[Sandra Garcia]

Topics like K-Pop are exactly the reason why I attend this type of educator seminars in the first place.  Everything discussed both in the readings and lectures was pretty much new to me.  I have heard of the concept of K-Pop, but I would have never imagined how powerful and influential it actually is.  Which is more, (I am going to reveal my ignorance here), I had never heard of the term “soft power” either.  It was fascinating to read and to understand it multiple spheres of influence- and of course its limits. 

The idea of Hallyu was also eye opening.  As a world history and language teacher, I want to do some research to see how other cultures manage this concept or what if any, do they even call it.  I also need to plan how to harness it power, to encourage my students to learn more about the cultures we study in the classroom.  Past beyond the concepts of drama/K-pop, games, food, and fashion, into culture, language, and history.

Lastly, I want to say that I found fascinating the conversations about Black Lives Matter movements, female liberation/Escape the Corset movement, and the injustices of rich corporations reaping most of the economic benefits of the hard work of these groups.  All of these are topics that are vital and timely, and I cannot wait to discuss them with my students and with other educators.

 

[Sandra Garcia]

Hello Alma,

To be honest, I am glad to know that I was not the only person in the group who knew nothing about K-Pop, and the crazy part is- though I sang and danced the Gangnam Style song, I didn't know either that the artist was Korean.

While engaging with the readings, and during our class discussion on Monday, I felt completely out of the loop and a little embarrased for my then obvious ignorance of the topic.  But I am super glad to discover why so many kids and adults alike are into K-Pop and how I can use it as a tool in my classroom!  I loved your ideas about incorporating this in your math class!

[Sandra Garcia]

Hey Shane,

I love how you are planning to incorporate this topic into your classroom.  I am planning to do something similar. However, as a history teacher that never has enough time to cover everything assigned on her curriculum, I am bit worried on the aspect of time. I am glad you have a little more freedom in this sense.  I will still attempt to do so because I strongly believe that as educators we must make our content pertinent to student's lives, but I will not be able to dedicate as much attention to this specific topic as I would like.  Wishing you a successful learning activity.

[Sandra Garcia]

For this activity I decided to write about George Bao’s written tale about surviving on thirty-nine dollars a month.  This light, funny story discussing Chinese reporters living in Washington, DC and bargaining stuff from yard sales to pay for a quarter of their original costs is indeed an easy read. However, the story can teach a lot more when one meditates in the cultural differences, and access to what some of us may consider essential activities or items in this country.

The idea of a professional individual not being able to attend a movie theater or eat at a restaurant for two whole years because they cannot afford it, or not growing up with a color tv set may seemed preposterous to some, unless you grew up like me. From the time I was born until the time I was 15 years old, I only watched one movie at the theater, and in my whole house, there was only one tiny black and white television that my grandparents watched. 

Even today in the world, here in America with all the conveniences of life, how often most of us say things like “I wouldn’t be able to live without______________” insert cell phone, computer, fast food, friends night out, etc here… And yet, a large percentage of the world does live without such conveniences and in many cases, they subsist in less money than 39 dollars a month even today.

The idea of working abroad and leaving family behind that you support through meager wages is not very different either to the stories of many men and women who come to the United States every day, especially from Latin America and many a times, through great personal risk in order to provide for the basic needs of their families. 

In short, this unique story about Chinese reporter’s journey may have a lot more generalizations and connections to present day issues that seem to meet the eye.

 

[Sandra Garcia]

Rebecca, I found your post regarding food very personal and relevant, especially because you mentioned Chamoy- one of my favorite toppings for fruits and drinks  .  It resonated with my experience working in a school that is primarily Armenian and Hispanic.  I hear my Armenian students constantly talking about "Takis" the Mexican hot chips and about Chamoy, while my Hispanic kids frequently share how much they enjoy the Armenian Kabobs.  I agree with you that food can be a tangible way to bring history alive for students.  Regarding your second point about "marrying different ideas" to create something new, I strongly believe that due to the power of technology, most of our kids are amazing at smashing, recycling, and creating new content in art, music, food, and even religious practices- and we as teachers can help inspire them and show them how to be more intentional about it.

 

[Sandra Garcia]

Hello everyone!

My name is Sandra Garcia.  I am social studies secondary teacher at Roosevelt Middle School in Glendale, CA.  I have the privilege of teaching both World History and US History, in English and Spanish for our district's foreign language program.  As a fellow Trojan (Master of Arts in Teaching, 2016), I have been involved in a few USC school organizations and programs, but this will be my first time taking a course from the USC US China Institute.  I am excited to meet you and to learn from all of you!

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