - My-Linh:  A beautifully written paper!  Thank you. (A)

Practicum - Final Reflection, Winter'11

Final Reflection, Winter'11

My experience in Ashland High School revolves around the six dispositions required by the SOU Elementary Education Program, namely: (1) demonstrating the ethic of caring, (2) functioning as a researcher and learner, (3) manifesting traits of collaborations and leadership, (4) demonstrating awareness and respect diversity (5) working as a reflective decision maker, last but not least (6) communicating effectively in speaking, writing and through technology. One by one they make the hazy picture of what it means to be a teacher much more defined. As they closely interlink, one cannot help but attempt to achieve all six aspects with the best intention to best benefit the students– and I was no exception.

(2) Every time I stood in side a class room or the Learning Center in Ashland High School, I reminded myself this is a learning experience. Coming from a totally different culture and education back ground, I was not familiar with the American government studies, philosophy, especially how English is taught to the native speakers. My work in the Learning center required me to approach students with learning disabilities (most often, ADD or ADHD) and help them with their assignments. As I stumbled upon sophisticated terminologies and subject-centric readings, I found myself becoming a leaner (from my own students) and a researcher (for personal reference). It was always a pleasure to make a “deal” with my students. Both of us would research about any particular point we could not understand to share with one another the next day. Since knowledge is limitless, there is no shame in admitting your shortcoming. I learned that, by telling the students: “I am sorry, but I do not have any definite explanation to your questions” and adding:”However, if I were you, sitting in the examination hall without any ideas how to solve this math problem, this is what I would do”; I was able to teach my students problem solving skills. Hopefully, the next time they face an unfamiliar challenge, they will be able to tackle it step by step and find their own answer.

While the second disposition highlights a personal growth, the following characteristic draw attention to a team effort. It is also crucial to (3) manifest traits of collaborations and leadership as a teacher. The greatest collaboration must be the one between a teacher and her students, in which the students are the proactive instructor. As a teacher work with her students on a certain project, they form collaboration. In my experience in the Special Education Class, many time, I found myself denying the fact that understand the concept while reading the text with my students. In this manner, I was able to appoint a new leader of our study group who would guide us through the assignment. Leadership is important for emotionally fragile children in many ways. A successful “mission” accompanied by praises, will certainly boost many students’ confidence. Sometime, after making such a difficult decision, I questioned my methods and (5) reflect on my own rationale. On the first day that I came to Ms. Wahpepah’s Special Ed class, a student tried to kill herself the night before but fortunately failed to. Struck by the incident, I often remind myself to think twice before I give them a constructive comment. Even though, in good faith, teachers have no other intention that to guide the student in the correct road; it truly depends on the students’ mental wellness that they may consider our suggestions in a positive way. Constant reflections on every move we make, very decision we commit to does help teachers in their personal path to becoming an even better, more amazing source of guidance.

In my case of practicum, the fourth disposition (4) demonstrating awareness and respect diversity, takes another light. While diversity is often understood as the difference of colors, nationalities so on and so forth; diversity to me means the uniqueness of every child’s special need in my class. In order to help them, I first had to be conscious about their weaknesses, respect these difficulties as a part of them therefore approach them with the most suitable instructions. From the moment, the student walked into the classroom, the way he/she dressed, his tone and reactions to questions – all these little details become crucial for the teachers to guess how cooperative this student can be today. We do not want to push them over the edge, but at the same time, neither do we want to give up on their potentials. Understanding the students makes it very much easier for me to 6) communicate effectively in speaking, writing and through technology. It came to my attention that many students are able to read really well, but unable to understand more than 40% of what they read. There are also students who are unable to read fluently yet if we read to them and with them slowly, they impress us with their explanations for the concepts.  As different student has his/her own unique way of absorbing knowledge, it is only fair that we push away our one-method-fits-all instructions and make the difference within ourselves.

