Week Four Activities: July 26-30

During Week Four of the Summer English Program, the American student teachers focused on the "Tourism and Shopping" curriculum unit.  Students worked on their PBL (Project-based Learning) presentations for Thursday, and they prepared for the upcoming Closing Ceremony.

On Monday, Mr. Shih treated all of the student teachers and the San Sin teaching assistants to a special lunch at the Han-Hsien Specialty Foods restaurant. Taiwanese cuisine knows no boundaries, and numerous hard-to-resist dishes were shared by all in attendance! Pineapple shrimp is always one of the most popular items.......

On Wednesday, the student teachers traveled by van to the jade market, and they learned some quick lessons about evaluating the quality of jade. They bartered for lower prices with the assistance of their teaching assistant Susan and Helen Lie, and they purchased some very nice gift items for family and friends.  Some activities with students were planned for later that afternoon, and yoga class would be held that evening, too. So the student teachers hurried back to get to their other commitments.

Unfortunately, student teacher Vicki Wilkinson developed a serious leg infection, and was hospitalized at Veterans General Hospital in Kaohsiung during the fourth week of the program.  Each of the student teachers visited her during the week, and her students were divided among the other classes to keep them on track in the program. Vicki had many visitors to her "elite" hospital room, including the principal himself, Mr. Pan!  Vicki improved each day, and showed a great deal of patience and a positive attitude in dealing with her hospitalization!  We wish Vicki the very best!

San Sin High School's Closing Ceremony for the Summer English Program was held on Friday, July 30. The ceremony was opened by the principal, Mr. Pan. Certificates were awarded to students for outstanding PBL projects, and two awards were presented for "Best Speaker."  Each American teacher presented individual certificates to their students for completion of the program, and pictures were taken of every recipient by Mr. Shih!

The American teachers were entertained by numerous performances by their San Sin students, who showed off their talents by dancing, singing, and performing skits in English.  The San Sin students also expressed the respect, appreciation, and love they have for their American teachers!  The American teachers performed their own skit called "Tongue Twisters" in a mock classroom, with teaching assistant Susan as their "teacher."  They performed both English and Chinese tongue twisters while they imitated the misbehavior of their San Sin students, and they added a few twists of their own!  The audience laughed and laughed at their silliness, and the skit was a big success!

Every San Sin student wanted a photo with the American teachers, and the teachers spent a lot of time saying "good'bye" to their very special students!  Once again, the American student teachers learned the true meaning of the country's motto: 
Taiwan touch your heart!

Week-end Travel to Sun Moon Lake July 24-25

On Saturday, July 24, the American student teachers traveled by car with host father Mr. Tsai, his friends Jimmy, Samuel, Dina, and Amy, and students Jenny, Tracy, and Jill to Sun Moon Lake. It took several hours to cover the distance. On the way, the group stopped at a Lotus Pond to snap photos of the very delicate flowers, and they indulged in a healthy and delicious Lotus Bean ice treat. They enjoyed a traditional Taiwanese lunch at the Hu Shan restaurant, and continued their travel into the mountains to Sun Moon Lake.

Sun Moon Lake is Taiwan’s largest lake, and is located in the center of the island at an elevation of 760 meters above sea level. The eastern portion of the lake is shaped round like the sun, and the western portion is shaped like a crescent moon.

When they arrived, the group loaded all of their personal items onto a small flat-bottom boat to traverse the lake to get to a large houseboat, their floating overnight living quarters. Equipped with a kitchen, a living room, TV, and Karaoke machine, the houseboat was a very comfortable place where everyone could socialize. Despite the late-day rain, their hosts prepared an enticing Taiwanese bar-b-que with meat, vegetables, beef soup, and noodles. Samuel’s and Jimmy’s birthdays were jointly celebrated with a large birthday cake, and Mr. Tsai painted both of their faces with the frosting!

