Dear Teacher Letter - We Must Teach Humanity

If you haven't, read the Dear Teacher Letter below:

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Dear Teacher:
I am a survivor of a concentration camp. My eyes saw what no man should witness:
Gas chambers built by learned engineers.
Children poisoned by educated physicians.
Infants killed by trained nurses.
Women and babies shot and burned by high school and college graduates.
So, I am suspicious of education.
My request is: Help your students become human. Your efforts must never produce learned monsters, skilled psychopaths, educated Eichmanns.
Reading, writing, arithmetic are important only if they serve to make our children more human.
******************

I first read this letter in June and the content has stuck with me ever since. The most important goal of education is to prepare humane, responsible, kind, and ethical citizens. Students' so-called "academic" performance may speak to their intelligence, but the most noble responsibility of a teacher is to make sure that the students' hearts are in the right places, such as empathy, understanding, patience, tolerance, kindness, etc. Teaching a student to think is not enough; we must teach students to think with their heart.

We must teach humanity, teach character, not just content.


For more information, see Facing History and Ourselves resources at https://www.facinghistory.org/for-educators/educator-resources/readings/education-and-future.

Bilingual (Chinese-English) Church Wedding Ceremony Program 中英对照的教堂婚礼仪式

The Wedding Ceremony  婚礼仪式

Below is my Catholic wedding's ceremony program, which I have translated into Chinese for my parents and family who will fly in for the ceremony from China. Since there are not a lot of bilingual Chinese-English resources out there about this traditional Catholic sacrament of Marriage, I hope this translation will help the next bride help her family become acquainted with the Holy Matrimony in the presence of the Lord.

PRE-CEREMONY MUSIC 序乐

PROCESSIONAL 入席

OPENING PRAYER 开幕祷告

OLD TESTAMENT READING 旧经阅读

RESPONSORIAL PSALM 献诗

NEW TESTAMENT READING 新经阅读

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION 哈利路亚颂歌

GOSPEL READING 经文诵读

QUESTIONS OF INTENT 牧师、新人问答

MARRIAGE VOWS 婚姻誓约

BLESSING OF RINGS 戒指祈福

PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL 信友祷词

PRESENTATION OF GIFTS 呈上圣礼

PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS 圣礼祷词

NUPTIAL BLESSING 新婚祝福

SIGN OF PEACE 和平礼

COMMUNION 领圣礼

PRESENTATION OF FLOWERS TO THE BLESSED MOTHER 向圣母献花

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION 领圣礼后祈祷

FINAL BLESSING 再次祝福

RECESSIONAL 礼成

2014 Chinese Class Project Work

These project work are completed by students from Grade 7-11. Aren't they adorable for capturing the essence of Chinese culture?


1. Modern ink art:

This student took Chinese ink art elements and combined it with modern (political) American art. A bald eagle perched atop a giant rock looked into the rugged horizon of, perhaps American west (?), where giant words emerged that said, mei guo, am i free?

2. Chinese New Year lion head:

This student started from scratch to make this lion head. He experimented with several different materials for making the frame of heads, failed a few times, and finally got the frame made with chicken wire.

He then covered that frame with paper mache. While he was doing it, according to his mother and sister, he was covered with paper dust like a carpenter.

The paint on the lion's face is industry paint.

The jaw of the lion can open!

The size, make, motif and color of this lion is compatible to a commercial one for a lion dance troop. Everyone is impressed as it really looks like a manufactured lion head from a Chinatown store!

3. Calligraphy:

What is amazing about these two calligraphy work is not only that you can see the nascent structure of the characters emerging in these two works, not only that the student knows how to go from right to left, and from top to bottom, not only that he knows to sign his name in a smaller font in the mid-bottom on the left side of the scroll.

What is amazing about this project is that the student, who is of French heritage, compared Chinese calligraphy with French calligraphy, and found that both Chinese and French people take great care and pride in producing beautiful calligraphy and value calligraphy as a cultural heritage.

 4. Calligraphy scroll:

Because I myself is a calligraphy and Chinese painting practitioner, I have a soft spot for students who finds a love for these arts.

This project impressed me for many reasons. First, the student took the initiative to learn calligraphy from a mother of his friend's. The process of calligraphy making speaks for the quality of the work itself.

Second, he truly grasps the essence of Chinese art by pairing a quintessential Chinese poem with characteristic Chinese motif with an accompanying Chinese landscape painting. The proportion of the landscape versus people, the bony look of the mountain ridges, the position of the river at the two thirds height of the painting all look deliberately artistic. He even used some sliding-brush technique in his painting to produce the watery, hazy effect of the clouds. Very intentional student indeed.

