There Will Be Miracle When You...

A student at Yu-ling High School (武陵高中) got a 71 ranking score on the SAT,  ranking the 29th in his school.  What is special about him is that he ranked the 452nd in school on the SAT mock exam. 

Yes, You Can

When I flipped through my old files this evening, I came across a newspaper clipping.  It's about how a high school student made big progress in his studies.   Thinking that the news story might inspire students, especially those who didn't do well on the SAT, I decided to try my luck and see if I can find this old article on the Net so that students can read it online.  To my amazement, I found it, an article in the UDN dated May 18, 2006. 

Educational Reform

This afternoon in Class 310, when introducing the new word "radical," I asked the students if we needed a radical educational reform.  They responded with "Yes" unanimously.   I asked why, and a student blurted out, "Too much pressure." 

The students' response proved something.  The educational reform in our country still has room for improvement.  

To Master English

This morning when we discussed the notion in Unit 2 that no one can achieve the highest levels of performance without devoting thousands of hours to practice, I told Class 310 that I once read in the newspaper that to master English, by which I mean to use English as naturally as native speakers, one has to spend 20,000 hours studying it, according to a study.  So if we study English 2 hours every day, it will take us more than 27 years.  Hearing this, the students all stared at me in disbelief.  Now, they know how hard they have to work if they really want to have a good command of English.

English Education

This year more than 20,000 students got a zero for English composition on the SAT.  Many people have shown their concern over English education in Taiwan.

The following are three articles from the UDN.  The first two are news reports written from three professors' perspective, while the third article, by a lawyer, is written from a learner's point of view.  All of them put emphasis on learners' motivation. 

I copied and pasted the articles on my blog in case one day they are removed from the UDN website.  Besides, I can underline the parts that I think are important.

http://mag.udn.com/mag/campus/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=179118

Mr. Feng-yuan Hsu's Story

This is a news story about someone who started from scratch.   His name is Feng-yuan Hsu (許峰源).   Born in a poor family, he knew he had to work very hard to become somebody.  Besides, reading biographies of famous people guided him all the way.

To know more about Mr. Hsu, click the URL or read on.

http://mag.udn.com/mag/campus/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=179354

That's What Family Is for

Mr. Zhi-hao Huang (黃致豪), a 20-year-old NTU student, donated 60% of his liver to his father.  This news story has touched many hearts.  You can read the story in the blog of Taiwanese song diva, Hui Jiang (江蕙).

http://www.wretch.cc/blog/jodychiang/13998718

Like Ms. Jiang, I also want to give Mr. Huang a big hug. 

Gems of Wisdom, plus a Way I Teach Reading

Every morning, I can't wait to read the gem of wisdom on the front page of the UDN.  It's usually a sentence said by someone accomplished.   Here are two examples:

To Apply or Not to Apply?

I came across this article online just now, which offers great help to students who cannot decide whether to apply to university now or not.  Please click on the URL or read on.

http://mag.udn.com/mag/campus/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=179049

Yu-shu's Advice on How to Prepare for UEE English

The following is a mail form my former 316 student Yu-shu (謝雨書).  I'm very thankful that she would like to generously share with all the high school seniors her ways of tudying English for the UEE.  She got a 85.33 on the 2008 UEE

P.S.  I got her permission to put the mail on my blog and I've made a few small modifications

Cram School?

Today the result of the 2009 SAT came out.   While I was reading some related news online, I came across this article.  It's about some students who got top ranking, 75, but never went to cram school.  The main part of the article is about their studying habits.

http://mag.udn.com/mag/campus/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=178685

An Advantage of Blogging

Yesterday while I was seeking for some good compositions written by former students that I put on my blog, I felt grateful for the invention of blog. 

Common Mistakes Young Interviewees Made

In last Wednesday's UDN, there was an article pointing out some common mistakes young people made when attending a job interview.  Not being punctual, lacking sufficient preparation, having no specific goal, and being unable to express oneself well are some of them. 

She's Fine

This afternoon I, along with 8 colleagues, went to see Losan.  She looked fine.  Even just two days after the surgery, she still looked calm and elegant, as if nothing had happened.  She said the doctor had already told her that there was 50~70% chance of recurrence of the cancer when she finished chemotherapy last year.   How to avoid the recurrence is still a mystery.

You'll Be Fine, My Dear Friend

The day before yesterday, hearing that a friend of mine, also a former colleague, went back to hospital for surgery because of recurrent cancer, I felt a heartache.  This morning, when I heard her voice on the phone, I was on the verge of tears.  However, not to make her sad, I held the tears back, telling her that some friends and I would visit her tomorrow.  

She has been fighting cancer for a year.  I still firmly believe she will win.   The whole universe, please conspire and help her.

 

A Sakura Trip

These are three photos I took on Feb. 8, during my second trip to Yangmingshan this year.

