No two universities are alike/my experiences so far

So I'm almost done my fall semester at Carleton doing their CTESL (Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language) program. Not sure what that is? I refer to you one of my earlier posts.

One thing I noticed with Carleton is some of their courses are full semester courses. That is the course you sign up for in the fall will be in that very same time slot in the winter. With that I have to suffer with doing an assignment over the break whereas if I was still going to MUN I would be lying on the couch all day watching movies or maybe trying to get through 1 season of a TV show.

Second thing is the way the schedule operates. I'm sure Carleton has those 3x a week for 1 hour courses but I haven't encountered them in my program so I am uncertain what courses they are (most of my courses at MUN were like that). My schedule at Carleton is filled with mostly two 1.5 to 2 hours courses (meets every Tues. and Thurs for example) with some once a week 2-3 hour courses (meets every Mon. evening). Maybe this is their preferred way of scheduling?

Anyway . . . one of the courses I have to take is a practicum which is basically learn and experience what goes on in a classroom. If you remember in elementary school (maybe some of you in secondary school as well) you may have encountered the student teacher who maybe helps you with your schoolwork or on occasion teaches a lesson. Apparently that is what I have become except my setting was in an ESL classroom.

Now I have two practicum placements for the whole year. I have already completed my first placement and can't wait for the day I get to "choose" (it's first to raise their hand that gets the location) my next one (maybe because I'll hope to encounter a Russian, Croatian, or maybe someone from Turkey). For my first placement I chose a literacy classroom. What is it exactly? Teaching how to read and write. The class I was in was for those who are 1) literate in their first language but the "alphabet" in their first language does not use the Roman alphabet, 2) are illiterate in their first language, or 3) come from an oral culture where there is no written form or a written form is not really used (kinda like situation 2). Who I encountered in my class (including the ones who got promoted to the level 1 ESL classes along the way) came from the following countries: Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Macedonia, Nepal, Bhutan (Nepali speaking person), Laos, and Burma/Myanmar (Karen people). From this bunch I think I may have an idea who I might expect to see in my next placement.

With the class I did my practicum in there was a routine: The students would write something dictated to them on the board then everyone would copy that into their journals/notebooks. Then the teacher would write something on the board, for example "Did you have a good weekend?" if it was a on a Monday and on another board write "Today there ____ ____ teachers and _____ students" to get them to practice their numbers. Usually the days I'm there the teacher would say something like after copying the first board raise your hand to let <insert my name here here> know you're ready but no one does that, they usually do so once they copied down everything. Not sure why they don't do it, maybe it's because they're more comfortable with the teacher or if they're thinking "I should copy down everything first" or "I need to copy everything". 90% of the time I would be thinking it rude to ask them "May I listen to you read what you have so far". Lesson learned there: assert yourself.

After the journals they would be doing some activity, whether it's a "fill in the missing letters" dictation or a worksheet. Sometime they would be learning something new whether it's through a 10 line story with related activities or a story from a handout. There were activities that would teach them certain concepts like "please speak slowly/louder", "please can you say that again?" I led a couple of activities as well and comparing the two I did I found it difficult to create one of my own versus organizing one that's already made. Also with leading activities it is to be expected that not everyone will be looking at you whether it's out of boredom or maybe they're still struggling with the first thing I said.

So that's what went down in my practicum placement. Someone else doing the same as me would have either a similar experience or something different. Anyway that's enough from me.

Your religion shouldn't speak for everyone who does not follow it

On advice of my doctor I should be sleeping by now as I'm typing this but I just recently heard about this woman in Ireland who died of a miscarriage. While still alive and in agony she wanted to terminate her pregnancy but was denied that because according to some law (at least I think it's a law from my understanding) the pregnancy could not be terminated because the foetus' heart was still beating and it can only be done if the woman's life is at risk. Clearly this woman's life was at risk but it didn't seem like it to the doctors.

Some thing to note: In Roman Catholicism, which happens to be the major religion in Ireland, there is the belief that life begins when Mr. Sperm comes into contact with Ms. Ovum. Yes, a bunch of cells that haven't developed into actual organs is considered to have a soul (cue 'Every Sperm Is Sacred'). I went to a RC high school growing up and no one was allowed to abortion in grade 11 and 12 biology for their presentations. I assume it has to do with that the topic is not in line with RC beliefs but on the other hand there's a lot of ethical mumbo-jumbo to deal with at the high school level. (On a side note evolution is taught because it's part of the province-wide curriculum but they remind students that creationism is what started it all.)