Third, nascent aesthetic attention is paid to strokes in his calligraphy work: when to stop, when to stress, when to elongate, when to curve - he seems to start to get the idea of the subtle manipulation of the brush to produce deliberated outcomes.

Furthermore, he framed his work on two scrolls himself (with some help from his mother)! The presentation speaks for his faith and joy in his art. What a delightful project work!


5. Model of a Suzhou garden:

This handsome rendering of Suzhou's Lion Forest Garden is done by careful planning, meticulous attention to details, willingness to work hard, an eye for beauty and a heart for gentleness.

The gravel road is made of tiny pebbles, the wall and bridge of clay, the grass of special grass paper, the water of special gel, the pavilions of bamboo and wood sticks and planks. It is amazing that it looks like a real landscape model displayed in the lobby of an industry building!



And it's not just the specialty materials that enabled this great work, but an understanding of Chinese culture embodied in the Suzhou gardens. By naming her garden "Serene", this student has understood the essence of garden art lies in tranquility and peace. By designing a moon-shaped gate into her delicate garden, she is clearly inspired by Suzhou-style garden aesthetics. By positioning distinctly stylish objects in her garden seemingly randomly - but in fact strategically and purposefully - on both side of a meandering brook, she understands the Daoist philosophy of "the highest order of having no order."








I am amazed by these project work. They remind me how much I love my students. They make me smile every day, and they've made me proud.

As Cliche As It Sounds, J'aime Paris!

As cliche as it sounds, j'aime Paris. This affection started as soon as I got on the boat touring Seine. In a short hour, all the landmark Paris sites flowed by, Tour Eiffel, lle de ville, Louvre, Notre Dame, la Seine... It was a perfect introduction to the city, a beautiful Introduction on a legendary river on a gorgeous day.

During my next two hours' free time in Paris, I decided to swing by the Louvre. Although I was told that it takes three days to just walk past all the art works in the Louvre, It was the quintessential Paris landmark I wouldn't want to miss. Before we got to Paris, I downloaded a "Masterpieces trail" off the Louvre website, which leads a self-guided tour of nine of the most renowned art

works in this enormous museum, including the "three famous ladies": Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. When I first saw the suggested time: 1.5 hours, I smirked and thought that my younger, swifter legs would allow me to complete the trail within an hour, if not less. Therefore I had an elaborate plan for my two hours of free time: walk from the boat pier, which was close to the foot of Tour Eiffel, to Champs Élysées, along Champs Élysées through the oblisque and Toulirie Jardin, then towards the pyramid at the Louvre before going inside the museum.

Boy I was wrong. Not only did I overestimate my walking pace, which probably slowed down as I have been in leisurely France for nine days, but I also underestimated the number of sights that would lure my eyes to linger before moving on. One of many things about France Katy told me on this trip was that Paris, the entire city, is a gigantic museum, and that one can always revisit the beloved site of one's grandmother in Paris and see it just as she saw it decades ago. Perhaps Paris' charm is exactly her marvelous continuity. I got a sense of this Parisian museum during my stroll from Tour Eiffel to the Louvre. My eyes caught art, history, architecture, flowers, haute culture display, people from all over the world, food, sand, cloud, sunshine... The list went on. I couldn't force myself to be "on time" because being "not" on time was more meaningful and fitting for the Parisian ambiance. I sat down in a cafe, sipped a jus d'orange and nibbled a cheesecake. I looked at people. The fashionable elder ladies to my left, the Chinese and Japanese tourist groups passing by, cafe waiter who took a smoking break outside, and the middle-aged man who looked like the cafe owner as well as, strikingly, DAAR, my headmaster. I knew I was running behind schedule, but I was not procrastinating.  Every moment was to be savored. I was actively productive.

