Happy New Year - I wish us all a new year full of love and hope !
Photo : Katharine Schroeder, 2008
Thursday 31 December 2009
Tuesday 29 December 2009
Education !?!
A few weeks ago I watched a programme called “PopStars – Du und Ich”. It is one of these “casting shows” á la American Idol. The German “PopStars” shows are looking for bands, in this case, a duo. We were in the final phase of this year's series and I was amazed to see that there were still a lot of young people in the competition who could not carry a tune. When the coaches told them that they had not done very well, they were offended. They cried. They said it was not fair. They blamed it on their partner, the person they shared a room with, on PMS or a slight cold or the bad dinner.
Which reminds me of my students when I tell them off for not doing their duties. They could not do their homework because the dog had to be taken to the vet's. They could not produce a sentence without mistakes because the person they are sitting next to is making strange noises. And I am SO UNFAIR because I don't praise them for simply being there.
Back to PopStars. A couple has performed their song, did averagely and are interviewed afterwards. Their comment : “Well, the most important thing is that we have fun on the stage. And we did have a lot of fun !!!” Well, I don't quite agree. I think the people who are supposed to enjoy the performance are the audience. The singers' job is to sing and dance well and deliver a good show. Of course, it is ideal if they like what they are doing. But if they don't do well, they should listen to those who know better and learn from them.
The other day I had a talk with my students who complained about some of their teachers and said that the lessons with Mrs XYZ were no fun. Hey, I have got bad news for you: school is not supposed to be fun, your teachers are no stand-up comedians. You are supposed to LEARN something. Good, it you have fun sometimes, but it is not the main objective.
Okay, we don't want to go back to the old days of teachers beating and humiliating their students. But I think it is time that we get a bit more of the idea that there is no God given right to have a life of ever lasting fun. That most of it is hard work and learning to live with frustrations.
Another scene from my fifth years enhanced this impression that education is going into a wrong direction: It takes me five minutes to walk from the staff room to their classroom . I enter the classroom after the bell has rung and the kids have had five minutes time to get their English books out of their bags or locker. There are no English books on the desks. I tell them to stop fighting/throwing jackets out of the window/doing whatever they do during the break and get their books. One student says : “You haven't taken your book out of your bag yet, either !”
I beg your pardon? After about five seconds of being perplexed, I exploded. It is time that these kids learn that there are adults and kids, teachers and students, that I am 40 years older than they are and that means I am allowed to do a lot of things they are not.
Respect is a good thing, but it works both ways. I claim the right to be respected, too !
Sunday 27 December 2009
So wise so young, they say, do never live long.
Internet is not only bad, like a lot of people my age think. It connects people. And it can be very educating, too. One site I regularly look at for inspiration is the forum that goes with The Free Dictionary . There is thread discussing the "Quote of the Day" and I want to share with you today's quote and my thoughts.
So wise so young, they say, do never live long. (William Shakespeare, 1564-1616)
It is from "Richard III", the play about a man who murders one of his brothers on the way to becoming king. He has been made guardian of his (dead) older brother's sons, who are heirs to the throne. He plots to kill them, too, so in this scene he tells them that they will reside in the Tower until the coronation of the older one of them. He, the Prince of Wales, does not like this idea, but agrees, and then Richard says these words as an aside.Of course, he usurps the crown for himself and kills the two princes.
What do these words tell us in general ? You shouldn't be too smart at an early age. People don't like other people outdoing them in every field, particularly intellectually, and particularly adults don't like youngsters to be better than they are. It could become dangerous, if intelligence is not based on life experience and knowledge of people's minds. The young genius may be seen as a threat and the more powerful adult might crush him to pieces.
The truly intelligent youngster learns when to shut up and watch and learn.
The truly great adult appreciates gifted young people, carefully guides them and helps them to survive.
So wise so young, they say, do never live long. (William Shakespeare, 1564-1616)
It is from "Richard III", the play about a man who murders one of his brothers on the way to becoming king. He has been made guardian of his (dead) older brother's sons, who are heirs to the throne. He plots to kill them, too, so in this scene he tells them that they will reside in the Tower until the coronation of the older one of them. He, the Prince of Wales, does not like this idea, but agrees, and then Richard says these words as an aside.Of course, he usurps the crown for himself and kills the two princes.
What do these words tell us in general ? You shouldn't be too smart at an early age. People don't like other people outdoing them in every field, particularly intellectually, and particularly adults don't like youngsters to be better than they are. It could become dangerous, if intelligence is not based on life experience and knowledge of people's minds. The young genius may be seen as a threat and the more powerful adult might crush him to pieces.
The truly intelligent youngster learns when to shut up and watch and learn.
The truly great adult appreciates gifted young people, carefully guides them and helps them to survive.
