After serving in certain places for far too long, something different always helps refresh the scenery a bit. To bring up some fight in the slightly seasoned coaches like me.
Agreeing to work with Wuling Senior High was indeed a decision that I took without hesitation. After working for nearly 3 school years with HSNU and 1 year with CKHS, it was good time to start over on a new page. English debate coaches like me, usually don't have a "home". Some people might say that makes us mercenaries. I'd like to think I am working with clients (aka schools) who are in need of a "push" for their student body so that they can elevate their game to the next level. Once the client believes their purpose has been achieved, it is up to them to assess how far they want my influence to impact their education system. Project-based work is what I do and while it is hard to say goodbye to some students and teachers, I am much less saddened to part ways with people or students who showed entitlement or perceived my style of coaching in a less accurate angle.
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![]() Many students, from the overachieving to the underachieving, forgo the reading process for English AND Mandarin. I am sure by now you have read enough to know that many "foreign" teachers continuously stressed the importance of reading to their kids. Unfortunately, not much has changed from the early 1990's up to now. Many still lack the reading skills necessary to advance their language skills (yes, this includes adults who CLAIM that they want to have better English). So why is it so important to read? The truth is, reading allows people to see how the language is used. There is no other way. Forgive me for being blunt or honest, but the current English textbooks under the current curriculum is so devastating in quality and off in purpose, I don't see the point in using them at all. Had I had more time to rewrite the textbook using the intended vocabulary, I would have. Yet, the remaining free time I have doesn't allow me to do so. High quality textbooks are required to learn grammar and style. Unfortunately, the public education system is not willing to spend more than it already has at the moment. Strangely, they rely on lackluster efforts of writers who aren't paid enough to design textbooks diligently. But that's ok. When there is a will, there is a way. If you or your kid is in elementary school, I suggest starting with pronouncing properly first. In saying so, I don't mean accents. I meant the way a word SHOULD be pronounced based on IPA or KK. Consonants and vowels, whatever. Middle school students should start reading fiction books with few or no pictures. This is the beginning of word visualization and understanding without any extra aid besides the content itself. Near the end of middle school and the rest of high school, they should be reading at least 1~2 articles of USAToday, 2 CNN articles per week, or 1 long BBC article per week. Advanced readers can proceed to history or science websites for deeper reading. Most importantly, don't just read for the sake of reading. Read because you want to know more about how English is used and what words are interesting, useful, and meaningful for expressions. ![]() Too many people ask this question. It seems to be a perennial problem for English teachers of different institutes and students alike. The truth is, no proficiency of any language can be achieved without LOADS and LOADS of reading, listening, and speaking. Let me be clear about this:
If you want to do this on your own, you need to tell yourself you WANT to be active and explore. Exploring requires time and patience. Sometimes it's not about whether you have a tutor or mentor, it is about the attitude you bring in when you want to achieve something. The tutor or mentor comes in ONLY when you have tried and found a wall blocking you repeatedly and you don't know how to overcome it. If you are just looking for someone who can hold your hand and help you walk, any average or slightly above average English instructor can do that. I provide a whole different kind of service that brings light to your work in progress. The communication is bilateral and is not just me giving something. The student or client will also think about how to make the class more useful and efficient. Recently, an adult student of mine who works in finance actively involved himself in the mentoring process by sending me a copy of his company's report so that we can discuss about it during his business English class. That is called taking action! In asking me to come in to help, he was halfway there already. Now he is less than one step closer to his goal, because he took responsibility for his own learning curve as well. There are no shortcuts to language learning. Complete the shortcut and it will come back to bite you later in life. Ok, not everyone took the shortcuts. Some people just weren't taught right. That's totally fine too. The point is to realize and to take action for your own learning, not pay and wait for someone to serve you. I consult, not serve. I collaborate, not teach. I mentor, not regurgitate knowledge. WE WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN. Have a nice day! Coaching English debate has been a pleasure and a challenge that makes me work my brains like no other, particularly when it comes to policy debate. Having walked into the debate coaching position by certain circumstances, I never once looked into MUN in detail. Partly because I knew debate really questioned the policy and plans, and partly because at this age, I don't have interest in just playing through the motions.
