With the start of the 2012 academic year in South Korea coming up in March, I thought that I would include some lessons and links for Guest English Teachers / Native English Teachers to use. My first year of teaching English (2008-9) involved an elementary school called Songnae in Bucheon and I will post some materials that I created for my after school programs in the future. My second year of teaching English (2009-10) was at the Beopseong Vocational High School and I designed lessons for curricular and after school programs. There were three grades, 1st-3rd and for each grade there were five classes. I taught first and second year students as by the third year, English was not on the curriculum. Consequently, there were ten classes that I saw twice per week and interviewed each student three times (once per term). I also wrote the exam questions pertaining to my classes and my co-teachers wrote the exam questions that related to their text book lessons. My lessons were loosely based on the text book chapters, but I was expected to create my own teaching materials, etc., as my co-teachers relied very heavily on the text content. In Bucheon and in Beopseong (also spelled Bupsung), I used Teacher’s Corner as a resource to create word searches, fill in the blanks and crossword puzzles to support my lessons and reinforce the vocabulary.
A special second year student, Hyung Sun, was a gifted artist and every class I handed my worksheets (or plain paper) and a pen or pencil for him to use. At the end of class I would shut down the data projector and say goodbye to the students and I would find a worksheet turned over on Hyung Sun's desk or on mine and lo' and behold, on the flipside would be an incredible illustration of a bus station or subway. The signs were in English and Hangul. His sister is an artist too and when I inquired about his plans after third year, his homeroom teacher assured me that he would be going to work with his sister. I was relieved to learn that. Many of my students would work for Samsung, LG, Kia and Hyundai in factory compounds on the other side of South Korea after finishing high school. Some of his artwork may be viewed below.
Make Your Own Worksheets
Teens Inspiring Teens
High School (1st and 2nd Year) Interview and Exam Questions
Hyung Sun's Artwork
Open Class Lesson Plans
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
Top 10 Ways to Save Money
1. Label and freeze leftover food for later use: super ripe bananas, stale bread, soups, stews, pastas, sauces, meat ...
I recently made a bread and butter pudding for my parents and it was a great way to use up some bread that was a little dry and I have modified the Edna Staebler (Food that Really Schmecks) recipe by reducing the milk to include a half cup of honey (my parents' Honey Shack honey of course!) and adding extra eggs to boost its caloric value for my wee Mum. I find that I sometimes get into a food rut and make the same recipes, but sometimes by recombining ingredients, only slightly tweaking recipes can make a big difference. My modified Edna recipe improves the nutritional value:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a round casserole dish.
11/2 cups milk
2-6 eggs (depends on you and if this is intended as a nutritious snack!)
1/2 cup honey
1/2-3/4 loaf whole wheat bread
butter for the bread
marmalade for the bread
cinnamon for sprinkling
1/2 cup Thompson raisins if you have them
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Slice about 6 pieces of bread, butter them, spread marmalade and then cube. Arrange cubes with the butter and marmalade sides up in layers with the raisins and cinnamon in the casserole dish. Mix eggs, milk, honey and vanilla. Pour over the bread and allow to soak in for a few minutes before popping in the oven with a lid or tinfoil to prevent the top from getting too dark. Bake for a minimum of 25 minutes and longer if you have used up to 6 eggs - just keep checking to see that the egg has set. Mine puffs up like a souffle when it's nearly done, so you may need to remove the cover toward the end!
2. Make a grocery list and avoid impulse purchases - look at the flyers ahead of time to help plan.
3. Grocery shop on a full stomach to avoid impulse purchases - my grocery store preys on the "hunger-induced-shopping-fugue" with huuuuge bins of reduced cookies, chips, etc. at the entrance near the carts!
4. Buy generic products or sale items, whichever is less expensive.
5. Buy bulk ingredients - check the unit cost per grams to ensure your savings.
6. Take hot lunches, snacks and drinks to work/school in flasks and containers that can be re-used rather than buying lunch out.
7. Refill a good stainless water bottle with water rather than buying disposable, bottled water.
8. Make coffee by the pot at home and take to work/school in a travel mug.
9. Buy second hand clothes, boots, shoes that are well made - they will last as long as your kids fit them and outlast brand new, poorly manufactured items. Of course, socks and underwear, etc., should be brand new! Ha!