Thursday 24 December 2009
Why I don't like Christmas
Today is 24th December and Christmas Eve (or "Holy Evening" as it is called in Germany) is the main time of the festive season in this country. It is afternoon, the shops have closed, the world is becoming quiet - and I want to think about why I don't like Christmas. Well, not Christmas in general, but what has become of it.
The first time that it dawned on me that modern Christmas is not really about the child in the manger and the message of hope and love he stands for, but about consumerism, was when I was 14. I tried to boycott the meaningless show, but, of course, my mother would not let me. However, it grieves me to see that the situation has not become better during the past decades, but worse. The image of Christmas that I see nowadays in the media and the stores is one that makes me sick. Really.
Christmas in the shops seems to start directly after Easter. Or the summer holidays. November is a month with days when in churches we remember those that have died - sometimes the Christmas tinsel and glitter is kept in the cupboards until the last one of these Sundays, but then it hits you with a vengeance. Christmas decoration is big, glittery, loud and screaming into your soul. Everything, from fur coats to toilet paper is turned into a Christmas present. Prices go up. Getting a present is turning into some kind of Olympic Games: more, bigger, more expensive than the one you got last year. A real gift, one that means you have spent time and thoughts on ? Forget it, we must rush on.
Music - where are the traditional Christmas carols ? This year I have heard not a single German carol anywhere in public. Radio and TV play "pop" songs that are mostly American. White Christmas. Jingle Bells. Winter Wonder Land. Little Drummer Boy . I have nothing against American songs, not even against these ones. But do they reflect the true meaning of Christmas? My ears are getting sick, too.
Decorations of houses and homes - they can turn into a nightmarish rush and competition, too. Up to about 15 years ago, lighting the outside of houses was done sparsely here. I liked the lights in the darkness. Nowadays there is no darkness any more and the symbolic meaning of the light has disappeared.
The highlight of modern Christmas is the advert of a well-known brown soft drink. A dark winter night is illuminated by a truck and a vending machine and people say with hopeful eyes: "It is Christmas." It has gotten to a point that my young students claim that Santa comes in this truck these days. One day we will go to the manger and pray to the Holy Bottle ?!?!?!
This modern Christmas is so phony, so false, although it may reflect a desire for happiness, peace and love. But we won't find it this way, even if the decorations and presents become bigger and bigger.
The true Christmas is not glittery and cosy. It is about a young couple who find no room to give birth to their child. It is about the child that grows into a man who preaches a message that is not comfortable at all. If you take it seriously, you must open your eyes and do your bit against injustice in the world, against the destruction of our planet, against poverty, racism, and intolerance.
I am not a theologian, but I am a Christian and I am longing for an honest Christmas. One that does not ignore the misery, but can be celebrated in the happy realization that at Christmas our God came to us to share our sadness and despair.
Of course, the "honest" Christmas spirit can be found at the most unexpected places and definitely also with people who don't share my religion. I know , because I have met them. Or because God sent them my way !?!
The first time that it dawned on me that modern Christmas is not really about the child in the manger and the message of hope and love he stands for, but about consumerism, was when I was 14. I tried to boycott the meaningless show, but, of course, my mother would not let me. However, it grieves me to see that the situation has not become better during the past decades, but worse. The image of Christmas that I see nowadays in the media and the stores is one that makes me sick. Really.
Christmas in the shops seems to start directly after Easter. Or the summer holidays. November is a month with days when in churches we remember those that have died - sometimes the Christmas tinsel and glitter is kept in the cupboards until the last one of these Sundays, but then it hits you with a vengeance. Christmas decoration is big, glittery, loud and screaming into your soul. Everything, from fur coats to toilet paper is turned into a Christmas present. Prices go up. Getting a present is turning into some kind of Olympic Games: more, bigger, more expensive than the one you got last year. A real gift, one that means you have spent time and thoughts on ? Forget it, we must rush on.
Music - where are the traditional Christmas carols ? This year I have heard not a single German carol anywhere in public. Radio and TV play "pop" songs that are mostly American. White Christmas. Jingle Bells. Winter Wonder Land. Little Drummer Boy . I have nothing against American songs, not even against these ones. But do they reflect the true meaning of Christmas? My ears are getting sick, too.
Decorations of houses and homes - they can turn into a nightmarish rush and competition, too. Up to about 15 years ago, lighting the outside of houses was done sparsely here. I liked the lights in the darkness. Nowadays there is no darkness any more and the symbolic meaning of the light has disappeared.
The highlight of modern Christmas is the advert of a well-known brown soft drink. A dark winter night is illuminated by a truck and a vending machine and people say with hopeful eyes: "It is Christmas." It has gotten to a point that my young students claim that Santa comes in this truck these days. One day we will go to the manger and pray to the Holy Bottle ?!?!?!
This modern Christmas is so phony, so false, although it may reflect a desire for happiness, peace and love. But we won't find it this way, even if the decorations and presents become bigger and bigger.