I am a gunner by nature. I either go big or I go home. Not many people get to play with fire more than I do at the age of 33. However, when like minds meet, they cooperate. I had the opportunity to work on MUN for the very first time with high school students at Columbia International School (CIS) in Longtan, Taoyuan. I have known Robert Lo for 2 years and we know each other very well, that students need to open up their minds to the world. In Taiwan, there are three general types of schools: public schools, private schools, and private international/American/European/Canadian/etc school. For quite some time, I worked with public schools because I 100% supported the notion that public schools are the heart of education. However, with the growing frustrations over bureaucratic challenges and overall lack of enthusiasm from most public teaching staff, a real boost in morale and esteem was long overdue. Robert agrees that his school's MUN needs a shake-up and a reality check. We both know speaking English like a native speaker just doesn't cut it in the real world. Sure, private international school kids are certainly more financially privileged than others, but that doesn't mean they should be numb to the world's problems. I agreed to help out within 5 minutes of my "business" brunch with Robert. Coaching MUN with the kids meant circling through my elementary school geography knowledge and familiarity with current events. It was very fruitful for a visiting coach to do so. I maneuvered through numerous countries and their current developments. I also looked for ways to show them why persuasion is part of the speech from non-verbal to verbal aspect. As I demonstrated and pointed out things to work on, they listened so attentively I felt pleasantly startled. Startled because for the most part, most public school students never had that look of admiration or respect. I was too used to that default hostility that I deal with on the first day of contact. CIS showed me that not only did they believe in making education a real issue, but also gave me the respect that any capable speech/debate coach expected in normal circumstances. While my time there was short, I covered mostly on practicing genuine eye contact (looking at the dot on a person's forehead), speech familiarity, stress and pause, and most of all the art of delivery through tones and pitches. I am honored to train them and would not hesitate to go back some other time. Thank you CIS. Setting up the website was a call from the wild. Yet, it was a necessary process towards making a difference. For Taiwan. For English learning and service.
Taiwan's passion for English learning is definitely a high and strong demand, but the abundance of cram schools, studying-abroad institutes, and at times, under-qualified teaching staff, makes it hard for people to know how learning and consulting SHOULD be done. Few people understand AND accept that to acquire English abilities, there are no shortcuts. Sure, you can try and do free language exchanges. Sure, you can go to a cram school and gain some insights on scoring higher on the TOEFL, SAT, etc. Sure, you can simply employ the help of a translating firm to get the job done with a rather "cheap" price. Sure, you can ask people who are younger and earn less than you to do the job of fixing the English presentation you are secretly scared of. They said anything that can be solved with money, is a small problem. All of the above is true. Except you are only solving the problems that POP UP, and not the SOURCE of all these problems. Like a physician and psychologist, I look into the root of the problems. It all boils down to this: You don't know enough about English and you relied too heavily on quick-fixes. In a globalized society, Mandarin is increasingly important, but English is still prevalent in the world. However, many clients complain about how hard it is to learn English or understand how to apply it in their daily work or life routines. The difficulty of English lies not in the complexity of the words, but rather, the crossing of cultures to better understand one another. Saying is easier than doing. So what exactly, or who, can act as the bridge for such a feat? That's where I, Caleb (aka kwarrior), come into the picture. Whether it is translations, interview/presentation training, spokesperson, or test preparations, I know that clarifying the clients' needs, things to work on, and most importantly, where the gap from Mandarin to English is, is what makes my service different from the rest of the flock. Not one single consultant knows what he or she is doing ALL THE TIME, including myself. What is essential in this line of business, however, is the will to communicate, discuss, and ultimately grow together. The Chinese proverb 鯉躍龍門 is indeed fitting in such circumstances. Defining yourself and Taiwan, is an important task that I do not take lightly. I didn't come into the English consulting business just to earn a living. I am here to make changes to a country stuck in a quagmire of self-identity and self-doubt. I will be your counselor, confidant, and buddy on the road to success. Let the journey BEGIN! Rock Taiwan! And rock the world! |
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May 2022
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