So basically my stance lies between "you run your own body so let me run mine" and "you're giving it up because you decided you don't want the baby anymore? Are you crazy?" Let me make this simpler: If the woman is in agony from the pregnancy or becomes pregnant from a rape it is the woman's choice whether or not she wants to go to full term or however long the foetus lasts in the womb (I had this belief even when I was still a practising Catholic). As for someone who wants to terminate her pregnancy because it's the wrong gender/has imperfections or has no real reason and just wants to end it, the decision is still hers whether or not to terminate the pregnancy as it is not my body and I cannot make the decision for her but I would offer to take in the child (provided that I am mentally sane to raise one) or at least suggest helping out couples who cannot bear children. If in the end she does not want to go through the pregnancy, it's her choice, not mine.

I'm pretty sure people have seen anti-abortion supporters (the reason behind my choice of words will be explained later) with their signs telling people to "choose life" along with a bible quote and pictures of aborted  foetuses. Quoting my friend (who happens to have a blog @ http://tseretniw.blogspot.ca/)

How can these people hold up signs saying "protect life" when they clearly don't care about the mother's

My thoughts exactly. If you say that you are protecting human life, and the multi-celled blob is considered human, then isn't the life of the mother just as important?

Also my friend's question happened to remind me of something that happened not too long ago. My parents had people over for dinner as they were helping out with cleaning up my grandmother's house (which she's selling by the way). They happen to be a couple with a 7-year-old boy who was a fountain of knowledge when it comes to telling about what he recently learned at school. At one point he asked what abortion is. It was either my mom or his mom that gave the answer. Can't really remember how they explained to him but one of the key words used to explain was "baby". If I were 7 years old again "baby" would signify something like Maggie Simpson and neither the multi-celled blob nor a foetus and this is what made him ask something along the lines of "why would the mom do that?" I think I tried to explain that foetuses do get killed in the womb in nature but that didn't turn out so well. Long story short: be careful when discussing or describing abortion to a kid. Even for a fountain of knowledge their world view is still quite limited.

Also for word choice using "baby" vs. "foetus" makes something easier to understand but at the same time generates images of someone of Maggie Simpson's age. Why I chose "anti-abortion" vs. "pro-life" comes from a quote from Penn Jillette:

Ethical means moral or proper which differs for every person, it's something to discuss. It's not an absolute. It just sounds nice, it's like 'pro-choice' and 'pro-life', I mean- c'mon! Everyone is pro-choice and pro-life. It's for or against abortion that your group is about -- Season 2, Episode 1 of "Penn & Teller: Bullshit"

 I am certain it's not just Roman Catholicism that advocates life begins when sperm and ovum and whatever their beliefs are should not mix with legal matters. Sure there are those who would stay true to their religion even if they die in the process of something like pregnancy but by allowing women to choose to have their pregnancy terminated or not, a woman can still choose not to terminate. By not allowing a woman to choose is pretty much saying "okay you have one choice and that is keep on going and it does not matter if you die in the process as long as the baby lives."

I'd ramble on a bit more but I need some rest.

Here are some articles:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2012/1114/1224326575203.html
http://www.cbc.ca/strombo/world/abortion-debate-reignited-in-ireland-after-woman-is-denied-an-abortion-in-hospital-and-dies.html?p=home&s=home

Commuter Etiquette 101

I travel to and from university by public transportation and there are some things that irk me when it comes to this.

First is the people who choose to stand on a but or a forced to stand on a bus. If you choose to stand on a bus you:

a. are getting off within the next two stops
b. have nowhere to sit
c. just gave up your seat and now have nowhere to sit

If you're not a. then do not stand next to the doors. This makes it hard for people to move through when the bus is not too crowded and even harder when it is packed.

If you are not someone who is watching their kid or chatting with a person who is sitting, move to the back of the bus or as close to the back you can get. This makes it easier for those who board the front of the bus to get in.

One way to create space is to put your bag(s) on the floor in between your legs but I can make the exception if the floor is wet.