Though I acknowledge the importance of the dispositions above, my determination and passion for teaching in this practicum was driven by the first characteristic: (1) demonstrating the ethic of caring. I strongly believe, the ethical demonstration of caring was the red string that connect all the six dispositions together. I began my practicum without the intention to direct my focus into Special Education. Maybe, like my supervisor – Ms. Wahpepah said: “It was a call for my nature”. Special Ed has always been a big challenge, even for experienced educator. Due to the past trauma from which many students suffer, they do not let strangers into their circle of trust easily. However, as I joined them in their late tea time, as they allowed me to read their personal poems filled with unsettle nightmares and struggles, Ms. Wahpepah pointed out for me the reason why I was well-received by this special group of students. Unlike their peers, Special Need students are emotional fragile as they are able to see through the artificial mask of kindness and care many teachers and adults wear. It could be that they see the genuine inside me despite my lack of professional experience. It could be that they feel my best interest, which is none other than aiding their academic and emotional development. It could be that they find in me a friend rather than a superior figure. I do not have the perfect answer for this question. However, there is something I know for sure. If a message comes from a heart, it will certainly reach the other heart. Without the ethical demonstration of caring, all our efforts may come to waste as we already lost our students right at the very beginning.

Midterm Practicum Reflection, Winter 2011

Midterm Practicum Reflection

ED209 - Winter'11

Winter 2011 marks my first experience as an Education major, a future teacher. Under the close supervision of both Mr. Tim Cate, an English/ Literature and Philosophy teacher and Ms. Jennifer Wahpepah, a Special Education teacher for emotionally fragile students, I challenged myself to work with the junior and senior students in Ashland High School. My involvement in AHS included traditional classroom observation, tuition for ADD/ADHD students in Learning Center and Special Education class room assistance. Two week is truly a short period however, within that limited time spent in Ashland High School I was able to learn so much from my supervisors’ instructional strategies. Indeed, the best way a teacher can benefit his/her students is to devote his/her heart, mind and soul for the students’ all-rounded development.

First and foremost, I would like to discuss my observation of high school students’ traditional classroom behavior. At the age of sixteen to eighteen, most students are in the search of their identity. We can certainly tell by observing their clear attempt to express their individuality through different channels: fashion, involvement in club/activities… especially classroom behavior. On the positive side, many students want to show their maturity and deep thought through witty and sophisticated answers to teachers’ questions. However, on the other hand, many students find it “cool” to make fun of their friends’ mistake, wrong answer or even the teachers. This behavior highlights the students’ desire to prove themselves to the peers. Most often, teachers respect the student freedom of speech and allow them to express their opinions. However, once a student crosses the line, over jokes inappropriately, immediately the teacher need to address it to set sample to the whole class. In Mr. Cate’s class, he would talk directly to the student and express his disagreement to such behavior. However, I was also cautioned: rather than making the student feel ashamed, the teacher wanted to remind the student constructively of the correct code of conduct in the classroom.

Furthermore, high school students are at the age where they prioritize their social life and external opinions. Students tend to involve in private conversations during class time. Due to these characteristics of the students, it was definitely a big challenge to control the class noise level in order to both: facilitate meaningful discussion and ensure that students are on task. In my observation, an easily adopted method used by Mr. Tim Cate was the appropriate use of instructional volume. In his lessons, Mr. Cate clearly and firmly articulates his requirement and expectation to the students with high volume - thus when Mr. Cate suddenly stops or lowers down his voice, the students get the message immediately and keep quiet.

On another point, specifically for literature and philosophy, I observed that students struggle with English more than the subject itself. These subjects were not written for teenagers to easily understand, but required an extensive vocabulary and the intellectual capability to digest the information. Because of the challenging language, more often than often, students are unable to make sense of the words thus unable to connect them into the sentence meaning. It was understandable that many were disheartened. In order tackle this problem, student should be taught how to break down words by words or phrase by phrase with the effective use of dictionary in order to grasp the meaning. In this manner, they will enhance the comprehension skill and learn a lot of new, sophisticated term. Furthermore, what could be a better approach to make such intimidating subjects more relatable could be the approach to connect students’ daily life and issue with the philosophy. This would make it easier for them to remember and understand the concept.