10. Use your local library to borrow books, DVD's, Cd's, journals - the list is endless - and while you are there, why not plug in your laptop and use their Internet for free...!
Happy money saving!
I recently made a bread and butter pudding for my parents and it was a great way to use up some bread that was a little dry and I have modified the Edna Staebler (Food that Really Schmecks) recipe by reducing the milk to include a half cup of honey (my parents' Honey Shack honey of course!) and adding extra eggs to boost its caloric value for my wee Mum. I find that I sometimes get into a food rut and make the same recipes, but sometimes by recombining ingredients, only slightly tweaking recipes can make a big difference. My modified Edna recipe improves the nutritional value:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a round casserole dish.
11/2 cups milk
2-6 eggs (depends on you and if this is intended as a nutritious snack!)
1/2 cup honey
1/2-3/4 loaf whole wheat bread
butter for the bread
marmalade for the bread
cinnamon for sprinkling
1/2 cup Thompson raisins if you have them
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Slice about 6 pieces of bread, butter them, spread marmalade and then cube. Arrange cubes with the butter and marmalade sides up in layers with the raisins and cinnamon in the casserole dish. Mix eggs, milk, honey and vanilla. Pour over the bread and allow to soak in for a few minutes before popping in the oven with a lid or tinfoil to prevent the top from getting too dark. Bake for a minimum of 25 minutes and longer if you have used up to 6 eggs - just keep checking to see that the egg has set. Mine puffs up like a souffle when it's nearly done, so you may need to remove the cover toward the end!
2. Make a grocery list and avoid impulse purchases - look at the flyers ahead of time to help plan.
3. Grocery shop on a full stomach to avoid impulse purchases - my grocery store preys on the "hunger-induced-shopping-fugue" with huuuuge bins of reduced cookies, chips, etc. at the entrance near the carts!
4. Buy generic products or sale items, whichever is less expensive.
5. Buy bulk ingredients - check the unit cost per grams to ensure your savings.
6. Take hot lunches, snacks and drinks to work/school in flasks and containers that can be re-used rather than buying lunch out.
7. Refill a good stainless water bottle with water rather than buying disposable, bottled water.
8. Make coffee by the pot at home and take to work/school in a travel mug.
9. Buy second hand clothes, boots, shoes that are well made - they will last as long as your kids fit them and outlast brand new, poorly manufactured items. Of course, socks and underwear, etc., should be brand new! Ha!
10. Use your local library to borrow books, DVD's, Cd's, journals - the list is endless - and while you are there, why not plug in your laptop and use their Internet for free...!
Happy money saving!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Squeezing the nickel: ways to save money; and my views on thriving local economies and employer loyalty
With so many jobs becoming part-time, casual, temporary, no benefits, etc., it is important to save money on daily expenses. When my family returned to Canada after working in Korea for two years, we moved into a small apartment and emptied our storage unit. In Korea we lived in small apartments and found that we didn't miss the extra space that our house had in Guelph - not too much at least! We actually enjoyed not having so much "stuff". Now that a house worth of furniture and bric-a-brac are back with us, it seems so unnecesary - yet, I do enjoy a homey, cluttered feel too. Somewhere in the middle would be fine.
Some of the ways that we save money are also tied into our views about sustainability, our carbon footprint and just not being rampant consumers. We buy our clothes and many other things at Value Village where everything is second hand and the money from your purchases is donated to a good cause. When we outgrow clothing or are clearing out closets, we donate our items to Value Village. We even asked our daughter's birthday party guests to buy second hand gifts one year. Only one friend embraced this idea and gave a sweater and a stuffed animal if I recall correctly. We were thrilled and perhaps our family members are not as enthused as we are, but we give second hand books for gifts. What I find so incredible is how inexpensive some high quality, sturdy brands are when purchased second hand - Oshkosh, American Eagle, Point Zero, North Face, Mountain Equipment Co-op, etc., and they last as long as my kids fit them - and dropped back in the great used clothing machine cycle when donated to Value Village.
