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Katherine OhDennis, thank you for posting this article. After looking at this article, I started opening a chain of websited revealing more and more about this issue in China. I have never heard of this issue or even the fact that there are so many different people groups in China who feel outcasted, neglected, and do not get the same type of respect or care as citizens in major cities in the east side of China. I also felt like this is so similar to the concentration camps during the Holocaust but the fact that this is still occuring in modern day scares me. Our world has changed and I wish it has changed for the better but the reality is that there are aspects of our history that continues to influence the decisions of certain poltical powers and the impact is huge. Even looking at the Hong Kong Protests and the comments made about them in this forum is proof that the affairs that are happening around the world have the power to stir up more conflicts and ideas that are negative and harmful. It is unfortunate that this is all happening at the same time and there is a lack of mainstream media coverage about these issues, even though there are worlds like genocide being used to describe these events.
Katherine OhI find it so interesting that most of these posts are about Zen gardens. I think about the aspect of Zen and meditation and how it was a huge trend to bring meditation, deep breathing, and even yoga in the classroom to help students with anxiety, behavior, and even focus. It is not as big of a trend now but I still find the idea of having a calm corner or place of Zen in the classroom important for our students. There are constantly so many demands and expectations placed on our students so I was also interested in bringing mindfulness, meditation, and a better understanding of social emotional learning in the classroom. I think asking students what their needs are and what they think would help them would be important as well. Allowing students to see different types of Zen Gardens could be the start of our design process of making our own Zen space in the classroom. This seems like something my students would be very interested in and engaged in.
Katherine OhLizette, I also find it fascinating how there's a lack of angles because the Japanese culture favors lines more. I think about our own American style of architecture and I wonder if people who come to visit our country take into consideration what type of architecture we have and whether or not we are influenced by other countries. I also realized that I personally don't consider the purpose of some of our own architectural design or find alot of interest towards it. I look forward to traveling more because this class has taught me so much. I realized that learning about other countries is not just about food and experiences but their architecture, history, politics, and the economy.
Katherine OhI also have been to Japan and I realized that there is so much to see, but I also noticed that we didn't have to look up too high to see their architecture. Since Japan is such a small country, in comparison to China or even the US, I was always facinated how small their homes and buildings were in comparison to the previously mentioned countries. Even going into restaurants, bars, and stores, you notice how cramped spaces could be. My favorite is going into minivans that look like mini verisons of the ones we have in the US. Garages are smaller, lanes are tighter, and parking spots are compact. If you ever get a chance to see inside a Japanese kitchen, there also have different structures of kitchens because of the lack of space and even stoves are space efficient and purposeful. I realized that Japanese architects and designers have to be very strategic and intentional with their space and that it has lead them to what kind of influence they have in modern day.
Katherine OhI just wanted to do a quick response because I was recently thinking about how people can be added as faces of the country based on their power or influence. I was recently watching the Crown and one of the episodes is how Queen Elizabeth was put on the National Stamp twice during her reign and how much she had aged and changed during her rule. In our conversations about East Asian Countries, we did not have alot of conversations about ruling powers who have been at a place of such strong influence as the Queen of Elizabeth. If these countries had a ruling Queen or King in power, would their currencies only reflect them? Or other members of their country?
Katherine OhDennis, I can see how showing photographs to our students would be a perfect way to start conversations about what they notice in ELD. This is a great opportunity to see if students notice something we didn't notice before and how they can build on each other's ideas. I also think if posted pictures around the wook and ask students to do a gallery walk around the classroom and take notes of the similarities and differences can be engaging as well. I appreciate hearing your ideas because as a fellow 3rd grade teachers, I can take these ideas and apply them into my classroom to bring these topics and conversations to my students.
Katherine OhOne thing I have noticed more in the US is the influence of Japanese modern architecture and design. I have seen the influence of the minimlaism that is showed in Japanese design flow into US spaces, especially restaurants and cafes. Even here in Southern California, there has been a boom of asthetically pleasing spaces in shops, restaurants, and cafes that mimick and follow trends seen in Japan. I wonder if the presenter also recognizes the varying levels of influence of Japanese architecture from the past 100 years vs. in the last few years. I agree with Haena that the Japanese trend is to have thoughful, yet meaningful use of every space and I believe part of the reason is because there is such a lack of space in Japan for the amount of people who live there.
