[Cristina Hernandez]

Indeed North Korea is a nation that brings more questions to mind than answers.  It is often that foreigners tend to doubt any news that come from the official channels because it is a well known fact that the North Korean dictatorship tends to show only what is favorable to their image.  It is not hard to see how much the development of their nuclear weapons has cost the general population.  The ideology of its leaders and the manipulation of the people’s minds have resulted in hunger, illness, and many other malaises. It is not a surprise to know that only a small percentage of North Koreans are privileged with benefits.  Another point that really caught my attention is the fact that we are so close to a nuclear holocaust and the diplomatic channels that usually work with the leadership of powerful countries might not work with the North Korean leadership.  It was a scary and sobering lesson to learn of such nuclear power in the hands of such an immature leader.

[Cristina Hernandez]

Please do not be embarrased of this lifestyle.  I have many friends around the world who also have been caught in the Korean Wave.  Friends in Latin America and Europe who are not Asian, just fell in love with the Korean dramas, the noodles and the soju.  It is interesting to note that something as sacred as soccer in Mexico is bumped to second place in the watching list in favor of a Korean drama.  I was pleasantly surprise to see that the Korean wave has also been a way to increase knowledge of diversity around the world.

[Cristina Hernandez]

I used some of the readings for this lecture to teach my reading students how to use graphic organizers.  One of the topics that really ignites their curiousity is always the side of the underdog, the people who are fighting for their freedom.  While talking about the comfort women and how the Japanese were trying to control other places, I took the opportunity to introduce the concept of graphic organizers and we, as a class, place all the information along with questions in a visual form.  After that, the students were able to pick and choose the topics that they wanted to learn more about.  It is very interesting to observe how students get to learn new strategies by using topics that are intereting and new for them. Cheers!

[Cristina Hernandez]

I was able to use the information from this session in one of my classes.  I teach a reading strategy about mind maps and I found out that my students get more interested when I give them the example and I model it using some interesting story.  I use the story of the 47 Ronin and they were fascinated.  It is so rewarding because then most of them were asking questions about the story and making connections to some films.  Needless to say now my students remember the reading strategy and are more interested in the story of Japan.  I already promise them to talk about China and Korea too.

[Cristina Hernandez]

My name is Cristina (Crista) Hernandez and I am a High School teacher at Orange.  I teach English, ELD and AP Spanish at a continuation high school. I have been teaching for 14 years and I love it.  I also teach a couple of reading classes at LBCC.  My main interests are my family, learning, reading, traveling and teaching. My main goal is to balance all of them and mix them as much as I can.  I am really grateful to have the opportunity to take this seminar because it is very relevant to my profession and on a personal level too.  I am looking forward to learn a great deal and to enjoy the different lecturers and materials.  Cheers!

[Cristina Hernandez]

Regarding this session, it was an interesting lecture.  However, I felt kind of lost due to the heat.  I was so focused on keeping myself cool that I was not able to truly enjoy it.  I guess, the lecturer Dr. Jung-Kim was also feeling the same way.  Nevertheless, the introduction to Korea and Korean history and culture was relevant to our classrooms at the present time.  Korea is constantly in the news because of the problems North Korea is causing at a global scale.  A couple of my students asked me a few days ago, where Korea was located and when I answer them, the next question was about a bomb reaching us.  I want my students to learn about Korea, but not only the negative aspects because Korea has such an amazing culture and history.  On a personal level, I want to visit Korea in the near future and it is important for me to learn more about it. 

[Cristina Hernandez]

The morning session was a general introduction to East Asia and the reason why it is important to learn, understand and share the importance of East Asia in our very own American classrooms.  As an ELD and Spanish teacher I see the importance of understanding other cultures and even more important to understand the countries that will soon dominate our economic and cultural landscape.  The readings were interesting and the introduction was great too.  My thoughts are that of all the East Asian countries China is leading the economy of the area.

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