A List of English Novels Recommended to High School Seniors

This morning seven 314 students and a former 316 student came back to school.   Seeing their happy faces, I was elated. 

The stduent from former Class 316 is Miranda (萬修安), who is an English major at National Central University.  I asked her to recommend some good English novels for high school seniors.  She mentioned some, and she said she would make a list and put it on my blog.  Well, she did.  Just now I found her list on my LifeType blog.  Here is the list.

"Back to School"

These two days there have been quite a few former students paying me a visit. Yesterday I had lunch with 4 from the former 314 and 2 the former 316. We chatted and laughed until 2:20pm. Then I said goodbye to them except for She-heng. She went back to school with me and we kept talking.

The First Class of the New Semester

In the first class of the new semester, I greeted Class 310 warmly, asking in English what they did during the winter vacation.  Knowing they hadn't spoken or even listened English for almost one month, I used this activity as a warm-up.  Then I told them about the movie I saw--Yes Man.

Then I let them know what books we are going to use this semester and what lessons in Book 6 we are going to cover in class.  

Interview with Ya-han Tzeng about how to prepare for the UEE

On the night before the school starts, I decided to interview my former student Ya-han Tzeng (曾雅韓), who scored highest among the NHSH students on the 2008 UEE.  The following are her suggestions on how to prepare for the UEE:

1. Follow the teachers' schedules.  

2. Never put off what you should study today until tomorrow.   

3. Stay at school after school to study.

The Lantern Festival & the Last Day of the Winter Vacation

This year the last day of the winter vacation happened to fall on the Lantern Festival.  In the evening, there is a fireworks display in Neihu, which lasts for more than three hours.  In fact, I can still hear the noise at home now.  It is said the display will go on until 11pm. 

To Etta & Sun

Dear Etta & Sun,

Thanks for your responses.  One more photo will definitely help you to get the right answer.

Michael Phelp & Drugs

Knowing Michael Phelp did drugs, I felt sorry for him.   I'm still wondering why he would have started it.  Curiosity?  Boredom? Or lonesome?   Since he won 8 gold medals in 2008 Olympics Games, he has been a role model for many young people.   Now his drug abuse really hurts, not only him himself, but also his fans' hearts. 

I don't think that Mr. Phelp didn't know the consequences of using drugs.  Then, why?

"Changes of Heart"

"Changes of Heart" is an article in the latest issue of Reader's Digest (Feb. 2009). It is about an institute which helps troubled teens rectify their behavior by having them train unwanted dogs. When the two meet, "the healing begins for both."

This seems a very effective way. The dogs are a mirror for the juvenile delinquents. In the process of training the dogs, the teens justify their own behavior.

A "Cool" Trip

Look at the photo and guess where I went today. 

 

 

About This Year's SAT English Writing Part

I read in the newspaper a report about the writing part on the English test of this year's SAT.   In it, Profession Yin, Yun-mei (殷允美), a professor of Department of English at Chengchi University, gave her feedback about the test takers' performace on the test.

http://mag.udn.com/mag/campus/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=175498

If you have problems getting connected, please read on.

Face it. Accept it. Tackle it. Forget it.

This is an article written by a former superstar Lin, Ching-hsia (林青霞) in memory of Master Sheng-yan, which I read in the United Daily News yesterday.  It's worth reading.   The title of today's entry is a line taken from the article.

那袈裟飛起像浪花 好美好美

If you have problems downloading the article, just read on.

What Difference Can 30 Minutes Make?

Annie and I chatted on the phone tonight.  I  told her that I'm quite interested in the book she mentioned several days ago in her blog It Takes Only 30 Minutes A Day (每天只要三十分鐘).  She told me the author of that book pointed out that even if we are not graduates of top schools, as long as we spend 30 minutes every day learning something all our life, we can be as good as or even better than those graduated from prestigious schools in some aspect.   If you are interested in this idea, you can visit Annie's blog:

http://blog.roodo.com/anniechan/archives/8181395.html

Master Sheng-yan

Master Sheng-yan (聖嚴法師), a spiritual leader in Taiwan, passed away at 4 o'clock this afternoon.  He was the founder of Dharma Drum Mountain (法鼓山), one of the most influential Chinese Buddhist organizations. 

Barack Obama's Letter to His Daughters

"...it is only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential."

This is part of a sentence from Barack Obama's letter to his daughters.   When I read it, I felt my heart swell.

Answer Key to the Vocabulary 5000 Quizes: Units 1~10

Dear 310, 313, and 314,

If you need the answer key to the Vocabulary 5000 quizes, click vocabulary-5000-quizes-key-units-1-10

and download the file.

 

The Last of the Chinese New Year Holiday & Back to Work

Today is the last day of the Chinese New Year Holiday. Many people are going back to work tomorrow except students and teachers. I still have eight days' vacation!