May 12 (M), 2014 Crystal's serendipitous teaching-learning-sharing#33 These Too, Shall Have Been Passed!

Crystal Huang shared LinguaLeo.ru's photo.
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Crystal Huang

Guess, which one is the best sketch of me, now ?? Exxxxxxxxactly!!!!

I am worse than the one on the right- but much more relaxed after having submitted all the final grades ! Indeed, teaching can be a bitter-sweet business :)!

Just done a physical therapy for the over-stressed/sore shoulders, painful neck, ringing ears, and need to replenish some lost hours due to insomnia and reconstruct the blurry eye-sight (but not all relating to school affairs, in particular, reading-grading papers/project...etc., I guess?)

Mmm... one more thing, you were evaluated by students (they looked no better than the one on the right either, after this long treacherous winter...) at this stage when you had exhausted all sorts of the funny energy, nor adorable, likable, or beautiful, magical...not like the left hand-side one any more... regardless, your accent, teaching styles, national origin, race/ethnicity, age, how tough the disciplines...and so on so forth !

These TOO, Shall Have Passed !

Adding a short note here, since using a 3rd language to teach Social Sciences, instead of Computer Science, Math or Engineering (as most of the non-native-English-speaking-instructors do), I would like to share a couple of my linguistic double-consciousnesses regarding using English in teaching not-quite-straightforward-social studies:

God bless the Mid-Westerners who are used to speaking, and more importantly, listening to, so-called the beautiful, standard English. Our neighboring states, such as the Minnesotan's (counted as a midwest state as well?) accent, sometimes can be detected :D, such as yap, yep, ya...!

As to me, it is a privilege to learn to be used to listening to the Standardized English, and might have been demanded to speak one (will explain in another note below), even though I came to US as an international student at the age of 35. Obviously, to get rid of this god-given Precious accent is like the camel going through the needle's eye!

Interestingly speaking, when I was in Madison/Twin Cities (as a student), or visited East and West coats, I was just perfectly with my English with a "very cute, beautiful, and intellectual" accent, while coming back to the Midwest reality, it just becomes an outstanding challenge to be aware of - I count this awareness being an entitlement, if not a privilege as well.

In this case, as the very ONLY faculty among more than 300 instructors and staff, who speaks
with a "Non-British type" of accent, and you can imagine how much inviting/uninviting and intentional/unintentional attention you have to receive or be aware on a daily basis/bliss :)!! Would this be a double-blessing, fortunately and unfortunately?? The ambient stress (or the joy under the limelight :)?), sometimes, can be immeasurable. The only way she could render on her daily teaching is just to squeeze out the very last drop of teaching energy with all possible endeavors to compensate this "specific endowment" that she has no way to change it. And the good news is that, in the long run, she could "run the same race" via numerous student surveys and evaluations with the rest of 99.97% of native-English Speaking faculty and adjuncts without being discredited the "dearly unique accent" too much about her ability as a competent educator (for example, with 4 nominations and earned 2 excellent teaching awards -mmm... can you detect anything wrong with this shameless self-aggrandizing courage : ) :D !??).

Having said so, I am still quite happy to serve as many of my students' very first foreign guinea pig. For those who come from mini-cities or farm-towns with population of 300 to 1,000ishness, I have been a good candidate for them to interact with as an instructor without falling into the trap of Xenophobia :)! Nonetheless, compared to most of other unique beliefs, norms, and all sorts of "specific" ideologies of them (could be mine, too, since I am teaching "Liberal Arts" courses), accent is just a very very tiny hot potato :D!

So, during the very first session of all of my classes, I tend to joke, convince ( or, calm down...) students that people speak with accent are not all stupid or frightening, such as President JFK, or President Bush :D!   Furthermore, many foreign Presidents who visit the USA, and are able to speak English with all sorts of accents, are not all dim-witted or make people uncomfortable, either :D!

In the nutshell, this is also the environment that I have been facilitating one of the very interesting, if not challenging courses of - Race/Ethnicity and Diversity Studies. I am also quite blessed that I have the opportunities to serve as the only racial, ethnic, age, (perhaps, faith, and national origin...etc.) Minority in many classes of many semesters during past 17 years' teaching in the Midwest regions.

Fortunately, on this land of multiple-waves of diverse immigrants, I gradually see the growth of understanding and accepting "diversity" in race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, disability, accent (is this aspect counted as part of "disability"?)  faith/religion and the rest of diverse themes with various intersectionalities, slowly, gradually, but definitely, which is quite intimidating to those who still insist to go back to the "pure-blood-one-race" mandate, regardless other dimensions of diversity.

Another short note- During my last 17 years of teaching at 1 college and 2 universities (plus, my own studies at UW-Madison and University of Minnesota-Twin Cities), I was quite baffled that a school's administrator who invited me for a talk during the 2nd month after I was hired.  The kindness of this administrator was to suggest me to Correct my Accent and recommended me to see a Language Pathologist for such a correction :D!  I suspected that I might have been the very first foreign born instructor that this person had ever encountered during his/her career as a school leader??

The solution was - I did consult a specialist who suggested me to listen to songs carefully, and sing, which might help. This could be another reason why I enjoy singing so much :)! A blessing in disguise?!

This also reminds me of my youtube Channel Description- "For those who are Not-Quite-the-Caged-Birds, still Sing To The Cage."

In conclusion, both teaching and learning are privileges, especially, mine. 

16 minutes ago · Edited · Like

Crystal Huang Song for Tonight!



The Logical Song by Supertramp co-founder Roger Hodgson, w Orchestra
Composer and songwriter Roger Hodgson. I am eternally grateful to Roger Hodgson ... See More

"Logical Song"

When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful,
a miracle, oh it was beautiful, magical.
And all the birds in the trees, well they'd be singing so happily,
joyfully, playfully watching me.
But then they send me away to teach me how to be sensible,
logical, responsible, practical.
And they showed me a world where I could be so dependable,
clinical, intellectual, cynical.

There are times when all the world's asleep,
the questions run too deep
for such a simple man.
Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned
I know it sounds absurd
but please tell me who I am.

Now watch what you say or they'll be calling you a radical,
liberal, fanatical, criminal.
Won't you sign up your name, we'd like to feel you're
acceptable, respecable, presentable, a vegtable!

At night, when all the world's asleep,
the questions run so deep
for such a simple man.
Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned
I know it sounds absurd
but please tell me who I am.

3 minutes ago · Like · Remove Preview

黃麗月 take a rest well well !
15 hours ago · Like · 1

Lo Chi Yuan hahahaaaaaaaa
46 minutes ago · Like