[Midori Sanchez]

I attended a seminar this summer that taught me that it is our responsibilty as educators to ensure that we ourselves are learning about sustainability so within the lecture looking at the themes in The Wandering Earth, you can focus on the precison of science/fact vs the ignorant mob and can integrate this information into our lesson and classrooms.  You can also use it as a launching point to talk about global warming and climate change though the text doesn't emphasize that humans are to blame for these two issues. 

Additionally, you can talk about problem solving such as using collective effort/collectivism as well as about legislation that is being used worldwide to combat what we've done to the earth. For example, San Francisco is not allowing the sale of water bottles and you will receive a fine if you do sell it. Also, in Asia you can look to places in Japan and China. Yokkaichi has 6 bins to organize their waste and then incinerates their waste; anything left over from the incineration is either used to make the paving for the roads or is taken to another part of Japan to break it down further. In China, people wear belts with mini bins to sort their waste and will receive a fine if you are not disposing of waste properly and has stopped the import of plastics. Our own students can be asked to focus on one or more of the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals determined by the Paris Agreement: https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals.html) and use global competencies (here is the link to view them: http://calglobaled.org/classroom-resources/global-competence-indicator-posters) to try to come up with creative ways to solve local and worldwide problems as a project or discussion. 

All classes, no matter what the subject, should try to integrate environmentalism whether you use the novel discussed today, integrate articles showing examples of legislation or problem solving in other countries (especially China as they are one of the top producers of waste due to their high population and the United States that creates more waste per person despite having a smaller population) 

Here are some key exerpts about the neccessity of educating students in California according to the California Department of Education:

In 2015, as Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. established the nation’s most ambitious California greenhouse gas reduction target, he noted, “climate change poses an ever-growing threat to the well being, public health, natural resources, economy, and the environment of California, including loss of snowpack, drought, sea level rise, more frequent and intense wildfires, heat waves, more severe smog, and harm to natural and working lands, and these effects are already being felt in the state.”

"Now is the time to tackle this challenge. Under the leadership of State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SSPI) Tom Torlakson, the Governor, and State Board of Education, and with the support of California voters and legislators, California public education is undergoing a historic transformation. Now is the moment to elevate environmental literacy as an essential element of a 21st century education in California, and to establish the leadership, collaboration, strategic partnerships, and necessary funding to ensure environmental literacy for all California students. Support for environmental education is high: 89 percent of Californians think that it is very important or somewhat important that local K-12 schools include environmental education."

Here is the link for more information about the full plan that was put together by the Environmental Literacy Task Force to reach all students about environmentalism:

https://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ca/sc/documents/environliteracyblueprint.pdf

[Midori Sanchez]

I'm glad you found use out of this! Khan Academy is great at providing resources for all ages, many subjects, and in a succint way. You can also easily track students' progress and time spent working if you want to use that as a factor for grading or to see that it was completed.

[Midori Sanchez]

Hello,

I loved that you brought up the wardrobe of the characters! That definitely helps drive the difference of generations in addition to their dialogue and even the houses/furniture. It doesn't seem like Noriko's friend lives with regret and seems to use her experiences with divorce to help advise Noriko. She is the only female character that seems to go "outside" of the home area that women were expected to be in charge of. It is interesting that she is so casual about dropping hints to her previous marriage; I wonder what she is thinking on the inside.

[Midori Sanchez]

Difference in generations. 

While we may view Asians and Japanese as "seen but not heard", we learned yesterday that Korean women (especially older generations) are actually more feisty. This is also evident in Ozu's film "Banshyu" with Noriko's aunt in trying to pursue her mission to ensure that Noriko is married off. When she interacts with Noriko, her heart is in the right place but the difference in generation to make sure that young women are married is still one that creates discomfort. 

The universality that Professor Yasar mentioned was one I recognized from the reading about "Tokyo Story" and "Early Summer" with the loss of young men during war and war's ability to destroy families, but I also reognized the universality in "Late Spring" of being a young, unmarried woman living in the United States. Conversations that seem to come up with my family and even my students revolved around whether I am married or planning on getting married rather than more of my pursuits with my education or my career. Also, whether or not I would change my name if I did choose to get married. While I am living in the 21st century and a different country, I can empathize with Noriko at her world's expectations of marriage.  

[Midori Sanchez]

Yesterday was the 74th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. Ozu found away to bring attention to issues brought about by the war in a setting where he could have a captive audience. Film often allows expression and dissatisfaction with current issues but because it is art, people can be more open to its message. 

In "Vanished Men", the sons or men in the family, especially the oldest son, are important to the family by carrying on the family name and also with inheritance. Ozu bringing attention to the loss of the oldest son and the devastation surrounding that disappearance was probably incredibly moving for Japanese audiences, but also is relatable across nations at the sacrifice of especially young men for war. 

