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Evelyn MendozaThe Rise of East Asia in My Classroom
Fortunately, for me, I have had exposure to some East Asian cultures in my work life. Early in my life, I worked for a textiles company that was owned by a man who immigrated from South Korea, and about 80% of the office employees were South Korean. Later, when I was going to college, I worked at Daiso, a type of Japanese 99 cent store, where about 70% of the employees were of either Japanese or South Korean descent. This is an experience that not many people from my neck of the woods, North Long Beach, get. This is also not an experience many of my students, from South Gate, get. From participating in this seminar I’ve come gain a better understanding of just how valuable these experiences were and are.
We are living in a global society, where borders are only a thing for government officials. The people want to, and are now more able to, move freely about the world. This is especially true of East Asian peoples. The United States and California, specifically, is witnessing an influx of immigration from these countries, and whether my students recognize it or not, this will impact their future.
Through this seminar I learned many important aspects of East Asian history and how it’s history has shaped its current rising position, China, in particular. One of the aspects of East Asian history I will definitely be touching on is that of China’s changing ruling entities. China has not always been ruled by the Communist party, but its previous regimes helped bring it to this current system. One way I would like to help students understand China’s varied past is by using the Encounters activity. I would assign groups of students’ different periods of China’s long history and different ranks within that society, I would have them explain what their life was like under that particular period and regime. With this, students could begin to see the conditions that help create the China of today. This is definitely just a rough idea, but the seminar has definitely provided me with resources to create a lesson like this.
In closing, it is very important that my students begin to understand how connected the entire world is, the world doesn’t stop at the South Gate city limits, and through this seminar, I learned that happenings in East Asia should be of particular interest to them. I also learned how to make East Asian happenings interesting to them.
Evelyn MendozaThis story by Ding Ling was written with the goal of inspiring and shaping a new way of thinking among the peasant class. With her writing, Ding Ling wanted to change the attitudes of obedience and conformity that was common among the poor peasants. The Communist party recognized this as a great challenge; so writing “fictional and idealized” stories was an effective method of building support for the Communist party among this group.
Evelyn MendozaOf the top then things to know about Korea that Mr. Edward Shultz writes about, the three I found the most interesting are: Korea is the home of many interventions, Korea is technologically advanced, and Koreans want to be reunited. The first two I knew about already because for my lesson plan I will be focusing on East Asian scientists and inventors, so I did quite a lot of research on this matter. Of these three, the fact that Koreans want to be reunified, is the most resounding. I used to work for a company that had Korean owners, and about 70% of the employees were Korean. This was an interesting experience for me because I got to learn about a new culture, through the expressions and interactions of the people I worked with. Something that I found kind of surprising is that some of the men would attempt to make jokes about each other, or insult each other, by saying that they were from North Korea. When I heard these “jokes” I thought it was very sad that they expressed these types of feelings about their less fortunate equals. I knew not to assume that all South Koreans felt this way, thankfully. This fact is further proven by what Mr. Shultz writes: “When Koreans look to the future, foremost on their mind is the reunification of their country.”
Evelyn MendozaThis reading was really entertaining! I always enjoy learning the perspective of others. In this case, it was interesting to learn how a Chinese man would describe America and the Americans that live there. I would be interested to find out how Xu Zhengkeng came to these conclusions. For example, where did he make this observations, for how long, did he observe families, couples, or single people, etc.
This is a reading I would definitely bring to my class because students will get to see how others see Americans. Students can even discuss whether they agree or disagree, and why. Also, I could bring in more recent assessments of American/Americans and see how they all compare.
What South Koreans Think of America & What Japanese Think of America
Evelyn MendozaReading the wartime diary of Nakane Mihoko was really heartwarming, but also startling. Reading Nakane’s diary transported you to that time and place, and you were able to sympathize with her experience. Also, reading things like “I want to do my best to become a splendid citizen” is kind of maddening because this is a child! Nakane was living in this time of brainwashing and conditioning, and as a child, she was easily impressionable. Reading through her diary also reminded me of “Grave of the Fireflies” by Isao Takahata. Both of these sources do an excellent job at demonstrating the impact of war on children. I was glad to read that Nakane survived the war, and is now happily married with two children.
I would love to create a lesson where I could incorporate Nakane Mihoko’s diary and the movie “Grave of the Fireflies”, I thinks students could learn a lot from these sources.
Evelyn MendozaI also found this reading interesting. I feel that Michael Pettid had many significant examples that demonstrated the important contributions of women in labor and the household, overall. It was believed that the labors of men and women were clearly divided: men were concerned with farming; women were concerned with the production of cloth. From the various folk tales, songs, and poems, it becomes apparent that women, too, played a role in harvesting. Additionally, an encyclopedia of women’s daily life, “discusses the management of a rural household and goes into great depth explaining when to plant various crops, when to harvest, and how to raise livestock.”