Anywho, I am going to write about ways to save money and include economical recipes as much as I can. I am currently enjoying a library book, "The Third Coast: Sailors, Strippers, Fishermen, Folksingers, Long-Haired Ojibway Painters, and God-Save-the-Queen Monarchists of the GREAT LAKES" by Ted McClelland. By the way, libraries sell off their old stock on a regular basis for very little money- including music, movies, comics, journals, magazines, hardbound and paperback books. The book that I have borrowed, The Third Coast, is very interesting to me as a Great Lakes dweller and lover, but also as an observer of the demise of local economies. McClelland refers to the skeletal remains of steel mills and other 19th century manufacturing dependent on the water of the Great Lakes on his journey clockwise from Chicago, keeping the water on his right through Ontario and back to the U.S. again. It's a great slice of life and poignant commentary on the morphing of Great Lakes, and in many ways North American, culture as a necessary adaptation to changing times.
Today's Toronto Star headlines were rife with the looming debt-default in Greece, the growing unrest in London Ontario in response to Caterpillar's ill treatment of its workers, the TTC Chair and Toronto City Councillors petitioning the Mayor to invoke light rail transit rather than his subway scheme right on the heels of a council led coup to defeat the Mayor's program cuts - the people are organizing themselves to rally against "the man". At least, one hopes this is the case.
Back to saving money. Between social analysis gigs I work in heritage - a vulnerable sector that is prey to institutions with the bottom line as their prime objective. My recent stint covering a maternity leave at a museum was amputated due some glitch with the Employment Insurance benefits of the person on mat leave, hence her early return to work, hence my job evaporating into thin air! I am still on-call in case of a staffing shortage as an employee of the Region of Waterloo and will continue to work in archaeology as soon as we are back in the field, yet... This problem is bigger than my field's employment instability, it's a reflection of employers across the board using the excuse of a troubled economy to slash and burn full time, permanent-with-benefits positions to create a holey patchwork of part-time, casual, temporary positions without one whit of commitment on the part of the employer. Employment can be a healthy, mutually beneficial contract with loyalty on the part of the worker and employer. Thriving local economies meant that businesses like Biltmore Hats (since 1950 at their Morris Street location, but a business since prior to 1919) employed local Guelph workers at a living wage for more than 30 years to make hats like Stetsons, which enabled the workers to buy homes, become involved in the the community and the schools, support local businesses and so on. Biltmore was bought by an American company in 2010 and moved to Texas in January, 2012.
Where are those loyal workers going to pick up a living when they are (hopefully) so near retirement? I have a pocket watch that was given to my grandfather in 1947 when he was recognized for 25 years of service. Given today's economy, that seems so alien and incredible that he wasn't downsized or transferred or laid off or declared redundant. I am sure everyone has stories like this and I hope that we can turn the tide of outsourcing for cheap labour, commuter culture (forced by expensive housing to live in the burbs) and get back to thriving communities and local economies.
Some of the ways that we save money are also tied into our views about sustainability, our carbon footprint and just not being rampant consumers. We buy our clothes and many other things at Value Village where everything is second hand and the money from your purchases is donated to a good cause. When we outgrow clothing or are clearing out closets, we donate our items to Value Village. We even asked our daughter's birthday party guests to buy second hand gifts one year. Only one friend embraced this idea and gave a sweater and a stuffed animal if I recall correctly. We were thrilled and perhaps our family members are not as enthused as we are, but we give second hand books for gifts. What I find so incredible is how inexpensive some high quality, sturdy brands are when purchased second hand - Oshkosh, American Eagle, Point Zero, North Face, Mountain Equipment Co-op, etc., and they last as long as my kids fit them - and dropped back in the great used clothing machine cycle when donated to Value Village.
Anywho, I am going to write about ways to save money and include economical recipes as much as I can. I am currently enjoying a library book, "The Third Coast: Sailors, Strippers, Fishermen, Folksingers, Long-Haired Ojibway Painters, and God-Save-the-Queen Monarchists of the GREAT LAKES" by Ted McClelland. By the way, libraries sell off their old stock on a regular basis for very little money- including music, movies, comics, journals, magazines, hardbound and paperback books. The book that I have borrowed, The Third Coast, is very interesting to me as a Great Lakes dweller and lover, but also as an observer of the demise of local economies. McClelland refers to the skeletal remains of steel mills and other 19th century manufacturing dependent on the water of the Great Lakes on his journey clockwise from Chicago, keeping the water on his right through Ontario and back to the U.S. again. It's a great slice of life and poignant commentary on the morphing of Great Lakes, and in many ways North American, culture as a necessary adaptation to changing times.
