A student at Yu-ling High School (武陵高中) got a 71 ranking score on the SAT, ranking the 29th in his school. What is special about him is that he ranked the 452nd in school on the SAT mock exam. (more…)
Archive for February, 2009
Yes, You Can
Friday, February 27th, 2009When I flipped through my old files this evening, I came across a newspaper clipping. It’s about how a high school student made big progress in his studies. Thinking that the news story might inspire students, especially those who didn’t do well on the SAT, I decided to try my luck and see if I can find this old article on the Net so that students can read it online. To my amazement, I found it, an article in the UDN dated May 18, 2006. (more…)
Educational Reform
Thursday, February 26th, 2009This afternoon in Class 310, when introducing the new word “radical,” I asked the students if we needed a radical educational reform. They responded with “Yes” unanimously. I asked why, and a student blurted out, “Too much pressure.”
The students’ response proved something. The educational reform in our country still has room for improvement.
To Master English
Wednesday, February 25th, 2009
This morning when we discussed the notion in Unit 2 that no one can achieve the highest levels of performance without devoting thousands of hours to practice, I told Class 310 that I once read in the newspaper that to master English, by which I mean to use English as naturally as native speakers, one has to spend 20,000 hours studying it, according to a study. So if we study English 2 hours every day, it will take us more than 27 years. Hearing this, the students all stared at me in disbelief. Now, they know how hard they have to work if they really want to have a good command of English. (more…)
English Education
Tuesday, February 24th, 2009This year more than 20,000 students got a zero for English composition on the SAT. Many people have shown their concern over English education in Taiwan.
The following are three articles from the UDN. The first two are news reports written from three professors’ perspective, while the third article, by a lawyer, is written from a learner’s point of view. All of them put emphasis on learners’ motivation.
I copied and pasted the articles on my blog in case one day they are removed from the UDN website. Besides, I can underline the parts that I think are important.
http://mag.udn.com/mag/campus/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=179118 (more…)
Mr. Feng-yuan Hsu’s Story
Monday, February 23rd, 2009This is a news story about someone who started from scratch. His name is Feng-yuan Hsu (許峰源). Born in a poor family, he knew he had to work very hard to become somebody. Besides, reading biographies of famous people guided him all the way.
To know more about Mr. Hsu, click the URL or read on.
http://mag.udn.com/mag/campus/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=179354 (more…)
That’s What Family Is for
Sunday, February 22nd, 2009Mr. Zhi-hao Huang (黃致豪), a 20-year-old NTU student, donated 60% of his liver to his father. This news story has touched many hearts. You can read the story in the blog of Taiwanese song diva, Hui Jiang (江蕙).
http://www.wretch.cc/blog/jodychiang/13998718
Like Ms. Jiang, I also want to give Mr. Huang a big hug. (more…)
Gems of Wisdom, plus a Way I Teach Reading
Saturday, February 21st, 2009Every morning, I can’t wait to read the gem of wisdom on the front page of the UDN. It’s usually a sentence said by someone accomplished. Here are two examples: (more…)