Gathering sources like this is of great value for women, especially when the struggle for equal pay for equal work and even the blurring of social roles continues.
Evelyn MendozaI can really relate to this story in the significance of one’s name. Weirdly enough, I didn’t learn my “real” name until I was about 16 years old and my father was petitioning the US for my residency! Before that time, I was always called by what I thought was my name, Evelyn. After I received my permanent residency, I was forced to go by my legal name, a name that was very foreign to me. I disliked that name so much, I didn’t feel it was me, cause it wasn’t! Luckily, when I became a US citizen, I was able to change my name back to what I had always known.
Besides being able to relate to this story, I also like that there is a lot of symbolism and a lot of foreshadowing. I would like to bring this story in to the classroom to see what students think different parts of the story mean. For example, I would want to know why they think the father wore traditional Korean man’s clothing, why he wore a black armband, and even why he chose the name Iwamoto. I found a good resource from the Korea Society website for this story, and I got these ideas from there.
Evelyn MendozaLike many other countries, China has a great skeleton it has gone to great measures to conceal or at least downplay. The Great Famine is one of China’s skeletons. According to the article, one in eight inhabitants of Henan province died of starvation, a truly staggering figure. This famine is a part of its history China tried to sweep under the rug, but Yang Jisheng, the author of Tombstone, saw it necessary to bring this man-made atrocity to light. According to this article, “Yang was determined to “erect a tombstone for my father,” the other victims and the system that killed them.” Mr. Yang Jisheng is adamant that this was a manmade famine. Farmers were forced to lie about their farm production, reporting numbers that were three or four times their actual size. This caused the larger cities to request large amounts of grain from the farms, and even sent some of the grain overseas! After learning that, it becomes easier to see how this famine can be attributed to human greed.
I would bring this topic in to classroom by asking students if they trust the government. I think this would be a good way to start, because I already know that most of my students would say no, but probably not have substantial evidence to support their answer. With this activity, my aim wouldn’t be to build distrust in the government, but rather, to help students decipher the news. Especially in the age of “Fake News.” I would like to have students compare this article and maybe excerpts from Mr. Jisheng’s book with articles about the famine written by the Chinese government. I would like students to compare the two sources about the same event and see which they think is the most credible and why.
Evelyn MendozaAnalyzing cartoons such as the ones printed in the China Weekly Review, which depicted not only the United States, but also Britain and democratic governments in a very negative light, would be a great critical thinking activity for students. Students could even compare cartoons of that era with more recent cartoons to see what has changed, if anything, and how that is reflected in the relations between the United States, European countries and East Asian countries. I think students would enjoy an activity like this because they can be as creative with their analysis as they’d like. Additionally, students don't necessarily need to have prior knowledege of US-East Asian countries' relations because the cartoons speak for themselves.
Evelyn MendozaI believe this essay was very influential in its time because it represented the peasants as a very powerful force. In the essay Mao writes, “they will sweep all the imperialists, warlords, corrupt officials, local tyrants and evil gentry into their graves.” This was a statement that was clearly meant to inspire peasants to join forces, and pursue the path Mao was setting for them. Additionally, this statement was meant to instill fear in the groups mentioned. Mao goes on to say that, “ every revolutionary comrade will be put to the test..” This, too, sounds like a warning sign to those who try to oppose the revolution. Reading this, I could begin to understand why Mao was so influential among the peasant class. Mao saw them as the most powerful social group, and helped them to see that as well.
I would bring excerpts of this essay in to the classroom and have students analyze the results of Mao’s investigation of the towns he visited and have them try to surmise the motive of the essay, what was Mao trying to achieve by writing this essay. I would also ask students to decide whether the essay was effective at accomplishing the motive it had set out achieve, and give specific examples of how it did or did not do that.
Evelyn MendozaMy son and I visited the Hsi Lai Buddhist Temple in Hacienda Heights. Entering the temple is quite breathtaking, you are transported to a different place and possibly time. The Gateway that welcomes you to the temple is prominent and majestic, really. The architecture is beautiful, elaborate and colorful, I would even say authentic, though I am in no way an expert on Buddhist temples.
My son and I visited on a Monday, some part of the temple were closed off. However, we still enjoyed ourselves. My son had a lot of fun stretching with the baby monks throughout the landscape, he liked coping their expressions and poses. After walking along the paths and admiring the baby statues, we walked up to Bodhisattva Hall were many followers of Buddha in meditation and making offerings. After spending some time in Bodhisattva Hall, we walked about the temple some more, trying to visit the other landmarks. I wanted to visit the Main Shrine and the Pagoda, but both were closed. We also wanted to have lunch, but we had arrived too early for that.