While traditional classroom experience was rather predictable, my time in the special education environment was ever-changing and a lot more challenging. Every student has his/her uniqueness that unfortunately drives him/her away from his/her peers. Though the teachers were aware of their special need – however, far from predictable, they are easily affected by their surroundings. This leads to a wild fluctuation of moods. Compare their friends in traditional classrooms; Special Education students are more sensitive. When I first came to Ms. Jennifer Wahpepah’s class, one of her students were absent from school due to a failed suicidal attempt the night before. This event struck me with the realization of how fragile my students actually were. Many of them were caught up with the disappointment in the present life, the endless and inescapable presence. With this in mind, Ms. Wahpepah allowed every student to share their experience at the beginning of the class so that they could let out their emotions before class. This seemingly simple daily exercise achieved outstanding result. Students felt like they were truly cared for and had a healthy channel to express their concern in order to get the teachers’ feedback. Without it, students would not be able to concentrate on their work at all throughout the whole day. Moreover, many students let me know that they looked forward to class and would not want to miss school because this class was truly their home. I believe this is an admirable effort from the teachers. Ms. Jennifer Wahpepah was always willing to go the extra miles for her students to ensure their emotional well-being and academic improvement. I would like to be a teacher like this in the future.

Working with Special Need students taught me patience, articulation in explaining concepts but above all, the experience struck me with the epiphany of what it truly means being a teacher. Other than working with Ms. Wahpepah’s class, I started working in the learning centre with ADD/ADHD students, who were unable to concentrate on their task for substantial amount of time in order to complete their work. Class-address may not be the best way to give out instruction but rather private counseling and tutoring would work so much better. Every student I tutored was a new challenge and I always had to remind myself that – even though they suffered from the same syndrome, they were very different individuals with different reactions toward instructions. Therefore, from the moment every student step into the center, I spent time closely observe their actions, study their body language and listen carefully to their questions. These might sound redundant. However, it truly helped a lot in the decision – which method I should approach them in order to bring out the best result.

Two week is a short period of time. I always wished I could devote more effort into helping the students in Ashland High School. Thanks to my teachers/ supervisors, I came to the awareness of students’ individual needs as well as classroom control. It had been truly a tough path I chose, however, whenever I saw the sparkle of enlightenment in my students’ “I get it” moment, I believe all these challenge were worthwhile. Indeed, it did not only the hard work to get you there - it must be the heart work that connects you and your students. I am determined to become a teacher, who would bring out her students’ very best. 

Review of “Leaving Nothing to Chance” by Karin Chenoweth

ED 209 – Article#1

February  1, 2011

Article “Leaving Nothing to Chance” by Karin Chenoweth discusses different approaches, taken by high-performing high-poverty and high-minority schools across the United States to enhance students’ education experience. The writer’s research focuses on, for the most part, regular neighborhood schools, where their students are particularly vulnerable to improper, in adequate instructions. As the result of extensive interviews with different principals, Karin Chenoweth shares with readers the five insights which make these schools highly successful. Out of these approaches, I strongly agree with the principals’ initiative to establish collaborated effort among all school members for a better learning environment, along with their attempt to build a respectful mutual relationship between teachers and students.

First and foremost, team work among all the school’s employees, including admiration staff members, teachers, principal… is strongly emphasized as a crucial approach for students’ better academic result. Quoted directly from the lieutenant governor of South Carolina, he commented “You show me the school that has the highest free and reduced [-price] lunch, and I’ll show you the worst test score”. Rather than solely focus on the academic aspect of the education experience, principals of these successful schools come to acknowledge the importance of providing students the most conducive learning environment possible. Complicated admission procedure, reluctant and unwelcoming academic advisor, limited library collection, low quality and unhealthy food supply – these seemingly unimportant factors indeed defeat the whole purpose of a well-rounded education, which can only be achieved with the collaborative effort from every single member of the school. Other than time in class with teachers, students also spend a remarkable amount of time interacting, receiving instructions, learning several skills from the staffs. Other than learning their theory in class, students should also learn to take care of their health, observe their behavior, and practice proper social skills – which will benefit them to a large extent in the long run. Thus by recruiting highly efficient and responsible workers in the team, the principals allow students to be in the most conducive environment possible.

