Learning from my Cat

Today was one of the first warm and sunny days of this year - did I go out to enjoy the sun ? No, I had to sit at my desk and work all day. During a short break I watched my cat who had taken up her favourite place on the table on the balcony … she was lying in the sun, totally relaxed, eyes closed, the ideal of well-being. Later she came into the house and sauntered into the kitchen to get some food before she elegantly jumped onto the sofa.

I looked at the furry ball on my most expensive silk cushion and thought that I could learn a lot from my cat. For example she always does what she wants, she never does what others expect from her. When we get visitors, she does not play the cute little friendly kitty, but throws a cold look at the intruder and then disappears until the strange person has left. Sometimes she grants the great privilege of her presence and people feel flattered when she comes. Nobody takes her for granted, not even I, her main food giver, can do that.

Her pride and elegance in every situation is something I would love to have as well. She knows very well that she is the most beautiful creature on earth. Never does she stand in front of the mirror scrutinizing her face for wrinkles or her aging body for fat. In fact, she ignores mirrors. Last year she reacted to the winter by extensively cleaning her fur which had the effect that she lost almost all her hair on her hind legs and stomach. A human woman would never go out of the house looking like this, but my cat walked around, tail raised proudly, totally ignoring the fact that she might look, hmm, “ugly” - and I am worried about a few wrinkles and pounds too many?

We women could learn a lot from cats !!!

About a real man

What is a real man ? Apart from the obvious biological differences - what makes a man a man ?

A few months ago I was on a sailing trip with a group of 18/19-year-old students . On the first evening the chores on the ship had to be organized. One young man, very masculine appearance, made it very clear that he would do a lot of things but not clean the toilets. In his opinion a real man did not clean toilets. In fact, he refused to do anything that made it necessary for him to let his hands touch water. A real man is allergic to water !?

Another young man was (well, still is) a completely different type and a lot calmer. But in his quiet and modest way he made a deep impression on me. For example, he quickly learned how to steer the ship, and he was so good at it that the captain called him whenever things got complicated. One morning I got my chance at the wheel and I made a real mess at first, until this student came and stood next to me for about an hour, quietly explaining and giving tips. Suddenly he was gone and that meant he felt I could cope on my own.

Now, who is a "real man" ... someone who does not clean toilets or someone who can steer a big sailing ship with 25 people on board safely into the harbour ?

Animal Farm and a Lesson

In my 11th year English class I am reading George Orwell, Animal Farm, with the kids. You may know that it is a sort of political fable about a revolution and the subsequent establishment of another dictatorship, until at the end the pigs (the new rulers) and the humans cannot be distinguished any more. Orwell wrote this under the impression of Communist dictatorships, particularly that of Stalin.

It was funny, when we started reading and the students read that the animals were talking, they at first did not know what to make of it. They soon realized that this was not a children's book ("No pictures!") and then someone mentioned the word "fable" and another one "Russian Revolution" and so we got on the right track.

Today we discussed chapter three. The revolution has taken place and life is better for all the animals on the farm. No more oppression, no more being exploited. But already in this second chapter after the rebellion you can see how the three leading pigs establish a privileged position on the farm. It is interesting to see how they do that: a subtle mix of fake altruism ("we are doing this for your good") and threats ("the farmer will come back if we, the most intelligent animals, are not there").

I asked my students if we could learn something from this for our own lives. Because the names are different, but the system of establishing and preserving control is the same, so we can recognize a lot of our politicians' behaviour if we look closely. What I want my kids to do is to be critical and vigilant.

In the break I talked to a colleague teaching politics and we found out that the state curriculum sees the independent critical citizen as the goal of our education. But, of course, there is the "hidden curriculum" of economy as advertised in the media: what is wanted is the obedient consumer slave. It is hard work being a teacher...

But, I have yet to come to a point where I want to give up.

On Presents

Valentine's Day made me think of presents, probably because I usually ignore this day. It is not a traditional German festival and seems to have been invented to make card manufacturers and flower shops happy.

