I love the enthusiasm of the students, their earnest desire to learn. (Of course there are regular everyday-students too, who function like our everyday-student, but the everyday variety I met in China know that, they are most likely among the top 5% or higher of their millions of peer group members.)
My class, which meets once a week, is composed of employees of the university. I call this group Staff and Administrative Assistants. Fifteen are enrolled. Two have never shown up. One or two may have stopped coming. One clearly found the class too difficult because she was having trouble following the discussion in English. I've sent her a link to some online listening exercises. One,the only male, had a sick daughter, who gifted him with her illness, and then was involved in preparation for graduation of students that he was responsible for, and, alas, another was transferred after the first class to new job on the Xuhui campus. Nevertheless I find nine students regularly attending. Some have meetings, or other illnesses in their families, but they come back and participate and participate. I am told this is an advanced group. They apparently have been through three levels of English training for the staff. Still the variations between abilities are quite noticeable. But enough, here they are and some examples of their work:
How the elderly in my family should be cared for
by Rose
My mother is 75 years old, and has been retired for 20 years. She lives alone in my hometown after my father died 3 years ago. My younger brother and I live far away from my hometown. My elder brother lives near my mother, who needs 45 minutes to reach my brother by train or by driving 1.5 hours. I invited mom to live with me several times, but she doesn’t want to live with us because she likes the environment where she has lived for 50 years. She has her friends there. She likes to follow her daily routine freely. Another reason is that she is not accustomed to the weather in Shanghai, which is wet. On the contrary, Xi’an is dry.
Now mom lives happily. My elder brother goes back to visit mom on weekends and helps her to do part of the heavy housework. I communicate with mom every week by calling. Every year I go back to my hometown to visit my mom during holiday.
We think that now mom can take care of herself. When she is too old to take care of herself, my elder brother will retire and he can move to our hometown and live with mom to look after her.
In china, most of the elderly live with their children when they retire, especially for one child families.. The elderly can provide grandchild care and the younger can help to give the elderly happiness.
from SABRINA
My son is a
seventeen- year-old now. He is a good
boy that everyone likes. It was hard to
me to cultivate his good life habits when he was a little child. It took a lot of my time to teach him good
manners and behavior. For me, I don’t
favor corporal punishment and screaming at the kids in home and especially in
school or public places. However, I do
speak louder than usual to show my unhappy with him.
Before he
was ten years old, every week, every month and every holiday I would make some
plan together with him. For example,
going to an amusement park or a picnic or picking delicate fruits and
vegetables on weekends, watching an animated film which I would choose for him,
or doing manual work with us, or going out for dinner to enjoy what he liked to
eat, or playing with his good friends, or buying some toys that he liked, or
buying some little gifts, so on. I told him what he could do and what he couldn’t do and gave him one
chance to correct mistakes; if he didn’t make mistakes with his manner and
behavior, he could carry on our plan that we made together; if he made mistakes
twice, we would cancel one of this favorite programs.
We also made
some bonuses-plans to reward his praised-behavior. For example, he helped us doing some
homework, or he read more books and told us, or he learned ten new words, or he
learned something new and showed us, or he had taken prize in all kinds of
competition, then he would win “a little-red flower” as his special prize. When he accumulated enough little-red flowers,
he could exchange them for the corresponding bonuses-plan with different
amounts of “a little-red flower”. For example, travelling, buying bicycle,
something he especially liked to do.
During his
seventeen years, we made a lot of plans constantly for him. Through these
plans, he has developed good life habits, and we are proud for him. There’s deeper feeling between us too.
Thundery weather is forecast today in Beijing. I wish you a good luck don’t catch the rain and have a happy time in Beijing.
Today is also the first day of college entrance examination, which is the wish of some of the senior high school students go to their dream college, for which they had practice much over the past three even four years. But some of the senior high school students don’t attend this exam, their parents think it’s too hard and won’t let their child do this, so they send their child to foreign colleges abroad at grade 3, maybe even earlier.