Also available on the houseboat were kayaks, hand-paddle boats, and an inflatable water wheel that is operated from the inside---like a hamster wheel!  Early on Sunday morning, the weather became truly beautiful, and Danice and Dr. O’Kon were the first ones on the water in the kayaks and hand-paddle boats. The tranquil scenery, smooth lake surface, and comfortable temperature made it a perfect morning. Later, a stop at the Syuanzang Temple provided a rich and colorful background for pictures and a stellar vantage point for the mountainous lake area. The American student teachers were also treated to a visit to the traditional pottery barn to learn how to use a pottery wheel with clay. Some made clay creations—bowls, plates, and cups---that they were quite proud of.  Small children enjoyed the pottery, too!

Sun Moon Lake is truly a jewel in Taiwan's beautiful crown, as a natural landmark and a historically significant area preserving Taiwanese aboriginal culture.  For more information, take a look at:
http://www.sunmoonlake.gov.tw/

Week Three Activities: July 19-23

During the third week, the American student teachers taught the curriculum unit on “Theatre and Performance.” Numerous new vocabulary words were introduced and reviewed. The San Sin students worked very hard in small groups to prepare a skit for Friday’s class, which illustrated a fairy tale or folk tale through play-acting. Popular performances incorporated such fairy tales as Cinderella, Robin Hood, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, and Hansel and Gretel.

On Thursday, six busloads of San Sin English Program students and their American teachers took a field trip to the Kaohsiung National Science and Technology Museum. They were treated to the impressive visiting exhibition portraying Leonardo Da Vinci’s contributions to art, music, science, and technology. While many college students have learned about Da Vinci’s contributions to the humanities such as his paintings of the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, few are exposed to Da Vinci’s contributions to the areas of anatomy, physics, engineering, and even human flight. His works include the firsts concepts of a car, bicycle, helicopter, parachute, submarine, and even military tanks. The exhibition provided detailed descriptions of many of Da Vinci’s inventions and his creative attempts to explain the scientific events surrounding people in the period of 1452-1519. The exhibit ended with a 3-D animated wall projection of The Last Supper.

The American student teachers continued their after-school activities with groups of San Sin students. Some viewed the 3-D movie “Street Dance,” while others visited Chichen Beach, a popcorn store, or the Dream Mall. Still others shopped in traditional Taiwanese stores and played arcade games with students. All of these after-school excursions provide ample opportunities for the San Sin students to practice conversational English! The student teachers finished the week on Friday evening with dinner at the new Parking Pasta restaurant (next to the World Gym) with teaching assistants Tina and Susan, and their former San Sin student and good friend, Jane! This restaurant provides a menu only available in Mandarin Chinese with no pictures, but by asking a lot of questions and enlisting the aid of Susan, Tina, and Jane, the teachers negotiated the language barrier once again!

Week-end Travel to Taipei: July 17-18

The group travel to the capital of Taipei on July 17 and 18.  Led by Helen Lie and Michael Chiu, the teachers traveled on the high-speed rail train, reaching Taipei in only 90 minutes!  The teachers checked in at the Taipei Teachers Hostel.  Their first stop was the remarkable Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, a tribute to a great leader who led the wars against the Chinese Communist Party. He died in 1975, and this beautiful memorial hall acknowledges him and to his efforts to modernize the Republic of China. They witnessed the changing of the Taiwanese military guard at the memorial, and visited the history museum on the floor below the memorial.  The inscriptions on the side walls describe Chiang Kai-shek's philosophy: "The purpose of life is to improve the general life of humanity", and "The meaning of life is to create and sustain subsequent lives in the universe."

Helen Lie took the teachers to a well-attended religious observance held at the Taipei Normal University.  The group learned about meditation and the philosophy of Buddhism.  Then, the teachers  visited the National Palace Museum. Ranked as one of the four best museums in the world, the Museum was originally founded in 1925 in the Forbidden City in Beijing. In 1949, the government shipped 600,000 treasured works of art to Taiwan to protect them from the impending war. The permanent collect of over 677,000 pieces has been stored in the current museum since 1965, and the pieces document more than 8,000 years of Chinese history. The displays are rotated every three months, and about 60,000 pieces can be viewed at a time.  The exhibits include jades, vessels, weapons, ceramics, calligraphy, documents, rare books, antiquities, and paintings going as far back as the Neolithic Age.  What a wonderful opportunity to learn about Chinese history!