[Midori Sanchez]

Hello,

I find it interesting too that although there is a summer equivalent to the Kimono called a Yukata made of cotton that there are still ties and thick obi (ties) though it is so hot and humid!

Even walking with geta (Japanese platform flip flops/clogs) is a way to "remind" women to be careful in how they step in size and style. I have tried, and it is so difficult! We can also think about women's bound feet in China and not being able to walk at all, but this showing status since common people would need to work/be mobile.

[Midori Sanchez]

Hello,

 

Yes, this is interesting to me to hear that since I didn't know that and because our speaker explained that at one point in the 1920s when women started to alter their appearances that it was disrespectful since you were not born with those features/appearances. I think it's interesting though that now it is the number one location for people who have opted for the plastic surgery. 

I heard that there was a lawuit that a man made against his wife for "false adverstising" because his children didn't come out with her features. However, I learned that that was false according to snopes and this article: https://www.her.ie/life/remember-the-wife-that-was-sued-by-her-husband-for-having-plastic-surgery-263697. Apparently the female model is suing because it has ruined her modeling career and has never actually had plastic surgery, and the pictures of the children that have been photoshopped they fear will also be scarred from the misuse of the photo. Between our knowledge of plastic surgery being so rampant in Korea and the dark humor of the lawsuit, it is understandable why it would be believed. How sad for the people invovled in that photo though and that there ended up being a lawsuit in the end!

[Midori Sanchez]

Hello,

Last year we learned about China having to work around the censorship on social media for the #MeToo movement. The people who wanted to be involved used emojis to do so with a rice bowl and a rabbit; the way you pronounce the two sounds like "mi tu" so they were able to secretly get around the censored hashtag.

Talking with students from Tianjin while I was in Japan was interesting when they spoke about social media. Students in the US primarily use Instagram. The chinese students use We Chat or QQ, but if you use a VPN you can use whatever you want so they downloaded instagram to keep in touch with us anyways! We shall see how long the communication on there with them will last.

[Midori Sanchez]

According to Professor Jung-Kim, Korean women were able to be more independent from their husbands. When it came to names, I learned that Korean women didn’t need a husband to carry on the family name whereas in Japanese culture that is not the case. In my own family, our “Miyata” name was able to be continued because the husband of the daughter of my great grandfather agreed to take on the name. However, it has not been “truly” able to be passed down in the fourth generation (including the generation that came from Japan to the United States) because my relatives have all girls. 

 

I teach To Kill a Mockingbird and often Scout, the young daughter of Atticus, is often told by her neighbor that she is not ladylike when she is not wearing a dress and even calls her “ugly”. I would like students to think about the expectations for women in the United States during the 1930s and how that has changed over time but also analyze examples of women around the world who have been suppressed or encouraged for only certain activities. Additionally, I would like them to look at cultures such as in Korea where there were women that had more expectations than cooking and cleaning but engagements in management, cottage industries, farming. 

 

[Midori Sanchez]

I recently visited Japan and had a discussion with a graduate student about Japanese language and the use of hierarchy and gender differentiated language. For young people in Japan, there are several ways that you can address someone who you speak to which can be confusing and time consuming; it is the older generations that truly feel strongly about this system and most likely is here to stay. For example, a woman would say “watashi” and a boy would say “boku”. However, if a woman is speaking to someone who is her senior she would use “watakushi” and a man would say “ore” to show even more respect. Because I was in Japan and it was a business styled program, the coordinator used the highest level of speaking to speak to the students I was with; also because the students were unfamiliar to him. Another story I remembered regarding language was about my grandmother telling me how embarrassed she was when she went to japanese school. Her teacher told her that she “spoke like a man” since my grandmother learned japanese from spending time with her dad and her many brothers. 

In the lecture, she mentioned as well that there are even topics that were once “male dominant” such as venturing into the wilderness versus “female dominant” such as the ideas of longing and waiting since the men were the ones who were allowed to initiate the visits. This can be connected to the ideas in latino culture such as “machismo” where the men have control and are the breadwinners and the women are focused on bearing and raising children, and cooking and cleaning. It is interesting as well that activities such as sumi-e was once male-only; I myself have taken classes when I was in middle school and was not aware that by age and gender 700 years ago this wouldn’t be possible.
 

I am a high school teacher, so Romeo and Juliet is performed/analyzed with my 9th graders. We learn that Shakespeare’s plays also only allowed men to portray women but would use young boys. In Japan, especially during the Tokugawa period and connection to the shinto religion, they ensured that the portrayals were only men. We see in plays the portrayal of mad (jealous) women such as Ophelia as “mad” as well as in Dojoji we see the character maejite (dancer) also slowly losing her sanity. Ophelia we may not perceive as a powerful character since she is controlled by men by being able to pursue Hamlet and then by the death of her father, but the dancer could be seen as powerful as her anger transforms her into a serpent to punish the man who forsakes her. I would analyze the portrayal of women in Romeo and Juliet in addition to their age and then introduce the dojoji piece. We could find examples either in other countries or  in film and TV for a more contemporary portrayal such as with “Frozen” showing the one female character, Anna, being controlled by a man but breaking free of the trope of marrying the first person you meet and realizing that love/friendship and sisterhood is more important.