Taking this experience to the classroom would be a great cultural experience. Students could learn several different topics from visiting the Hsi Lai Temple. Students could learn about world religions, history of Buddhism in the United States, about symbolism and even about architecture. Overall, this was a great experience for my son and I, and I would love to be able to extend this opportunity to my students.
Evelyn MendozaProfessor Kurashige's "Two Faces of Exclusion" asked a very important question: " How did a nation that once singled out Asian Americans for discrimination and scorn end up becoming the world's magnet for today's migrations from Asia?"
This is a great question to ask becuase it applies to the experience of so many peoples, most will be able to empathize with the people who have lived, or live, this. I would like to pose this question to my students. I would like to know why they think people who are discriminated against, are accused of being rapists, of being terrorists, continue to be drawn to this nation. Many of my students are first generation U.S. Citizens, so I belive they will have plenty to say about this. I would also like to know if they think that the sacrifices their family made was worth it, despite the ongoing discrimination. This would be a great discussion using Socratic Seminar.
How to Bring Socratic Seminar to Your Classroom - Teaching Channel
Evelyn MendozaMake-up Assignment
Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden at CSULB
My son, three years old, and I visited the Japanese garden at CSULB this past Friday, and we both loved it. Walking in to the garden, you really feel like you’ve entered a new, more peaceful, world. Upon entering, we were greeting by one of the several workers there, they gave us a small introduction, and let us on our way. My son immediately ran toward the coy fish pond, and yelled “duck!!!” at the top of his lungs! Before entering the trail, there is a small kiosk where you can get $0.50 worth of food to give the fish and the ducks while you admire them. The coy fish are really a wonder to look at! They are huge! And they don’t get startled by our presence; they’ve grown accustomed to it at this point. The next point we spent time at was the bridge next to a small cascade. My son looked over the bridge at more coy fish, and liked seeing the water flow. My son really enjoyed visiting the garden, and didn’t want to leave the ducks!
Visiting the Japanese garden would be a great fieldtrip for elementary grades, not so much for middle school or high school. While the garden is very beautiful and tranquil, it’s quite small, and I could foresee middle and high school students getting easily bored, especially if there are other schools there. When my son and I visited, there were about four others groups: two large classes and 2 smaller groups. For elementary, having two or three classes at the same time probably will work, but I don’t think it will for middle or high school. For these grades, it would be cool if you could book the entire garden just for your group! That way students can break up in to smaller groups and explore different things, without rushing to see the entire garden. For example, something I would like to do there is have students describe what makes up this ecosystem: What are the abiotic factors? What are the biotic factors? Who are the producers? Who are the consumers? I would have them draw a food web found within this ecosystem, etc..
Evelyn MendozaCouldn't find the forum for Session 12, so thanks to Beverly for creating this post!
For my movie review, I decided to go with a movie that was as relevant as possible to what I teach, science! I wanted to find a movie that we could review from a scientific perspective, and also from a cultural one. So, I decided on Flu, a South Korean film. This film is very much like every other outbreak-based film, like Contagion and 28 Days Later. I really enjoyed this movie, and its very mild in its graphic representations, so I think it would be a good movie to show to my classes.
For my lesson, again, I wanted to make it as science-centered as possible. In my lesson, students will be researching ten East Asian, or of East Asian descent, scientists and/or inventors that I selected for their major contributions to our society. Among them are Cai Lun, Sakichi Toyoda and Flossie Wong-Staal. Students will be working in groups of three and each group member will be responsbile for researching a different aspect of the scientist's life, invention/discovery and global impact.
Evelyn MendozaCranes is a great story of the challenges that friendship can overcome, even ideological ones. The two friends, Song-sam and Tok-chae we’re on the opposite sides of the Korean civil war, but through the recollection of their shared childhood memories they were able to rekindle some semblance of their past friendship. Song-sam was clearly in the role of power during this, their latest interaction, but that wasn’t always the case. Tok-chae was also a leader at times in their friendship, and he showed great concern for his friend. For example, when they climbed a chestnut tree to collect the nuts and Song-sam fell off, Tok-chae helped him up and after they got to a safe place, shared with Song-sam all the chestnuts he had collected. I think that because Tok-chae was always so kind to Song-sam, he found it easier to set him free, like they once did with a crane they had caught together.
This would be a great story to read with students because it contains many literary elements they must be familiar with. For example, this story uses foreshadowing, a lot of symbolism and has a great moral theme.