On Sunday, the teachers spent some time at the Taiwan Handicraft Promotion Center.  This provided an opportunity for them to purchase special Taiwanese souvenirs and gifts for family and friends.  After an incredible 11-course Taiwanese-style lunch at the Teachers Hostel, they traveled over to Taipei 101.  The Taipei 101 Observatory is one of the tallest buildings in the world.  They traveled up to the 89th floor in a high-speed elevator and viewed the extensive city of Taipei in all directions. The Observatory holds the world's largest wind damper, and is built to resist the strongest earthquakes and gale winds.  They returned to Kaohsiung on the high-speed rail on Sunday evening! 

 

 

 

Week Two Activities: July 12-16

What a busy week! In addition to teaching the curriculum topic of Club Activity each day, the teachers graded student homework papers, in-class assignments, and tests. They took a few minutes to visit the San Sin High School uniform store to model and purchase official San Sin clothing items for themselves and family members.  Later, they took their shirts and jackets to a nearby store to have their names (Chinese and American) embroidered on their clothing!

On Tuesday, the student teachers traveled by bus with some San Sin students and Helen Lie to the Kaohsiung Museum of History.  The first exhibition they saw described the history of Chinese puppets.  They took the opportunity to sit at the Mayor's desk and sign up for the museum's "Mayor for a Day" program (the museum building was once the site of the original Kaohsiung City Government).  Kaohsiung currently has an outstanding female mayor named Chen Chu,  and Jessica Brattain was eager to continue that tradition, so she jumped into the mayor's chair to begin signing proclamations!

Week Two filled up with other activities, also.  There was the weekly Yoga class, and a session with Sylvia Lien about meditation and Buddhism.  San Sin students invited small groups of teachers to go shopping, travel by boat to Chichen Beach, or take other after-school excursions.  At Chichen Beach, the teachers rode a four-person bicycle cart with foot pedals for all four people.  In addition, they enjoyed the warm weather and beautiful beach along with many other beachgoers.  Haley Swenson purchased and ate grilled squid on a stick!  They finished the afternoon with a refreshing Taiwanese fruit ice treat.

On Friday, after classes were over, the teachers and San Sin teaching assistants celebrated Morgan Helton's birthday. They went to a wonderful Hot Pot restaurant for lunch, accompanied by Mr. Shih, who helps our group with all things important, especially food!  Due to the all-you-can-eat format of the Hot Pot restaurant, everyone overindulged, but it was worth it!   The group's yoga teacher and Helen Lie were also in attendance, and a good time was had by all!

Week-end Travel: July 10, 2010

On Saturday, July 10, the student teachers and some San Sin students traveled by bus to Sandimen to the Taiwan Indigenous Peoples Culture Park in Pingtung County.  The park provides a history of 14 different tribes of native aborigines. It is located in a mountainous area with beautiful natural scenery.

The first stop was the Dragonfly Bead Art Studio, where glass bead making and glazing was demonstrated.  Native aboriginal women produce the glazed beads, selecting designs designated for each month of the year, each having deep philosophical meaning.  The beads are believed to carry eternal blessings from ancestors, and the string embodies their eternal spirits.  The teachers and their students learned how to perform bead-making by melting the glass, refining and decorating the bead shape, and adding color designs to the glass surface. They were very proud of the finished product!

The student teachers enjoyed the performance of Aboriginal songs and dances in the Naluwan Theater. They also visited the traditional city of Meinong, most well-known for the Hakka culture.  They stopped at the Meinong Folk Village, which is famous for the production of Chinese Hakka umbrellas and other traditional craft items.   Everyone shopped for souvenirs and special treasures to bring home to America.  Finally, they visited the local ice cream shop and enjoyed ice cream treats (some ate Tofu ice cream and loved it!).