But there are other occasions for presents. Presents are something nice, they are supposed to be a joy for the one who receives them and give satisfaction to the giver. But they often cause stress: you are obliged to give one, you don't know the person you are giving something to, you feel you must give a present you cannot afford, you simply have no idea what to give

My idea of a good present is like this:

a) It is given voluntarily. Not as an obligatory return task, not as the pre-Christmas shopping horror. It is given, because the giver had the perfect idea for someone and therefore bought or made it.

b) It is a meaningful for the person you are giving it to. This means you know the one you are giving something to well or it refers to something in your common history. It need not be expensive, of course, a true present does not depend on money. Writing a poem, doing the washing-up, baby sitting... there are a lot of meaningful gifts that don't cost a lot of money, but they mean giving time, i.e. part of your life.

c) It is received with gratitude as a sign of friendship or affection, but not with a bad conscience and the thought "OMG, what can I do in return?" One day the occasion for returning it will arise, but it should not be forced.

Of course, there are obligatory presents and in this case, flowers and chocolates are never wrong. But maybe we can avoid them for the ones we love -- and if flowers, maybe a single rose and a long talk is more appreciated than an expensive bouquet.

Happy Chinese New Year

xin nian kuai le-
gong hay fat choy





Happy Chinese New Year to everybody who celebrates.


More Chinese greetings can be found here:
http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/interactive/huichun/index.jsp

Before the lesson.....

5th year English. Before the lesson has officially started:

"Mrs K., the page of my exercise book is full, may I use the next one?"

"Mrs K., Max always breathes loudly in my direction."

"Mrs K., I cannot find my pencil case."

"Mrs K., err, hmm, what did I want to say, oh yes, I remember, hmm, you see, my dog......"

"Oh, nice picture on your note book, Mrs K."

" Mrs K., Max is eating !!!!!!!"

" Mrs K., do we have to learn the vocabulary on page 170 ?" -
"Yes, page 170."
"Only 170?" -
"Only 170!!"
"And page 171?"

"Mrs K., Max has taken my pen !!!"

"Mrs K., hmm, err, well, my dohog has ....."

"Mrs K., may I use a pencil for writing?"
"Yes, of course."
Another pupil: "Ahhh, I have forgotten my pencil!! What am I supposed to do now?"
"Take a pen."
Third pupil: "How about a pencil?"

"Mrs K., listen ! My dog has , hmm. err. eaten. hmm...."

"What is our next lesson?"

"Mrs K., what is our maths homework ?"

"MY DOG HAS EATEN MY ENGLISH BOOK !!!"

*Mrs K., why are you lying on the floor and crying ???"


*sigh*
I love my job !!

(Picture: a poster on friendship (Freundschaft) made by students, 2009

Jackie is on Twitter

I have thought for a long time if I should post this, but then, why not? Jackie Chan is on Twitter and the fans are going wild. News from him around the clock. WOW !!!!!!

Hmm, I must admit, I am not that enthusiastic. Yes, it is amazing that this man, who a few years ago said of himself that he was a computer "illiterate", now posts something by phone or computer or however. But, well, do I really want to know what he is doing every minute of his day ? It might be cute or wonderful for other people, it is not really for me.

Because, what are the Twitter "news" ? Short sentences, little snippets of trivia - let's face it, how many interesting things happen to you in one day ? If I was on Twitter, it would be "Just cleaned the kitchen," or "School was tiring," or "Auntie rang," or things like that. Does the world really need this avalanche of information? I don't think it does, so I am not on Twitter.

In a way Twitter is typical of our times. Fast information, quick to digest, nothing that really matters - and then move on. No pondering, reflecting, philosophizing. No need to really think about the words you use, to carefully select and re-write to get the best effect. It is like fast food - convenient, fast and tasteless - as opposed to cooking yourself with fresh ingredients, which makes you feel a lot more satisfied on so many levels, not only as far as filling the hole in your stomach is concerned. And we all know that fast food leaves you hungry in the end, craving for more. Twitter has the same effect, at least on me.

To be fair, it can be fun to get quick information and convenient to grab a burger when there is no time. But I also need more substantial food - and more substantial pieces of writing.