When I finally made it to the Louvre, I realized there was no way I could see all the masterpieces on the "Masterpiece trail". Throngs of visitors kept blocking my way, and I was constantly in awe of the splendid rooms I walked through, let alone the beautiful art pieces. I got lost a few times, and sidetracked on purpose a few times. I did make it to the audience of two of the three Louvre ladies: the most famous and mysterious Mona Lisa, and the humbly elegant Venus de Milo. Even after I deflected from my guided tour, there were signs everywhere pointing me towards the famed ladies. Boy they were popular. Mona Lisa, guarded in a glass case, smiled her signature smile nonchalantly at us strangers whose only instinct was to fanatically take photos, photos, and more photos, until we exhausted all the possible angles and poses we could think of. Even though the belle Mona Lisa wouldn't remember me, it was a dream come true moment. I have "known" her since kindergarten, I have "seen" her on TV, in books and magazines, in movie theaters, on blogs, I have always believed that a trip a Paris would be incomplete without a trip to Louvre and a trip to Louvre without seeing Mona Lisa is not worth having... Yet with all these premonitions, I was still not prepared to meet her in person. She looked different from memory. She looked more mysterious even though the distance between us had greatly decreased. When she was there, she occupied all space and thought. I looked at her; I couldn't believe I was looking at her. I wanted to approach her more, but she couldn't be approached any further. It was all too short. She was there in front of my eyes for one moment, and gone the next. When will I next see her? Some day, I believe I'll be back in Paris and in Louvre. And at that time, I will follow all the signs again to Mona Lisa.

The only Paris photo with me in it was taken in front of Venus de Milo. A Japanese tourist helped me. Before I dragged myself out of the museum, I paused one more time in a quieter room. The room didn't possess a focal display like Mona Lisa or Venus de Milo, but "surprisingly" it was full of magnificent art. I had the luxury of admiring a statue of the Three Graces serenely by myself. My eyes also lingered on a nude female body reflecting gold off the setting sun. Looking up, the exit of the room was decorated by four female gods with wreaths in their hairs, fabric draped loosely down their bare chests, and peaceful yet penetrating gazes into the other end of the room. Under their godly gaze, I waved goodbye to the Louvre, well I mean, just for now!

Five iPad apps for Teaching Kids Chinese 五大幼儿 iPad app 教中文

I'm starting a Chinese Club for young children this winter - and by saying "young children," I mean kids in graders 1-3. As I am trying to think what ways of teaching would work for these little ones, a parent recommended that I look into iPad apps. So I did. It was a great idea. I found quite a few cute, colorful, and animated apps that seem perfect for engaging young children. In the meantime, I found a couple apps useful for students of all ages.

iPad apps for teaching young - e.g. elementary school - children Chinese:

1. Kids Learn Mandarin Free app

1. Kids Learn Mandarin Free - An amazingly cute app. What I love most about it is that even it is designed as a pretty, fun and entertaining app for kids, it teaches effectively through repetitions and "drills" without making you aware of them. It also teaches stroke order through a game. The free version only comes with the lesson on numbers, but it is very well done. It may just be worth it to purchase the full app!

2. LoveChinese app

2. LoveChinese - Great fun with memory and flashcards games. The free version teaches numbers, shapes, and colors. Every time you get something right, the recorded praise goes effusively encouraging.

3. Kids Animal World app

3. Kids Animal World – Good listening exercises; great music as well! This free version shows you animals in different habitats, how they "speak" and what they "eat."

4. Lingu Pinguin (English, Chinese) app

4. Lingu Pinguin – Choose a theme and select objects to hear their name and sounds. The free version has lessons on animals and transportations. The paid version adds lessons about body parts, food, farms, toys, nature, clothes, and houses.

5. Chinese Balloon Lite app

5. Chinese Balloons Lite - A fun game for character recognition: you hear a word being spoken, and you have to poke the ballon with that word written on it. The Lite version actually comes with quite a few words, so it can be quite challenging!

American Students' Di Zi Gui (弟子规) appraisal 美国学生的弟子规读后感 #8: Afterword

The day after my students diligently completed the assignment of writing a Di Zi Gui appraisal, I sent this email to them in appreciation of their candid and delightful writings. I also shared my response to the same assignment in reciprocity.

Dear Class,

I read all your appraisals just now. I read quickly, because I was eager to glean your opinions. I will go over them again later and offer my thoughts on your individual reflections, but for now, let me just shout out to you all that I absolutely enjoy and respect your active and critical thinking. My eyes lit up at many extremely interesting observations, comparisons, and personal anecdotes in your reflections. I am very proud of you for being so involved and interactive with this material.