On another hand, principals’ initiative to establish a respectful environment at school is highly applaudable. The quote by Principal Deb Gustafson: “It’s grown-up, not students, who are responsible for setting the tone of schools” is indeed inspiring as it reminds teachers of the fundamental way children learn – through imitation. No child knows how to be disrespectful since birth. Students’ behaviors are the collective imitation of their environment. Thus, if a child can learn how to swear, how to roll their eyes and ignore instructions, he/she can also learn how to talk in appropriate manners, to express their opposing view respectfully and accept education. Teachers, staffs, the adults must lead by example in order to gain students’ acceptance. Among the adults, teachers and principals also have to practice their teaching. For instance, principal, despite his/her preference, should still respect teachers’ individual teaching methods. They must have that trust in their staffs that they are doing the best they can to benefit the students. If such practice is well observed, students will quickly follow and act accordingly. In addition to what is already stated in the article, in my opinion, students should learn to respect themselves in order to be well prepared for the real unprotected world outside of school. A student who values himself/herself will be able to respect other as well – thus instead of going head to head in argument, he/she are more likely to be open minded and are more willing to learn. This is a very important skill that would enable students to be successful in the future.

In conclusion, quoted from the article: “No one has the right to waste a day in the life if a child” – every moment of students’ childhood is precious because every single day is an opportunity for them to learn, to be better than who they were yesterday. Therefore, as teachers and leaders, we hold the responsibility to maximize their experience and prepare them the best we can before facing the real world outside. 

ED252 - Final Paper , Fall'10

ED252 - Final Paper , Fall'10

1.       New developments in the “digital-communication technology” bring about challenging yet positive changes to the role of future teachers. Rather than simple introduction of basic knowledge of new technologies, teachers must be living examples of model cyber users in order to prepare students of the real world. Rather than shielding the students from the potentially dangerous tools: internet, teachers should be able to educate the students how to identify the threat, “how to tame your dragon” and take advantages of the universe of knowledge and opportunities provided by the World Wide Web. Most likely students will be overwhelmed by the massive intake of information, thus it is our job to help them filter facts and opinions, reliable and unreliable sources. Right from this moment, as a young learner and a future teacher, I should make a point to remember my struggling path to control of technology rather than being taken over by its power. This will allow me to be more understanding toward my students; their excitement and their mistakes to find the best solution to guide them through.  Furthermore, in order to not becoming a “technology immigrant”, I should keep myself updated with the upcoming trends. I believe this effectively will minimize the generation gap between me, as the teacher and my students.

2.       In my opinion, I do not entirely agree with governance of education. First and foremost, I strongly believe that, more than anyone else teachers, who interact with students, understand their individual and unique needs for education. Thus, directly, the teachers and the schools should be given more authority for control. Secondly, governance of education brings about the hierarchy of power, which is not flexible for changes. Knowing well that in this time and ages, rapid changes happen everywhere thanks to the development of technology, thus it would be limiting if the power to bring updates to classrooms is not within the authority of teachers. The process of getting acceptance from the state more than often takes too much time, that once legalized by the state, there is already a more updated method available. Therefore, the idea of centralized control, even though brings about more security, limits education from embracing real world practice, which includes both challenging and enriching experience for the students and risks, turbulence. Therefore, a certain degree of governance of education should be intact to protect students from the wild transformation of technology and teaching material. However, in order to equip them with realistic skills for their future, decentralized control – given more power to the schools and teachers is indeed necessary. 

Technology Use in Tomorrow School

Technology Use in Tomorrow School

Individual Assignment #2

Technology Use in Tomorrow’s School, by Barbara Means, discusses the increasing influence that technology has over education. The article explores the three different stages of this very special relationship between the two: the past, the presence, at the same time, suggests an imaginary scenario for the future. It also highlights numerous benefits and potential advantages that are brought about thanks to the rapid transformation of technology.  Even though I acknowledge and support the use of electronic equipments to enhance in-class experience for students, it would be limiting to ignore the negative consequences of this tremendous trend. This essay will seek to discuss whether or not students truly benefit from this trend or we are much better off with the traditional way of education.  