Today's Toronto Star headlines were rife with the looming debt-default in Greece, the growing unrest in London Ontario in response to Caterpillar's ill treatment of its workers, the TTC Chair and Toronto City Councillors petitioning the Mayor to invoke light rail transit rather than his subway scheme right on the heels of a council led coup to defeat the Mayor's program cuts - the people are organizing themselves to rally against "the man". At least, one hopes this is the case.
Back to saving money. Between social analysis gigs I work in heritage - a vulnerable sector that is prey to institutions with the bottom line as their prime objective. My recent stint covering a maternity leave at a museum was amputated due some glitch with the Employment Insurance benefits of the person on mat leave, hence her early return to work, hence my job evaporating into thin air! I am still on-call in case of a staffing shortage as an employee of the Region of Waterloo and will continue to work in archaeology as soon as we are back in the field, yet... This problem is bigger than my field's employment instability, it's a reflection of employers across the board using the excuse of a troubled economy to slash and burn full time, permanent-with-benefits positions to create a holey patchwork of part-time, casual, temporary positions without one whit of commitment on the part of the employer. Employment can be a healthy, mutually beneficial contract with loyalty on the part of the worker and employer. Thriving local economies meant that businesses like Biltmore Hats (since 1950 at their Morris Street location, but a business since prior to 1919) employed local Guelph workers at a living wage for more than 30 years to make hats like Stetsons, which enabled the workers to buy homes, become involved in the the community and the schools, support local businesses and so on. Biltmore was bought by an American company in 2010 and moved to Texas in January, 2012.
Where are those loyal workers going to pick up a living when they are (hopefully) so near retirement? I have a pocket watch that was given to my grandfather in 1947 when he was recognized for 25 years of service. Given today's economy, that seems so alien and incredible that he wasn't downsized or transferred or laid off or declared redundant. I am sure everyone has stories like this and I hope that we can turn the tide of outsourcing for cheap labour, commuter culture (forced by expensive housing to live in the burbs) and get back to thriving communities and local economies.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Teaching English in South Korea with my two children
Living in Bucheon, South Korea with my two children: December, 2008
Early morning in our neighbourhood - the entertainment district, chockablock full of restaurants, street vendors, shopping malls and bars that catered to Koreans and/or westerners. We lived on the 10th floor of Triple Tower B and walked to our schools daily. When we exited our apartment building's lobby, we could access a Blade Runneresque cacophony of sights, lights and sounds.
A huge park near downtown - the hub of much activity throughout the year - picnicking, cooling in the water fountains, running, exercising on the machines at the outdoor gym, playing soccer volleyball and celebrating events.
One day after work my Vice Principal took us out to this restaurant and we met his oldest friend there. This became our favourite bulgolgi restaurant - barbequed pork eaten with sesame and lettuce leaves stuffed with garlic, pepper sauce, onions and kimchee. Best to only wrap as much as you can eat in one bite! Always keep your elders' glasses full by pouring soju or makju or whatever they are drinking, holding your sleeve and arm of your pouring hand as you pour. Women are expected to hold their glass with both hands and turn away from older men as they drink. This convention is not common among younger university age South Koreans, rather their parents' generation. The teachers at my schools did observe this tradition and I was expected to demonstrate respect for men in the same manner.
Friday, February 3, 2012
WWI 1917 Diary Scanning, Tortilla Bake and a Groom's Cake
I have been scanning the WWI 1917 diary that my grandfather kept as a gunner when he joined-up underage at 16 like so many other kids did. I have all of the letters that he wrote to his parents from the period of training at Petewawa in 1916 up to the end of the war in France and a diary from 1918 to scan. I sense his barely contained excitement for the adventure yet to come while at Petewawa and feel his battle weariness creep in as he trains at Shorncliffe, England after a long sea voyage and finally begins running ammunition to the front lines in France. His experience at Vimy Ridge is a horror that is delivered in understatements in his diary and barely referred to in his censored letters home, with place names scratched out with pencil or completely removed by ripping off the address at the top of the page. He refers to a friend who was a the front and was sent to London with shell shock.
