[Barbara Miller]

I am curious about the Thai funding of temple expansion. 

In my community, we have had foreign investors take over some local manufacturing businesses through buyouts.  It has been interesting to see what influences the cultural values and systems of the new owners have had on the workers and management of these businesses.  It has been a mix of positive and negative. 

I wonder what influences the Thai Buddhists have had on the Chinese who are using the Yuantong Si temple.  How do the Chinese feel about this outside support?

[Barbara Miller]

 In my application, I mapped out a curriculum idea that involves understanding the impact of historical context in texts. My classes have read ancient Chinese works and memoirs from the Cultural Revolution era, but nothing contemporary.  My idea is to create text sets with contemporary Chinese music videos, advertisements, propoganda posters, etc. to pair with ancient texts and have students identify the values inherent in them.  My students would be looking for examples of ancient Chinese values and culture still evident in today's China and seen in the architecture, music, billboards, etc. that I capture in photos.  They would make and justify predictions about the values that would be most lasting and why. Ultimately,  they would assemble their own text sets about American or other cultures to look for those strong or residual cultural values. 

Even though  I still like this idea, I want to be open to the experiences we have and inspiriations of the moment.

[Barbara Miller]

Hello, 

I am Barb Miller, a high school English teacher from East-Central Indiana.  I teach general education and high ability freshmen at a medium-sized suburban high school. Over the past nineteen years, I have taught seventh through twelfth grade students, in remedial through dual credit/AP classes.  I also have taught preschoolers and university preservice teachers!

In my spare time, I enjoy reading, writing, and herb gardening.  I also love to travel and learn about different cultures.  Although I have never been to China, I have had the opportunity to participate in two incredible educational experiences: the Toyota International Teachers Program and a U.S. Department of State teacher program in India. On this study trip, I hope to discover how threads of ancient China are evident in the Chinese people, culture, and texts today. 

I am eager to get acquainted with everyone in the group on Saturday, as we begin our shared Asian adventure.

 

 

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