Katherine OhI also agree with Haena and I am hopeful for the reunification of the two Koreas one day. I was doubtful a few years ago because there has been so many disagreements and years of broken relationships that have been built up. The reunification of both Korea's will definitely be a long, arduous process because of the afflictions that South Korean's received during the war. There was an interview I listened to a while back during the Trump-Kim meeting; a South Korean lady stated that even if friends reconcile, they won't be laughing together the next day --it's a long process. As a Korean myself, there may be many political and economic benefits if Korea is reunited as one republic, but trusting one another won't come easy. I wonder if Trump will pull all of the U.S. troops from South America if Korea does unite? And I also wonder how the South Koreans will feel when the doors are left wide open.
Katherine OhI agree with you! I think even the exploration of the different political parties and the rise of popularities for certain poltiical parties could be an interesting conversation to have with students. Especailly since we have the Democratic Party and Republican Party as the main political parties represented in the Presidential elections in the last 5-10 years. I think asking students to compare and contrast what they notice about the two countries and their political powers would be interesting. I also think introducing them to previous South Korean presidents who have been impeached could also be an interesting conversation to have since we currently have an impeachment process in our government.
Katherine OhI also never saw a photo of a child who had discoloration in their hair because of malnourishment. I always heard about how the rich families, mostly ones with political power were fatter and better dressed than the regular civilians in North Korea, but I didn't realize that their nourishment was so bad that their hair color was different. However, we see this kind of gap in the United States as well. We as a country also struggle with the division between the rich and poor and it trickles down generations for certain families. The distinction between the upper class and working class is even more evident in our schools and the amount of resources our students have. I wonder if the picture Professor Jung Kim showed during the lecture was taken in a school. If it was, I wonder why students from differring economic and political backgrounds go to the same school.
Katherine OhI once used Choco Pies as a snack to motivate my students in my classroom once. It started with our once a week cultural study where I showed videos of kids trying different types of foods from different countries. The youtube chanel is called HiHo Kids and I loved seeing different posts of kids trying very interesting foods from around the world. One video highlighted Korean snacks and after showing this video, I couldn't help but bring some snacks for my kids to try. Since I grew up eating choco pies as a kid, I didn't really think they were that interesting or cool. But my kids became obsessed. So obsessed that I got a message from one of my parents asking me where I got them because their child was so adamant about eating them more. It was his birthday a few months later and his parents didn't provide any snacks for the class to celebrate. But I had two boxes of Choco pies so I used it as his birthday cupcake and they loved it. I just thought that this is such an easy way to get students engaged with Korean Culture and get them exposed to more than just american snacks and treats. Especially for elementary school students, this was a great way to bridge something they were familiar with in the US with something from South Korea.
Katherine OhI appreciate your post Kurt. The way you described it is so simple that I could see the theme of this story being explored in the classroom. The two koreas can be described with many different symbols and representations but the color blue can be significant. During the recent Olympics hosted in South Korea, the two Koreas walked together in the opening ceremony and the unification flag was used to represent the two countries. The flag uses a light blue color to represent the unified country and I thought this symbol was so significant but now that you mentioned the blue sky, where the two cranes fly towards, I wonder if there is a deeper significance.
Katherine OhHi Cynthia,
I grew up watching animated cartoons like Hello Kitty and Sailor Moon but I think movies like Spirited Away and the Miyazaki movies actually depict Japanese culture and society more accurately. I think Miyazaki was more intentional about revealing aspects of Japanese society through the relationships and depictions of the characters he created in his film. I think his movies revel the dynamics and relationships between families, workplaces, and even children. I highly recommend seeing one of his movies! My favorite is Totoro and Spririted Away because children are the main characters but the depths of the movie plot is so interesting.
Katherine OhI was surprised to see how the Japanese economy has evolved and changed after the war. It is similar to South Korea's economy and the fact that they also endured so much from the wars and occupation but has been able to modernize and change as their economy strengthened. I think even our conversations about China as a world power and how capitalism and our way of using money as a way to have power and influence in the world is something to think about. I wonder what your students might think, in your economics class, after you teach them about the different economic systems in both China, Korea, and Japan compared to the US.
Katherine OhLizette,
I've never watched Godzilla before so I was so interested in the fact that Japanese people used the film to highlight the disasters they expereinced post-war. I watched alot of movies like Day After Tomorrow and I realized that these movies were not about the diasters caused by other people but disasters caused by man and global warming. These movies were made almost 10 years ago and now there are more pressing matters that make these fictional movies seem to become the reality of our present day. I think your comment about how Americans are too invested in the idea that nothing can harm the county is true, but we are starting to realize that the only harm we can face is the harm we put on ourselves.