My grandfather's youth is evident at times in his plaintive requests for more money to be sent from home, cigarettes, chocolate, good boots and silk underwear to discourage the "visitors", a polite euphemism for body lice. He also would like to be advanced money to purchase a revolver for close combat, as recommended by soldiers returning from the front. Grandpa Mulkins had a privileged upbringing in Ottawa and his attitudes, like many of his era, were WASPish. His diary entries reflect this background. His commentary on war culture is interesting and often funny and his illustrations of shells and cars are a snapshot of the era and evidence of his youthful exuberance. Also, a heralding of his future occupation, post-war as an architect. I am looking forward to reading through all of the material again, as it has been a long time since I have done so.
Tortilla Bake
The other day I made a tortilla bake to use up some leftover chicken, salsa and romano beans. I had soaked and boiled up the beans and used them with pasta, but these were the last of the last and needed to be eaten or frozen. I opted for eating! Sometimes we buy a cooked chicken from Metro on Tuesday night because the price is very close to what it would cost for a fresh chicken and it gives us at least one or two more meals after that using the meat in other dishes. Anywho, I layered olive oil and small whole wheat tortillas in a round casserole dish with dollops of beans, salsa, cut up chicken, cumin, diced garlic, sliced red onion and grated chedddar cheese (although sometimes I spread cream cheese on the tortillas and skip the cheddar until the top). I usually need to open a bottle of tomato sauce to supplement the salsa a little, to ensure juiciness. On the final layer, I crush organic blue tortilla chips and grate either parmesan or cheddar and throw on sliced onions. I wrap it in tinfoil for the first 45 to 60 minutes @350 and remove the tinfoil for another 15 minutes or so, and sometimes brown the top further with the broiler. It's great with a salad and if you have sour cream or yogourt and some guacamole. Yum.
Groom's Cake
For my daughter's 14th birthday party last April, I had asked her if she would be interested in having the truffle/cookie cake that Prince William was having for his wedding. Being a chocoholic like moi, she thought it sounded delicious. And, it was. We made it again last weekend for dinner guests and gave some to my parents - it's simply too rich to have hanging around, yodelling suductively (!) for you to have a smackerel at all hours. It's just better for your health to share it. Really.
7-ounces of butter tea cookies - McVitie's brand Rich Tea Biscuits are used by the royal family - I use chocolate covered butter cookies
1 cup whipping cream (35%)
2 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or 1/4 cup) butter
16 ounces (about 2 1/2 cups) bittersweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the glaze:
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup whipping cream
6 ounces (about 1 cup) bittersweet chocolate chips
Coat a 7- or 8-inch round springform pan with butter.
To make the cake, with your hands break up the cookies into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces; you want chunks, not crumbs.
In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine the cream, honey and butter. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes, or until bubbling - my ancient microwave takes longer. Add the chocolate and stir until melted and the mixture is smooth. Stir in the vanilla, then the broken up cookies. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, using the back of the spoon to smooth the top. Gently tap the pan on the counter to eliminate any air pockets.
Refrigerate for 3 hours or until thoroughly chilled.
Once the cake is chilled, prepare the glaze. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter and cream. When the mixture reaches a boil, remove it from the heat and add the chocolate, stirring until completely melted and smooth.
Carefully remove the sides from the springform pan. Invert the cake onto a wire rack, then remove the bottom of the pan from the cake. Ha! Easier said than done - I had to wrestle with my cake and springform base for ages, coaxing the bottom away from the cake by gently inserting a knife between the cake and pan all around the cake until it finally gave way. Set the rack over waxed paper or parchment paper to catch drips (for eager tasters).
Pour the glaze evenly over the cake and spread with a knife to completely cover the top and sides. Allow to firm up, then transfer to a serving plate. Refrigerate leftovers. If your family is lucky, they will have a bowl, spatula/spoon, a springform pan and the paper under the rack to sample the cake and glaze while the cake is chilling. This recipe is not for the faint of heart - it seems to appeal to diehard dark chocoholics rather than kids who tend to be milk chocolate lovers. Buon Appetito!
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