The true Christmas is not glittery and cosy. It is about a young couple who find no room to give birth to their child. It is about the child that grows into a man who preaches a message that is not comfortable at all. If you take it seriously, you must open your eyes and do your bit against injustice in the world, against the destruction of our planet, against poverty, racism, and intolerance.
I am not a theologian, but I am a Christian and I am longing for an honest Christmas. One that does not ignore the misery, but can be celebrated in the happy realization that at Christmas our God came to us to share our sadness and despair.
Of course, the "honest" Christmas spirit can be found at the most unexpected places and definitely also with people who don't share my religion. I know , because I have met them. Or because God sent them my way !?!
Wednesday 23 December 2009
My Life wíth Jackie Chan
I became a Jackie Chan fan in December 2004. What, my friends asked, a FAN? At YOUR AGE ? Funnily enough that was what happened. I had been practising martial arts for a few years then, I had watched martial arts movies and found out there are some I like more than others, but up to December 2004 I had never expected to become a fully fledged fan of somebody. This is for teenagers !
But this interest was different than liking to see George Clooney or to listen to Robbie Williams. This turned out to influence and change my life. Let me explain:
1. Jackie Chan's way of choreographing fights is unique and different from anybody else's. I simply enjoy the dance-like quality he adds, he humour, the creativity. This is not a Jackie Chan blog, so I won't go into details, which you also can find elsewhere on the Internet. The important thing for this context is that his movies also made me more courageous. With his movies in front of my inner eye, I managed to overcome my own fears and limitations - so for example when one day I forgot about being afraid of a dive roll in my martial arts class and just did it.
2. I learned more about his person and found out that there is a lot more to Jackie Chan than funny Kung Fu movies. His charity work, for example. His ideas of how different people from all over the world should become friends and learn from each other. These thoughts reflected my own ones and with a famous supporter like Jackie, I dared to be again more outspoken, to say what I had buried deep in my soul because I was so often made fun of.
3. I joined a Jackie Chan forum and then another one and all of a sudden the small town I live in had a gate to the world. I so much enjoy my contacts to different people from different cultures. I found new friends in my own country. I forged new friendships that go far beyond a common interest in Jackie Chan. I re-discovered my interest in China, Chinese culture and language and this time (unlike when it all started in the late 1960s) I could travel and start to study the language.
Up to this day, I have not plastered the walls of my room with Jackie pictures, nor have I got a Jackie tattoo on my shoulder. But I have gained a lot from having discovered him and I am most grateful for the really close and important friends all this has brought me.
But this interest was different than liking to see George Clooney or to listen to Robbie Williams. This turned out to influence and change my life. Let me explain:
1. Jackie Chan's way of choreographing fights is unique and different from anybody else's. I simply enjoy the dance-like quality he adds, he humour, the creativity. This is not a Jackie Chan blog, so I won't go into details, which you also can find elsewhere on the Internet. The important thing for this context is that his movies also made me more courageous. With his movies in front of my inner eye, I managed to overcome my own fears and limitations - so for example when one day I forgot about being afraid of a dive roll in my martial arts class and just did it.
2. I learned more about his person and found out that there is a lot more to Jackie Chan than funny Kung Fu movies. His charity work, for example. His ideas of how different people from all over the world should become friends and learn from each other. These thoughts reflected my own ones and with a famous supporter like Jackie, I dared to be again more outspoken, to say what I had buried deep in my soul because I was so often made fun of.
3. I joined a Jackie Chan forum and then another one and all of a sudden the small town I live in had a gate to the world. I so much enjoy my contacts to different people from different cultures. I found new friends in my own country. I forged new friendships that go far beyond a common interest in Jackie Chan. I re-discovered my interest in China, Chinese culture and language and this time (unlike when it all started in the late 1960s) I could travel and start to study the language.
Up to this day, I have not plastered the walls of my room with Jackie pictures, nor have I got a Jackie tattoo on my shoulder. But I have gained a lot from having discovered him and I am most grateful for the really close and important friends all this has brought me.
Tuesday 22 December 2009
Every journey starts with the first step...
... and that one can be hard to take. So I want to start by thanking a good friend of mine for encouraging me to share what I am thinking and have been writing about. The Internet has opened a door to the world for me, it has enabled me to be connected to people all over the planet. I can talk and learn and grow -- and now even start to make my own contributions. It is a truly democratic situation, as I can say what I think, but nobody is forced to read it. :=)
The topics on my mind cover a wide area - personal experiences, philosophy, funny stories and observations. All closely supervised by my cat . Who wants my attention now, so please, excuse me for the time being ...
The topics on my mind cover a wide area - personal experiences, philosophy, funny stories and observations. All closely supervised by my cat . Who wants my attention now, so please, excuse me for the time being ...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)