Second thing that irks me is changing from the light rail to the buses. My problem is this:

The dots represent people and they tend to crowd around the entrance to where people get to the light rail. The "platform" is about the size of three accordion buses and chances are if your bus is the 3rd one in the line of buses it will leave once it has done its business. There's plenty of room on the platform and you'll see your bus coming much sooner than the people in the crowding around at the light rail entrance. My usual solution to this is to go around behind the bus shelter but even the crowd can sometimes block my alternate route so please spread out along the platform.

Those are my main issues. Other things to take note in general:

Don't swear or harass others or else you'll get kicked off the bus.
Don't blast your music too loud that people around you can hear it. Not everyone will like what you listen to and even if they do they might want some peace and quiet on the bus
Don't smoke on the bus. Even if you have an e-cigarette it still counts as smoking on the bus.
Don't cause any damage to the bus. If your public transportation system is owned by the city's government chances are you're wasting other people's tax dollars because you think the bus needed a makeover.
If you see someone that needs to sit at the front of the bus, do be courteous and offer your seat.

If there is anything you like to comment or add to this feel free to do so

Anyone remember these crazy dances?

As of my typing this the video for Psy's "Gangnam Style" is approaching 400 million views on YouTube. For anyone living under a rock here's the video:


And when something's this popular there's bound to be an abundance of parody videos related to how Oppan Gangnam Style sounds like "open condom style" or "open condom star", remixes of the elevator scene at 1:55 into the video, and pretty much the whole video being parodied like CollegeHumor's "Mitt Romney Style". What I believe to be the biggest aspect of the video is the dance where it's like he's riding on a horse.

That dance has got me thinking about other songs that had some sort of dance move associated with them. In reverse chronological order to how far back I can think of things (pretty much up to the early 90's as that when my generation started to walk and talk:

1. "Teach Me How to Dougie" by Cali Swag District (song contains explicit lyrics)
   
   If anyone can sort out any specific dance moves that teaches you how to dougie from the lyrics:
   "All I need is a beat that's super bumpin'
   And for you, you, you to back it up and dump it! 
   Put your arms out front, lean side to side
   They gon' be on you when they see you hit dat dougie right?" (lyrics obtained from here)
   ... and if that's not helpful I'm sure the video (or the maybe the guys can teach you in this video)
   
   
2. "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO
   
   The main focus is that shuffling dance move that happens from 3:40 to 4:11 (but it's done individually by other people throughout the video). Though the dance is older than the video I'm including it in part of the list with the new stuff. Here's a lovely instructional on how to do said shuffle.
   
   
3. "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" by Soulja Boy Tell'em
   
   Not sure if anyone still remembers this, 2007 was like 5 years ago, and I still think this song is annoying, Instructional Video here.
   
   
4. "Asereje" by Las Ketchup
   
   I'm not too familiar with the song but this came up when I asked the question in a chat room. As for the dance moves the appear to be quite simple (as I couldn't find an instructional video for this on youtube)
   
   
5. "Cha Cha Slide" by DJ Casper
   
   I first encountered this when I started university. Any dance party I was at this would be playing. The moves to this dance are basically the lyrics of this song.
   
   
6. "Macarena" by Los del Rio
   
   I think there are 2 versions of the song, but this video has the dance. I know I feel old if I can still remember this dance.

I was going to "Stop" by the Spice Girls but it's the chorus of the song that had the special dance moves, which were done only twice in the entire video.

As I said this is as far back as I can remember. Maybe people older then me can remember other crazy dances from there time. Enjoy.

Oh yay more schooling (going for the TESL certificate)

For anyone who pays attention to this blog (*cough*adbots*cough*) I have finished my undergrad and got my bachelor's degree in Linguistics (minored in Russian language) and I summarized my year looking back at textbooks. Starting in September I will be going for the certificate in teaching English as a second language (TESL) at Carleton University in Ottawa.

Teaching English as a second language huh? So you like to go to Korea or Japan to teach?

I am aware that place like South Korea and Japan are popular places for teaching English but as far as my interest in teaching English there are quite low. My dream places to teach abroad would be Russia but I'll take any place in Europe.