In your email you give us some points to do the presentation, I will try my best to do this. I think pronunciation is a big problem for some of us. In the latest class, you had correct some of our pronunciation for us, at the break in the class, we just chat about it hotly, during our middle school, we learned English with our Chinese teacher, who may never go abroad to American or Britain, and may have some accent in oral English. We were told to pay much attention to the grammar, seldom to the pronunciation. When I went to the college, I got to know the pronunciation is very important, not only for the others understand what you say, but also you can get the right spelling of the words through the right pronunciation.
I remember at the first class, you had asked us why we want to improve our English level, and which respect wan to improve. I just want to improve my oral English. In the past, I was shy to communicate with the foreigners, for I can’t express myself clearly. Nowadays I just don’t be afraid to chat with the foreigners. One night in last week, my husband and I went to the shop nearby our apartment, a western man and his little daughter went to buy something, they were confused with two kind of eggs, and the salesman suggested one of them to them, and the little girl also want that. That kind was small than the other one, but the price was higher than the other one. The salesman wanted to explain why to the father, but he failed to do that. I tried to explained to the father, I said these eggs were the first eggs of the chicken, so they are very precious. But the father was still confused, so I just tapped the little girl’s head, and said, if your daughter eat this, she will be more stronger, then he bought this kind of eggs.
Another night of this week, after supper, we were handling in our residential area, suddenly we heard a cat meow in the bush, we found a white-black cat in the shadow, we want to give her some food to eat, but she just smell it and went away. Then came two foreign girls, who touched the cat’s back, and said she was pregnant. At first I couldn’t understand what she meant, when I saw her big stomach, I realized what happened, I said to the girls, “oh, she has babies.” We chat about maybe she would deliver tonight, and how to help her. Finally we decided to find a box with some old clothes in it, with some food. We put the cat into it, wishing she would have an easy delivery.
Another thing is, the day before yesterday, I helped my college to write an English letter to her daughter’s teacher in American. I tried to write it in a western way, and use some phrases you had told us in class. My college thought it was useful to take an English class, and want to participate the course next semester if there will be.
Enclosed are three paper I dad handed to you by email before. I had made some revise for them, but several mistakes are probably inevitable. I’m sorry for gabbing so much to you, I just want to tell you what I had received from learning English. Thank you very much to be our teacher.
Yours sincerely,
Helen
Lee is traveling to Ireland and then to England by himself this summer. He has quite an adventure laid out for himself.
Summary
of “Bill Clinton Explains Why He Became a Vegan”
In the essay
“Bill
Clinton Explains Why He Became a Vegan” author
Joe Conason says that Bill Clinton calls
on the U.S people to live in a healthier lifestyle by eating more vegetables
and less meat as he did when he changed his diet through his own changes diet case.
First, Bill Clinton tells us he got a heart disease, but he wants live
longer and to be a grandfather. So he takes the doctor’s advice, he eats lots of
various vegetables instead of meat.
Second, Bill Clinton has seen a far-reaching
effects on the country's finances; and climate change Because the meat production
is exacerbated.
Finally,
Bill Clinton appeals to people make the decision
to be a Vegan not only for themselves but also for their
lovers and children.
In
my opinion, I think Clinton’s view on diet is very good and I am ready to do it,
because I want to live longer and healthier.
I like meat very much,
but I want to change my diet since next Monday. I hope it’s not so difficult.
Lee
2015.6.8
_________________
This is Deborah
_________________
This is Deborah
I completely agree with vegans, and
not only that, I have a lot of respects for them. It is a kind of nature that human
love to eat meat, but vegans should avoid themselves eating any meat . They are
always isolated when people are going out for dinner and share a table. To be a
vegan need both the courage and perseverance. I think there are several benefits
to be a vegan. Firstly, it’s really good for your health. In the era of abundant
materials, people are in greater danger to suffer from blood pressure, elevated
blood sugar and abnormal cholesterol. If you are a vegan, you don't have to
worry about them at all；Secondly, to eat vegetarian
diet can protect animals from slaughtering, especially rear endangered wildlife.
I’m a animal protectionist, and I stood firmly against indiscriminate killing.
Although the Bible said animals were god's gift to us, if we didn’t know how to
thanks and cherish what we have, the result would be a tragedy.