Week One Activities

After the first few days of class, the American student teachers settled into a teaching routine easily.  Smart and adaptable, they were able to incorporate a number of different activities into the teaching of the "Hair Salon" curriculum unit.  The San Sin students got over their initial shyness easily, and they now actively use their English frequently to communicate with their teachers.  In addition, the teachers have learned how to negotiate the city bus and the MRT subway, so within the first week, they have learned how to travel around Kaohsiung City easily. The teachers participate in after-school activities with their San Sin students to encourage the development of their English language skills!

The American student teachers are sometimes asked to represent the Summer English Program when there are international visitors at San Sin High School.  On Wednesday, July 7, Dr. Larry Shumway, the Utah State Superintendent of Public Instruction, came to San Sin to learn more about the Summer English Program and the school's international programs.  Accompanied by Chen Yi Ta of the Taipei Ministry of Education Office, Dr. Shumway viewed a presentation provided by Becky Wu about the Summer English Program.  He initiated a dialogue with the American student teachers and a number of the San Sin students, and all agreed that there are long-lasting mutual benefits from this exchange program for everyone involved.

During the first week,  a variety of excursions were offered to the teachers by the San Sin students.  Some teachers went to the Mega Department Store to eat and see a movie at the IMAX theater, while others went to the beach or to a tea shop, or they learned how to make dumplings. All of the teachers have the opportunity to take a yoga class on Wednesday nights, and many did---enjoying the expertise of the teacher, who is the Vice-President of the National Taiwan Yoga Association!   In addition, Mr. Hsieh took the teachers to hear the Berlin Philharmonic performance at the Cultural Center on Thursday evening.  The student teachers found out that there is little time to rest!

First Day of School: July 5, 2010

The first day of school began with an Opening Ceremony with Mr. Pan, the principal of San Sin High School.  His comments were translated into English for the audience.  Then Dr. O'Kon's comments were translated into Chinese!  She said:

Hello Mr. Pan, teachers, administrators, and students! Greetings to all of you from your Sister School, Tallahassee Community College!

We are so pleased to be here in Kaohsiung for the Summer English Program. This program began in 1993, and it has been very successful. Teachers from the United States have visited your school and your beautiful city year after year to help San Sin students learn English. In return, the American teachers have learned about Taiwanese culture and the kindness of Taiwanese people.

The Summer English Program has provided the opportunity for the students and the teachers to become lifelong friends. As technology has changed and improved, the teachers and students have communicated through distance learning, videoconferencing, and even Facebook. We hope that all of you who are enrolled in this program find it to be helpful and rewarding. Thank you for inviting us to be with you in the San Sin Summer English Program!

After the ceremony, teaching began immediately.  The teachers hurried to their classrooms and utilized their prepared curriculum materials on the first topic of the summer program, "Hair Salon."  Some computer equipment worked---some didn't!  Faced with the challenge of having things go unexpectedy wrong, the student teachers learned about adaptability, quick thinking, and moving on to "Plan B." This photo shows the teachers at the end of Day One, enjoying their pizza lunch and their daily debriefing meeting!

Welcome Luncheon on July 4, 2010

The American student teachers and their host families were treated to a wonderful 12-course Taiwanese-style Welcome Luncheon on Sunday. Although jet lag lingered around the banquet room, the student teachers enjoyed the food and the company of their host families tremendously. There was no shortage of picture-taking, of course! After lunch, they made their first visit to San Sin High School to learn where they will be teaching and where they will meet after classes are over each day. Mr. Hsieh provided his office space for the teachers' daily meeting. He also presented each student teacher with a lovely gift of chopsticks and a San Sin tote bag for their teaching materials!

Hopefully the student teachers are prepared for their first day of school.  They have aready met some of the wonderful San Sin students and they understand the difficulties in communication that may occur.  But San Sin students are still great communicators, even with limited English skills.  The student teachers will very quickly learn the meaning of the country's slogan:   Taiwan touches your heart!

Student Teachers arrive on Kaohsiung on July 3, 2010:

After a very long trip with delayed flights, seven students arrived with Dr. O'Kon at Kaohsiung, Taiwan. They traveled together very well and could not wait to meet their host families. The host families waited for them at the Kaohsiung airport with welcome signs and open arms! They greeted the American students warmly and gathered up all of their luggage to take them to their new Taiwanese homes!