Also some things to point out: when teach abroad in a place like South Korea or Japan, you're teaching these people English as a foreign language (EFL) as English is not widely spoken or an official language in these places. To call it ESL teaching would have learners come to places like Canada, USA, Australia and UK where English is widely spoken and is an official language.

You got a university degree already, why not go to work immediately?

By going for certification I can cover more ground. There are places that require that someone have some sort of certification such as TESL/TEFL, TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages which I hear is the same as TESL/TEFL but used more in the USA than Canada) or maybe a masters degree in the teaching ESL/EFL field. Don't believe me? Take a look at the ads on Dave's ESL Cafe. If it's not possible for me to teach abroad at least I will be qualified to teach here in Canada. Best to build up some street cred before others abroad can take you in.

The story

Not a lot of people have heard of the field of linguistics and somehow the idea that comes up when either I mention this or my parents do to other people, the other people seem to think I'm studying to become a polyglot. Since I did a general degree and not an honours degree chances for me to do a masters degree are pretty low. Another career choice path would be dealing with speech problems and I wasn't too interested in the field. My main reason for doing a TESL certification is that I would like to work abroad and as I have mentioned earlier would like to work in Russia. Around campus I've seen advertisements for oxford seminars in which certification can be done in a month but I ended up applying to universities on the advice from someone who actually is a teacher of ESL. She said that courses like oxford seminars don't really prepare students as well as a university course since university courses offer the teaching experience (called a practicum).

Ontario, being my home province, I looked for universities there that have the program as well as outside of Ontario such as Quebec and Saskatchewan. Memorial University did have a program at one point but suspended that due to some necessary courses being infrequently offered (so I heard). If I were to apply to Concordia University (in Montreal, Quebec) it would have been starting in the winter semester as their written component for the application had to be done there (the times given for it was during the semester break but the round trip fare plus accommodation at the time (February 2012) wasn't worth doing it for a fall semester start). Also with the recent Quebec student protests who knows if I would have even gone there.

From this list I looked at some places that I could go to for certification and I applied to two places (I could have applied to more but I got lazy): Woodsworth College's TESOL program in Toronto and CTESL at Carleton university. Applying to these places was not easy as I had to "jump through hoops" as my dad puts it (written components).  Both Carleton and Woodsworth have one year programs which should make me prepared much more than taking a one month course.

Woodsworth College got back to me first. I would have gone there if Carleton did not accept me but Woodsworth College is affiliated with the University of Toronto so since I got an offer from them I was for certain going to get one from Carleton. If I had gone to Woodsworth I would have had 4 courses per semester (not counting tutorials) but the majority of them were from 6pm to 9pm, even if I got Mondays off I am not too fond of night classes. Also Woodsworth's program costs a wee bit more as I also have to factor in residence expenses.

Now with Carleton comes the interesting bit. The application date was before Woodsworth's. I of course had to send them multiple transcripts because of this and I wouldn't receive an offer until they knew I have convocated. I was told I got accepted much later, two weeks I guess, after Woodsworth offered me something. I was hoping I would get something in the mail but all I got was a guide to first year package (doing a certificate course is weird, it's techncally an undergrad program but you're not really an undergrad when you do it as a post-grad). I was hoping the package would include my student number but I was able to recover it after talking to some people. The funny thing is the reason why I didn't get a student number sent to my mailbox was that it was the same student number Carleton gave me when I first registered with them back in 2006/2007 in case I didn't get into MUN. I thought by dropping the courses for the European Studies program I initially signed up for would cancel my account. My account did expire but my information was still on their database.

So in the end I chose to accept the offer from Carleton. How will this experience be for me? Unlike when I was at MUN when campus was just a 10 minute walk from where I lived I will be making friends with OCtranspo and travelling each direction for about 40-60 minutes (which should be good enough time to catch up on sleep or reading assignments but the fall schedule's not out by this time so it may be less time that what I have guessed). I won't have the chance of taking a nap in between classes but who knows, I might find a bench somewhere. The best part is I don't have to save coins for laundry, budget my bank account for groceries, or fight with someone for the tv. Yes I'll be living with my parents during this period but I had my chance out on my own. As for my future courses I just hope there's not a lot of paper writing but at the same time I'm curious to how the practicum's going to be. The upcoming year should be interesting.