How the elderly in your family should be cared for
GaoMei
Every
time my mother went to treat vasculitis and its complications, we needed to go
through a long and complicated process. We took a taxi for more than one hour
to get a better quality hospital. We began waiting in line to register, waiting
in line to see doctor, waiting in line to paying, waiting to blood test, waiting
to ECG, shooting, waiting for the test
results, waiting to take medicine , then
waiting for the intravenous injection. When she was in illness, she was unable
t move, so I had to push the wheelchair shuttling between various corridors and
floors. So in China, if a sick old man/woman couldn’t live with their children,
he/she could only wait for death.
In
addition the nursing home facilities are scarce and expensive in Shanghai, There
is an old man, once my neighbor, now is living in a nursing home near town. This
nursing home which is wheelchair accessible, and has a small garden, provide
catering and cleaning service. It charges 8000 yuan per month (2.5times of his
per month pension), and this exclude the nursing help fee and referral
responsibility. This is common phenomenon in Chinese. But most elderly don’t have a daughter couple as rich as his.
So in
the Chinese families of three generations
lived together, the main reason is mainly due to the imperfect old-age
security. I hope I would be treated like the American elderly when I reach
retirement age.
Thinking to the article of “They Shut the Door on My Grandmother”
by Laura
by Laura
The article “They Shut the Door on My Grandmother” is
thought-provoking. It makes readers to think about their aged parents’ living
and the retirement plan for themselves.
I found
when teacher asked us to talk about this subject, the atmosphere of the classroom
become serious. Aging and death are not relaxing subjects. Despite their 100%
unwillingness, our parents are growing older and older and will die someday; that
is the same for ourselves. I have read a survey saying that the majority of
Shanghai seniors prefer living at home rather than going to an old people home.
For Chinese people, the family is utmost important, it brings great happiness
for old people to have children and grandchildren surrounding them. As filial
piety is a traditional Chinese virtue, children also hope to take good care of
their parents to repay them for their significant favor of raising them.
However, the reality is not so beautiful. In the city, young people are so
burdened with work that they usually don’t have enough time and energy to take
care of their parents. Other reasons like family conflict and housing
conditions make more and more old people have to choose to go to old people’s
home where they can be taken care of.
My
mother died of cancer five years ago. When she was diagnosed with the disease,
I felt all hell break loose. I never thought my mother would leave me. The time
I can stay with her was so little.
My father is 78 years old now, and fortunately, he is in good health and can still go to work every day. For him, work is all his life, so he won’t stay at home without working. He told us he won’t stay with us. One day if he couldn’t take care of himself, he would hire a house worker. My sister and I hope that he can be healthy all the time. My husband and I have only one daughter, so it is predicable that she and her husband cannot take care of four old parents when we get old. In the future, the elderly living will have to rely on the public service.
___________
My father is 78 years old now, and fortunately, he is in good health and can still go to work every day. For him, work is all his life, so he won’t stay at home without working. He told us he won’t stay with us. One day if he couldn’t take care of himself, he would hire a house worker. My sister and I hope that he can be healthy all the time. My husband and I have only one daughter, so it is predicable that she and her husband cannot take care of four old parents when we get old. In the future, the elderly living will have to rely on the public service.
___________
Jiashuang
By
looking at the two sides of my family, I see that different economic basis
determines different attitudes on how to spend the retire life. If people have
enough money, they will be full feeling of security, and they prefer to live
without their children and not to depend on their children to support them when
they become older. They can travel any time they want, and they do not have to
stay home all day to take care of their grandchildren.
In
my family, my parents-in-law will live with us until they die, undoubtedly.
There are a few reasons for this. First of all, in rural areas of China, people
prefer having boys because there is a belief that sons will support their
parents when they are old, and my parents-in-law believe it. My husband has a duty on supporting them according to
this because he is the only son of the family. Secondly, as two retired farmers
of China, my parents-in-law have no pension to support themselves. And because
they used all the money to support my husband and sister-in-law to complete
their studies, my parents-in-law have no money to live alone without our
support. Although the government has been working hard on the farmer pension system
in recent years, the situation has not changed a lot. It’s still a big problem
that how the elderly, especially the poor elderly, should be cared for.
On
the other side, my father has lived with his partner in my home town after my
mother passed away for almost 20 years. He doesn’t want to live with me or my
sisters. He has a retirement pension as a retired teacher which can support his
daily life. He prefers to live respectively and not interrupt our life.