In the past, technology was mostly used as the general tools for educational purposes, with the further boost from the rise of the World Wide Web and search engine. Long gone was the day when having internet access at school and in every class was a privilege. Thanks to President Clinton’s national educational technology goals in 1996; by 2000, over sixty three percent of American public classrooms had Internet access.  On one side of the argument, this was an amazing step, making the-“the world at your finger tips” –dream closer to reality. Students were able to explore knowledge beyond text books, and theory; being provided with both facts and opinion freely offered online. As stated from the article, the potential of technology did wonders in providing conducive conditions for meaningful learning; connection to outside experts; visualization and analysis tools; scaffolds for problem solving; and opportunities for feedback, reflection and revision.  However, in the late 1990s, the success of this phenomenal was limited due to the uneven distribution of technology privilege. The majority of American students, who enjoy mainstream educational practices, did not have the opportunity to explore such enriching devices as ThinkerTools, Knowledge Forums or GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) program. The reality showed that barely seven percent of the teachers reported having their students use e-mail more than three times in a school year. As the result, technology, in a way widened the already existed gap between financially capable schools and the less capable one. At the receiving end, students who could benefit from such privilege were able to perform better. From the article, we learned that: “In a carefully controlled study, middle school students who had used ThinkerTools outperformed high school physics students in their ability to apply principles of Newtonian mechanics to real world situation”. Thus, it was still debatable whether such privilege teaching method was necessarily healthy for the American education system.

While the use of computer and internet were such privilege in the past, it is now predominant that students make use of technology in every aspect of today education. Low-cost, light-weight, wireless learning appliances make it possible for the majority of the student body to best benefit from the most updated technology. The article also goes on to provide readers with the imagery of a future classroom where all students have the opportunities to make full use of electronic educational appliance. In years to come, our young learners will be fully exposed to technology since young. The use of internet connection frees students from the restricted knowledge provided in text book. Furthermore, it also removes the space constrained as every learner will be connected to other students of different schools or even different continents. In small groups, students will explore certain topics, key in their answers in the “MathPad”, from which the teacher will check every student’s answer to make sure no one is lost. In my opinion, potentially this future school will be able to provide each and every child equal opportunity and similar class room experience, especially the less vocal learners. However, it would be limiting not to address seriously the numerous concerns that the technology-based education possesses. First and foremost, I do wonder if our students are ready to be exposed to such enormous amount of information. In another word, have we, as educators, prepared them enough to deal with opposing sources and opinions regarding the same matter? More than often, students are confused between facts and opinion, unable to make informed judgment regarding the reliability of sources. Furthermore, with the increasing dependency on technology, we are virtualizing the whole schooling experience. While it will soon be, certainly, easier for any students to key in “rabbit” to their Google search, pull out some outstanding picture from Google Image to identify a rabbit’s look, obtain all kinds of research papers regarding the animal’s behavior – on top of that, through Youtube they can watch all kinds of documentary for free to have a deeper impression and understanding of the species;  I still wonder the child will still be able to preserve his thirst for hands-on experience, seeing the real rabbits with his own eyes, listening to the sound of its movement, touch the soft fur – tugging all this information into his brain as “beautiful childhood memory” rather than digital information. Nevertheless, nature still holds the almost magical ability to nurture a child’s soul, which technology with its long list of possible harmful effects to the health may never achieve.

In conclusion, while the idea of a technology based education, with all the potential benefits is truly fascinating; we as educators should take a step back and weigh the pros and cons of such change. As technology is taking up more and more spaces in education, what exactly is it going to replace? And whether this trade is worthy in the benefit of our students’ future.

ED 252 – Midterm Paper, Fall’10

ED 252 – Midterm Paper, Fall’10

1.      “The true measure of a man is not how he behaves in moments of comfort and convenience but how he stands at times of controversy and challenges”, said Martin Luther King Jr. Inspired by his wisdom, I strongly believe that the true measure of educators will soon be redefined in the future only to bring out the best values in the new generation of teachers. Overtime, technology will directly challenge the schooling education system. With new inventions being made more and more accessible and affordable to the majority, students can easily find information, definition and explanation from the internet from such websites such as Wikipedia, Google and even Youtube. Why wastes money applying for a class; why wastes time waiting until the next lesson for your burning queries to be answered when you can simply type in key words and receive immediate and in-depth guidance online?  With the aid of free shared video, learners who once find it hard to digest text explanation can now watch a well made video which guides them through the desired task.

