能夠教多久?

教師節前夕, 到板橋高中參加台北縣教育會第二屆金鐸獎頒獎典禮, 儀式非常隆重, 讓得獎的老師感受到備受尊重, 而參加的親朋好友, 也覺得與有榮焉! 其中有位劉三雄校長, 已經從事教育工作有四十六年的時間, 哇! 真是不可思議!
想想現在的教育環境, 人事物都變遷得太快, 家長投注很多精力在教育上, 跟老師有很多互動, 是好是壞, 如人飲水, 冷暖自知! 所以, 要像劉校長那樣, 一教四十六年, 也許前有古人, 但是應該後無來者吧!
不管在教育工作有幾年, 我想認真堅持, 應該也是大部份教育工作者的自勉吧!

Front of the Class

　Yesterday I watched a movie-Front of the Class on HBO Channel. The movie is about an American elementary school teacher whose name is Brad Cohen. Brad Cohen is a motivational speaker and an award-winning teacher and author who has severe Tourette syndrome (TS)(妥瑞氏症). Cohen described his experiences growing up with the condition in his book, Front of the Class. The book has been made into a movie titled "Front of the Class."

　Why is the title "Front of the Class?" Because of his childhood, Cohen was accused of being a troublemaker in school and was punished by his teachers for the tics and noises caused by TS. His fifth-grade teacher forced him to walk to the front of the classroom to apologize for the noises he made and promise that he would never make them again. He felt humiliated and decided that he would become the teacher he never had. After he graduated and received his teaching certificate, 24 elementary schools rejected him before he was hired at Mountain View Elementary School in Cobb County, Georgia. As a new teacher, he was named Georgia's First Class Teacher of the Year. The students and their parents all liked him very much. Cohen's co-workers thought that he was the best model. Therefore, he was awarded the Sallie Mae First Class Teacher of the Year in 1997.
　I love this movie and I am touched by Brad Cohen. Being an elementary teacher, I'm so lucky that I'm normal. I think that we teachers should treat the students fairly. We shouldn't treat them differently just because they have such a syndrome. This movie reminds me that I will carefully observe my students in my classroom and never do anything to harm them. I will do my best!

真的有兩把刷子!

這個假日,我又去參加兩場研習活動,講師分別是賴世雄教授和彭博裕老師!賴教授分享他的英語學習經驗,印象深刻的是:一個人永遠不會因為年紀老而無法學習,再來就是讓自己永遠處於忙碌(學習)狀態,那自己就能擁有像海綿般的吸力!
而彭老師生動又有活力的教學分享,更讓我深深感動!雖然現在教育環境不是那麼和諧,但是還是有很多站在教育現場的老師,為這份工作盡力付出!
所以在研習之後,我覺得:我的年紀也不算老,應該持續像彭老師這樣,盡力付出我的熱忱在教育園地!

獲益良多

今天下午,帶著女兒坐計程車到成功國小參加研習,其實今天校內也有辦特教研習,但我選擇參加成功國小承辦的英語研習--英語遊戲教學!老實說:從事英語教學近十年,我甚少在課堂上帶遊戲活動,原因有二:一是學生容易因玩遊戲而興奮過度,或是輸不起而和同學起糾紛(以上經驗都曾發生在教學現場),導致我對遊戲活動興趣缺缺!二是因教材內容在有限時間內需教授完,所以實在沒有多餘的時間在課堂上帶遊戲活動,因此今天帶著取經的心情,希望為自己的教學注入新元素!
主講者是Phoebe Lee,她在短短二小時的時間,講解了三十幾種遊戲活動,包含:單字,文法,句型,字母發音等聽說讀寫的遊戲活動!Phoebe講解生動有活力,各項遊戲活動,簡單容易執行,連坐在我身邊一起聽課的女兒,也聽得很有趣,一直告訴我上課要帶哦!是的!我會嘗試在課堂上,把今天學到的內容應用一下!
三不五時,我總會選擇參加校內外英語研習活動,我總覺得主講者不管口才如何?可是,他花很多時間整理經驗的累積,在二,三小時內分享出來,就算我只能得到一個適用的點子,我都覺得獲益良多!
所以,我要謝謝曾經不吝惜分享的人!套句伍思凱的歌詞:與你分享的快樂,勝過獨自擁有...
大家共勉之!!