I
respect the attitudes of both of my parents-in-law and my father. My
parents-in-law help us to take care of my son, and keep our apartment very
clean, and cook for us when I’m very busy. They do me lots of favors living
with us. More important, they feel safe by living with us, and they enjoy the feeling
of being needed by us, and they like the life of three generations living
together. So I think I have a responsibility to support them, no matter how
hard life might be. As for my father, he wants to live his own life without
bothering my life. I appreciate my father very much. I think it’s good for both
of us in the present situation. But I want to him live with me when he is too
old to take care of himself.
It’s
really a heavy talk about how the elderly should be cared for. I think it’s
enough for this time. I hope I can discuss more deeply next time.
________________________
The last Friday of May, I visited a class that started at 2 p.m. As you might guess, there were some students missing. But the ones who were there were bright and talented. The teacher was He Yan, who truly loves Western poetry and music. In fact, she said, she had planned a surprise "gift" for me. And here it is:
.
Of course after her performance, the class was virtually done.
There was purpose to it, however, since she has given them an assignment to perform a song in a group in a couple of weeks.
At the bottom of this segment, you'll see Quition Huang practicing the song he has decided his group will perform.
I read my Bruce Lee poem, after explaining to them most of the cultural references that are in the poem. I read the poem last year and found most of the students didn't "get" it. That was when I realized that the cultural references were so embedded that most Americans automatically recognize or at least are familiar with the phrases and references that they feel comfortable with them. References to Mohammed Ali, to Superman, to professional football, and even pigtails, can be completely foreign to my Shanghai students, most of home were born in the 1990s. Afterwards we looked at a few of the very short poems in the book and talked about simile and metaphor, and let them loose to write a poem, which they displayed on the screen by typing into the computer, and then reading the poem aloud.
Above: He Yan listening to students reading their poems.
Here are the students thinking hard or hiding out?
The video shows Quition Huang practicing his group's song.
Here's the poem Quition Huang posted:
The fish said to the water
you can't see my tears
for I'm in your arm.
The water responded
I can feel all your feelings
for you are in my heart.
He emailed me exercises he had done previously in class. Here's one:
FISH
If I can remember more than seven seconds
I won't let your face escape from my mind.
If I can live for decades
Wherever you are, I'll try my best to find you.
But I am just a fish.
Kissing you is just a wish.
Seeing you leave resolutely in a rush.
Keep swimming but tears melt in hush.
And a Haiku:
YOUTH
under the tree
boy kissed the girl
with eyes closed
Wu Lishing
The Night blames the crow,
"Why are you so annoying in my field?"
The crow answers,
"When it's quiet, I don't feel alive"
Tuesday, June 2, I visited He Yan's poetry class, where we did the same thing and wrote poems. Here are the ones the brave students wrote for us. Here are their poems and some time soon, their photos.
Student work
Hop over the hills
Jump in the forest
Give me a punch like a boxer
Hug his kid in his big belly
And never be rude to him
Chen Lee
Wei
______________________________ 
The weather is like the fire,
But you are the angel in such weather,
Making people feel better.
Oh sorry, I cannot keep you any longer,
For you will melt too soon.
Wang
Zhongzheng
_________________________
You ugly creature!
You ugly creature!
So many feet and fluff on your body,
Hiding in the darkness,
With silvery thread in your mouth,
Frightened us.
Chen Yingjun
-----------------------
You are thin and long.
How I wish to have the same waist like you.
You are cruel and cool.
How I wish to treat enemies the same
way you do.
Chen Yingjun
As a half Moon,
Wears yellow and thick skin.
Peel off you.
I see the white heart in you.
So fragrant and sweet,
I taste by a bite.
Hu Chunmei
You are the golden shine
You are the the charming perfume,
No one can resist the temptation
Aspiring to see your body
With white and fair skin.
Feng Jian
Footprints everywhere
Evils following
The enemy of hope
The arousal of the light
I have scared many things
Only with few left with me
Shaojie Ma
Hi Lonny, I can login your blog now, lucky for me! We had lot of fun these 8 weeks, thank you again. -------from Jiashuang
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