However, it does not mean that the school system will lose its values. More than ever, the role of teachers becomes crucial in preparing students to face with the fast changing world. As students face massive inputs of information, what they truly need from us is the trustworthy guidance, providing them necessary skill to analyze the reliability of information and come up with their own judgments. For example, together with my students, I would go through newspaper articles, questioning the writer’s tone to determine whether or not it is a bias source, examining the source to find out the reliability. Further than that, I would want them to find out the value of the source – even if it is biased and unreliable. As a future teacher, I can see myself conversing with students, proposing opposing viewpoints for them to decide their own unique personal belief rather than spoon-feed them with my answers. I believe, the teaching experience in the future will be so much more enriching for both educators and learners

2.      “Make schools better”, creating a more enriching and conducive learning environment for every child, in my belief, is the ultimate goal of educators. As a forever-student of life, as a future teacher, I desire to provide my students with a sharing-knowledge class experience, in which every child’s talents will be inspired, shared and appreciated. One of my ideas is to ask a different student to be my assistant for new lesson. Once chosen (either by volunteering or by taking turn), he will explore the topic and present his knowledge to the class, under my guidance. He can share with the class a relevant skill. In this manner, learners take control of their education: what they want to know, what is important to them and why certain procedures must be achieved. I would help once my presenter faces difficulties with giving instructions. For the older students I would play my part in asking them questions to provoke thoughtful debate that demands the student and the class to protect their stance. This exercise will teach students research and presentation skills. More than that, I hope to build a sense of responsibility of an individual to his community in my students even in such simple class activities.

Another initiative I would like to suggest to the school is that we should let our students have greater exposure to nature, especially the younger one. I believe, with the fear of the unknown, somehow, we have become paranoid in the attempt in protecting our students. As I observe, children who feels secured in her surrounding tends to be more confident, thus would absorb the lessons more. Rather than keeping them in a classroom, I would like to integrate nature and the surrounding in lesson. An informed danger with well-prepared caution measure will benefit them so much more than an unknown fear.

3.      If voucher plan is adopted, the greatest change in how school operates is that the competition among schools will become more aggressive. Each and every school would work much harder to present themselves for the parents to choose. In this manner the students will benefit to a great extent as schools have the incentive to continually improve the standard of classroom experience. However, as this system would likely transform schools into business-like profit-driven organizations, teachers will be under the greatest pressure to balance out the different demands from the administration board, the parents and the students. The parents who take part in the voucher system must have a certain expectation from the chosen school. Thus the school is under pressure to fulfill that promise. However, teachers, who constantly interact with the student, know better that sometime, this expectation does not best benefit the child. The administration of poor schools will go into an endless circle of having a hard time finding funds to make their programs more attractive to students due to the lack of money from the small school population. Without improved program, they will continue to have smaller funding due to the fewer number of enrollments. On the other hands, well off institution faces the problem of over loaded classroom, which will soon lead to the decrease in teacher’s attention to individual child. For me as a teacher, not being able to know every student of mine well makes it tremendously difficult for me to cater to their needs.

4.      Changes are crucial to the human’s learning experience. So rather than resisting changes, teachers in general and I personally should be flexible in order to appreciate the difference. I believe, regarding education, changes are only made after thoughtful and in-depth discussion with best intention for a better system. That alone urges me to thoroughly examine the new idea’s pros and cons before forming my opinions. Weighing the benefits versus the disadvantages after experimenting carefully, analyzing whether the risk is worth taking should be the proper steps that a teacher should take with regards to the change of system. For example, a school initiative that I experienced as a young teacher was the proposal to change new text books for grade 5 students in a primary school. Despite the fact that I was only an intern teacher, I took this matter seriously. First and foremost, I spent time evaluating the text. Although the new book definitely had better quality paper, colorful text and more in-depth content, which will capture the students’ attention surely however, it was too heavy for a 5^th grader to carry to school every day. In the long run, students got tired easily having to move from location to location, resulted in the significant decrease in class participation in the last lesson of the day. Furthermore, as I was preparing my students for secondary school entrance exam, I did not think it is a good idea to make them familiarize with the new text book from the beginning right before their tests. Secondly, I gathered my colleagues’ opinions before proposing my opinion to the Principal. As the new book would also bring remarkable benefit for the students, I suggested using them as the reference text for this cohort while maintaining the previous book. Eventually, we saved it for the next cohort, who had more time to explore the content. 