Reflection on Educational Trip to Singapore

　It’s wonderful that I went to Singapore to observe its English teaching on Jan. 10~Jan. 15, 2009. This is my first time to go abroad. I am so excited and nervous. However, when I landed on Singapore, I was attracted by its greeny view. Although Singapore is so small, the places I saw are clean. Its English teaching is a deep impression to me, because English is its first language! All pupils and teachers speak English during many subjects except Chinese subject. The situation is somewhat like our education system in Taiwan. We speak Chinese during many subjects except English subject. Therefore, I think that we can adopt its English teaching to our Chinese teaching. Now, let me introduce its English teaching of Red Swastika School（卍慈學校）.
　The school I visited is Red Swastika School（卍慈學校）. Red Swastika School is a government-aided primary school in Bedok, Singapore. It was founded in 1951 by the World Red Swastika Society, the philanthropic branch of the Daoyuan. First located at Somapah Road, Changi, the school moved to its current location at Bedok North Avenue 3 in 1981. The swastika (卍) sign symbolizes prosperity and good luck. When we arrived at the Red Swastika School（卍慈學校）on Jan. 12, the Red Swastika School（卍慈學校） did not allow us to observe its English teaching. It only introduced and shared its English programmes. Therefore, I understood its special programmes just from its PPT representation. The followings are its key programmes.

1. Uninterrupted Sustained Silent Reading (USSR)
　To promote the healthy habit of reading regularly, all pupils report to school at 7.00am (AM Session) and 12.30pm (PM Session) to carry out a 20-minute uninterrupted sustained reading silently in the concourse or school hall. All pupils will bring English reading materials on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; Chinese reading materials on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. This is to ensure that they are continuously exposed to a wide and balanced variety of genres in different languages.

2. Supplementary Lessons
　Supplementary lessons for Primary pupils 5 & 6 are arranged to ensure that they receive constant support and guidance in their school work which are doubly demanding compared to those of the Lower Primary pupils'. All lessons are conducted by the subject teachers.

3. ENABLE (ENcouraging Achievement and Better LEarning) Programme for Lower Primary Pupils
　Currently, selected Primary 2 & 3 pupils who are identified as underachievers are offered remedial lessons beyond their curriculum hours. Reinforcements include specially prepared worksheets, pre-tests and post-tests that are designed to diagnose and remediate learning difficulties that the pupils face in their subjects. This programme is conducted by the subject teachers.

4. Overseas Immersion Programmes
　Every year, pupils who have performed well in CCA are offered chances to go on overseas immersion tours to visit various countries. During the tours, the pupils will have a chance to attend lessons in the foreign schools to gain refreshingly different learning experiences in the foreign countries. Interactions between the foreign pupils and our pupils deepen their understanding of their cultures and offer opportunities to widen their perspectives of the world at large. These meaningful tours enable pupils to learn effectively beyond their classrooms in the most enjoyable ways.

　Moreover, we also can learn what its education emphasizes on from the followings.
1. SCHOOL VISION：
　A holistic education that brings out the best in every child.
2. SCHOOL MISSION：
　To develop our pupils to be independent learners, creative thinkers and effective communicators with a strong sense of social responsibility.
3. SCHOOL PHILOSOPHY
　In Red Swastika, we believe that each and every child is unique and different. Each child possesses latent talents and has different needs. The school will direct its resources and energy to maximize every child's potential to the fullest and provide equal opportunities for all.
4. SCHOOL MOTTO 恭宽信敏
　Respect, Magnanimity, Trustworthiness and Alertness

　After I visited Red Swastika School（卍慈學校）, I draw some conclusions.

1. The pupils in Singapore learn English easier than the pupils in Taiwan, because English is Singaporean first language.
2. The school doesn’t’t abandon any pupil, so it has a resource classroom to provide another opportunity to slow pupils.
3. Their many races merge well at the school. No matter what kind of races they are, they get along well with each other.
4. Although there are more 40 pupils in a class, the pupils have good manners. That is not like the pupils in Taiwan.
5. The school emphasizes ethic education. The pupils can understand what to do from the decorations.
6. The pupils are proud of being a Singaporean. They are glad to help others.

　Nowadays, a great deal of discord has arisen in Taiwanese political affairs. The pupils in Taiwan must learn many dialects, Chinese and English. They can not concentrate their attention on single language. Their parents want them to spend more time to learn English at cram schools. Therefore, the pupils can’t learn these languages well. I think it is a pity. That is why the pupils in Taiwan don’t have a higher level in English education, but their level in Chinese education has been reduced.

　There are some pictures taken by me during the educational trip in Singapore. I hope you will like them.










Reference:

http://schools.moe.edu.sg/rss/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Swastika_School