 

[Midori Sanchez]

Hello, my name is Midori Esmeralda Angelita Yoshiko Sanchez. I am a 9th grade English teacher at Long Beach, Millikan High School and adult school math teacher at the Long Beach School for Adults. This is my second seminar, and although I missed the first day (I was just wrapping up a trip in Japan) I am looking forward to meeting you all! 

 

My photo was taken in Nishiki Market in Kyoto, Japan!

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[Midori Sanchez]

Thank you for the opportunity to go to two fabulous museums. I am glad that I finally had a chance to go to them and have already told others about them so they can hopefully visit soon!

 

What I focused on at the Chinese American National Museum was the idea of the general store and what was available. It was interesting that these general stores, such as Sun Wing Woo, not only sold Chinese made items, but American made ones as well. The medicine chests and drawers were brought over from China and continued to practice their medicine here. What's even more fascinating is that these same herbs and treatments from thousands of years ago are still in use today in the U.S. 

I liked too that the museum went into detail not only about the financial and cultural aspect of these shops, but also the social interactions of them. When I've visited Mexico, it's expected that you barter with anyone you are purchasing something from since it's not only about the business transaction but the social aspect. It was a lot of fun, but I was definitely shy when I first started off. I can understand that China and Mexico, among others, value the experience of not only being able to get the goods they want but also run into friends and establish relationships to trust and put a face to where they are getting their items, especially medicine.

[Midori Sanchez]

 

While most  people may shudder at the thought of s willingly sitting in a classroom during summer break. I can now reflect back on the week I spent taking Visual Cultures of East Asia and feel that I had an incredible opportunity. I think it was a good reminder for me to physically feel what it is like to be a student again; I can understand how much my students appreciate visuals including pictures, clips, and videos to enrich the lecture.

Although I teach English to high school students, I know that I will be able to take pieces from what I learned during the seminar and incorporate them into my lessons. I have a lot of energy and love going into details on costuming/dress, theater, and music from a film or play, time period, and country.

I would like to incorporate current events to prepare for our research project in the spring and how to read an article and how to look for bias and what news sources are more credible than others. Learning about North Korea and China made me realize even more how crucial it is that students learn early on that although we have more liberties and freedoms in the United States, we need to be vigilant in our own studies. It may even be helpful to have students read articles talking about censorship to facilitate discussion.

I believe another focus I would want to make is on the use of colors, clothes/costumes, theater, as a launching pad for my Romeo and Juliet unit. Although we will be focusing on England’s theater, I think it would be impactful to demonstrate to students that other countries’ cultures are rich and uniquel. However, the lens we may use looking at literature and even art may hold us back from “reading” the world around us.

Thank you to all of the professors, especially Professor Dube, and to Ms. Gao for all of their hard work in making last week a memorable and powerful week for me academically and professionally. It was great to be in a room of educators as well in the area and from across the U.S. I have already recommended this seminar to other friends and hope that they too will sign up!

[Midori Sanchez]

Thank you for your second presentation, Professor Dube. I found the first half of your presentation especially interesting in your discussion of the significance of colors in Chinese culture. As an English teacher, we teach students that in literature certain colors have connotations attached to them i.e. red- passion and green- new life. However, these color interpretations are ones that are derived from European culture and are not necessarily translatable to readings by authors that are not American or European. I think it is important to let students know that while there are a majority of readings where these interpretations will be applicable, they need to pay attention to what the author's background is, the title of the piece, and the setting of the reading/writing piece before they begin to analyze. 

I will say that some colors do not always translate from the mother or father land. Any funeral I have attended on my mother's side of the family, which is Japanese American, we always wear black instead of white. In Japan and even China associate the color white with death for funerals. 

 

Although Mao was no longer in power, he was used on the currency. I believe that this can be connected to him symbolizing a time of a forced representation of prosperity and peace. He is like a "big brother" who is watching paternally over his people even after death. 

[Midori Sanchez]

Yes, I thought that was inexcusable. I guess though, especially when it was released, it was still a "triumph" to have representation of Asian (AA) actors. Star Wars has gotten on the wagon with casting Asians and Latinos just recently for their universe that was cool to see.

This is another movie that got backlash for its casting, but this was even worse!

https://www.cnn.com/2015/06/03/entertainment/cameron-crowe-emma-stone-aloha-apology-feat/index.html

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