Asian American’s Rising Suicide Rate

Diversity & School Issue

Asian American’s Rising Suicide Rate

ED 252 Individual Assignment – Oct 14, 2010

“Asian Americans’ Rising Suicide Rates” was published in August 2009 as an in-depth response to the current news of three Asian students, who took their lives. The author, also an Asian American scholar who has gone through some of the most prestigious schools in America shared with readers the insight views of what actually went through the mind of these seemingly “super achiever”. The article sought out to identify the root causes of such tragic ending. Is it about the culture difference? Or is it more than that?

Despite the fact that Asian American students in Cornel University are only the minorities, they take the majority portion of successful suicidal attempts. It may seem shocking to readers that from 1996 to 2006, 13 out of 21 cases reported are Asian students. However, Andrew Lam, the author addresses the cause of this trend as the result of stereotyping. For decades, Asian students are perceived as the top scorer at school with high SAT result and dominators of the Ivy League. However, many of us may forget that it takes as much (and maybe even more) effort for these students to achieve such result, acknowledging English is not their mother tongue. They work incredibly hard just to be “average” in their own kind, just to reach the bench mark and fulfill society’s expectation. Like an invisible blanket that suffocates our students, stereotyping burdens the young mind to no end.  I agree with this point of view to a great extent. While every student is different, every child has their uniqueness, we tend to group our youth to certain categories in order to groom them. Though the good intention may be pure, unintentionally, we push them into the verge of losing life’s meaning if they cannot achieve the high expectation. The data serves as the alarm to awake the society’s ignorance. We must give credit when credit are due, and encourage the youth for their effort – not for their skin color, or whom we perceive them as.

Furthermore, the author also highlights cultural difference and family upbringing as important factors. Born into the culture where conservativeness is valued, children are taught to silent their thoughts at young age. Asian students are usually the demure one, who usually are less vocal in class. Many teachers accept their silence and obedience as politeness without understanding the true meaning: repression, thus overlook students’ issue. “Do not wash your dirty linen in public” this teaching shaped the students’ life style. Little do the parents realize their child’s emotion struggle is not supposed to be shameful – instead, we should teach our children to voice up their concern for us to address accordingly. A child’s matter may not seem to be any significant in the adult world. However, if we walk in their shoes, we will know those “childish” matters actually mean the world to them. Unintentionally, we push our children aside to deal with their own misery – without the slightest idea of the potential tragic outcome.

Looking at another side of this argument, Andrew Lam also brings out the crucial different that may be the root cause of the increasing suicidal cases among Asian students: responsibility to family. One may argue that American children, European children as well, suffer the weight of their parents’ expectation on their shoulders. However, I beg to differ. Asian families preserve a strong bond among the members. “Hieu” – the Confucian teaching of is respectful to our parents, being responsible and loving children – all in one does not seem to be translated fully in any English word. Yet “Hieu” is more important than almost everything in an Asian child’s mind. It is not an exaggeration for me – as an Asian daughter myself to view it as essential as fulfilling the meaning of a person’s life. As we are taught to treasure our parents’ sacrifices in bringing us up – it’s only fair that we now take turn to work hard to make them proud, even though in some cases, it means sacrificing our hearts’ true desire. Many Asian children went through colleges with the vigor competition alive – without the passion for their studies. Some cannot – and the shame of bringing their parents down pushes them over the edge: “maybe I am better off dead so that I will no longer bring shame to my parents”

Suicidal thoughts and attempts have become a plague among the youth in the recent years. In my opinion, I agree with the author’s view points to a great extent. Even though, the article seems to paint a complete picture of the emotional struggle of Asian students in America, however, I would like to add another perspective. Despite the fact that, many Asian American students are born in the United States of America, thus they go through the same education system, same expectation from teachers in term of workload quantity. I wonder if the culture barrier, the invisible wall that still separates an Asian American from American is still one of the factors that deeply rooted in the cause of their death, the way their upbringing. “Fighting in a foreign land” – protecting your nation’s reputation is how it is usually phrased. Could it be? After decades of immigration, of adapting to the culture, of drinking more Coke and swallowing more fast food than speaking their native tongue our young students themselves still identify them as the “foreigner” unconsciously?

In general, this article sought to raise the awareness in the society in general about the emotion struggle of one minority group, namely the Asian American students. However, everyone, from teacher to parents, from peers to the society should take a step back, and reflect – do we or do we not all play a part in their final fall? So that in the future, the number of attempted suicide would decrease significantly. 

Light House

Have you ever seen a lighthouse standing peacefully against the vast blue sky, yet shining intensely in the storm, guiding lost ships back to safe shores?

Trustworthy and patient, the lighthouse opens its arms wide to welcome ships back from the four oceans regardless of their conditions: whether they are full of fresh fish and packed with passengers or damaged by thousands of undersea rocks with their faded crimson sails. 

As a student abroad, like a lonely ship struggling through foreign waves, there exists a lighthouse, my source of guidance and my beacon of hope: my grandmother.

I was born and brought up in her nurturing arms. In my eyes, she was the wonder woman, who achieved the impossible. She became a widow at the age of forty with seven daughters to bring up. Even in war time, never once did she allow her children to skip school or go to bed with empty stomachs. With a small iron box filled with homemade tidbits in Hanoi train station, she sent all of her daughters to college, supported them and their families until they were able to stand on their own feet. My grandmother, who would think twice before replacing her torn scarf of 30 years, never hesitated to share her half-full cup of water with a thirsty stranger. Patient and humble, she devoted her life to taking care of our family and improving the living condition of the people around her. 

As a child, I unconsciously followed my grandmother from the kitchen where she taught me the recipe of Vietnamese traditional desert, to the Women Union, the Orphanage and the Old Folk Home where separating donated toys into different boxes for children in need became one of my childhood favorite tasks. I used to sit among piles of collected old clothes, and watched her sew a missing button or darn a torn shirt for the less fortunate. Occasionally while writing her speech for the monthly meeting, she would teach me the proper way to write a meaningful piece of work. 

Little did I know then that those seemingly casual moments spent with my grandmother would leave a lifelong impact in my life. When I turned thirteen, she challenged me to venture beyond my comfort zone: learn Italian, travel to England on my own, take up different internships every summer holiday… Like the lighthouse unable to save the innocent boats from the tantrum of the storm, my grandmother could not protect me from the obstacles life posed on my path. As a young teacher, I once was in charged of a class where 25 out of 30 students played truancy. As waitress, I had to face difficult customers from time to time. As a foreign student, I sometimes taste the bitterness of discrimination and loneliness. However, it was not that difficult to make my drama team’s costumes out of bed sheets anymore after countless of time gazing upon my grandmother’s skillful hands mending clothes. Whenever I face difficulties, I just remind myself of all the challenges she encountered which she overcame with such grace and dignity. Nothing seems too impossible anymore.

On the 13th of October, 2009, while I was juggling between my college applications and Alevel exams, my grandmother took her last nap. In her peaceful sleep, she slipped away into another world. For a moment, I felt completely lost, as if my lighthouse had betrayed my eternal trust, leaving me alone in the storm. However, as I saw her for the last time, her final smile struck me with the beauty of peace and satisfaction. Is it because when she was alive, she lived true to her heart’s desire: sharing her knowledge with the illiterate, sharing her voice to the mute, sharing her privileges to the less fortunate? 

Although she is now gone, my lighthouse still shines dazzlingly as her legacy remains forever. I am determined to follow her footstep and live a significant life as a nurturing mother, an inspiring leader and a devoting member of society. One day, at the end of my restless road, I hope to greet my grandmother again, with a smile, the same one that stayed forever on her lips: the soft one, the satisfied one, the unregretful one. 


- MyLinh Phan's personal statement 2010

It's been a year, and I still sometime think, she is waiting for me at home with her longings
She loves me so much, never once, in the way I want her to - but I was such a fool not to understand: she loves me with all her heart

I am sorry
I miss you so so much