Your reflections inspired me to come up with my own "thesis" for this assignment - truly, I didn't write this beforehand; I'm writing it now as I email you because you have inspired me to do so. The thesis is: The Chinese society bases its social structure primarily on the Confucian values of harmony and morality, while the Western democratic system holds high the principles of individuality and law. While Confucian tradition highly emphasizes harmonious relationships between all people - especially among family members - to maintain social stability, Western democratic tradition believes that individual achievement drives social progress. These different emphases on stability and harmony versus progress and creativity are mirrored closely by modern Chinese and American schools and society. Chinese students engage in more collective activities and practices in and outside school, while American students are encouraged to voice their individual opinions and to be unique so they can stand out. American society is much more tolerant than Chinese society of progressive and creative ideas and behaviors ranging from technical innovation to marijuana regulation. In the meantime, Chinese society is much more caring towards the old, who are usually cared by their children rather than by nurses or senior houses, has stronger bonds among relatives and friends that often function like family members, to name two examples. Although the moral force is strong in China, it lacks the sophisticated legal system of modern democracies. Confucian texts were, therefore, followed more "in spirit" than "in letter."

I imagine that a perfect world looks more or less like a combination of both traditions' strengths: a legal framework that protects individual creativity, and strong social morality that harmonizes inter-personal relationships.

I just want to share these thoughts with you after you have generously shared your thoughts with me. Have a good weekend everyone!

American Students' Di Zi Gui (弟子规) appraisal 美国学生的弟子规读后感 #7

Last but not least!

Appraisal #7: 《弟子规》: Creating Better Citizens of the Future

WMQ, 12th grader

            Confucius’ teachings in 《弟子规》 are so insightful that many of his principles are taught to children in our own culture today.  《弟子规》contains many pages of rules for children, and while the sheer amount of his advice alone seems daunting and questionable, Confucius clearly understands that childhood is the key time for development.  People are most receptive to learning and build the majority of their character traits during childhood.  Therefore instilling these rules into children is a practical and productive way to create ethical and productive human beings and citizens.  Teaching children important morals helps them to live by those principles when they are adults.  Thus while his teachings are aimed at children, his ultimate goal seems to be to create better adults in society. 

Confucius advocates for many morals.  He discusses trust, respecting elders, taking care in activities, speaking well, listening to parents while exercising one’s own discretion, among others.  In “入则孝”, Confucius teaches how to treat one’s parents.  At the same time however, he says “亲有过 谏使更”, which shows that although he believes in respecting one’s parents, Confucius also encourages children to judge situations for themselves and use their own moral capacities.  It is satisfying to see how Confucius recognizes that parents are not always right, and that children must sometimes help them to find the right way.  By encouraging children to recognize when their elders are wrong, Confucius is helping to develop children into individuals capable of judging the morality of situations for themselves.  Furthermore, many of Confucius’ teachings in 《弟子规》 can apply to adults as well as children.  Almost all of “谨”，“信”， and what we have read thus far in “泛爱众” teach practices that people should continue to follow in adulthood.  For example, the right way to conduct oneself when borrowing an item, how to speak well, and how to interact with other people and respond to their words.  Thus although 《弟子规》 is meant for children, Confucius is really building principled adults through this poem.

Confucius particularly values respecting elders and being an internally moral person.  While “孝”refers to how both younger and older people should treat each other, Confucius mostly focuses on how youth should treat their elders.  He spends the majority of “入则孝”and “出则弟discussing how to treat parents and approach elders, with only a few lines discussing how to treat younger people.  Thus he clearly believes that knowing how to treat elders is much more important than knowing how to treat younger companions.  While this part of Confucius’ teachings seems to specifically apply to children, it has effects on adults as well.  Learning how to be respectful of elders when one is young helps them to be respectful to peers when they are older.  Furthermore, these rules of conduct help people to identify their social place, which is an important skill for a citizen in society.  Confucius also especially cares about “道”（to know the right way things should be) and “仁”（virtue, morality).   These principles are woven throughout his poem.  His entire poem is about the right way to behave and what makes a virtuous person.  Confucius teaches to be understanding and respectful of others.  He urges people to care less about money and more about family.  He also encourages people to recognize when words are true and good, and when they are false.  Then he hopes that people act according to the good words and not the bad. 

While reading Confucius it is easy to see the similarities between his teachings and those of Jesus Christ that many American Christians teach to youth today.  Similar to Confucius’ “泛爱众”，Jesus teaches us to love even those people that have wronged us.  Jesus encourages people to be respectful and act kindly towards others, while not showing off, just as Confucius does.  Unlike Confucius, however, Jesus does not focus on how to treat elders.  Therefore while many principles similar to Confucius’ in 《弟子规》are instilled into American youth, often times children are not as aware of how to behave toward elders.  In the culture we inhabit in New York, children often call adults by their first names and do not necessarily go out of their way to treat them more respectfully than they treat others.  That being said however, when I visit my grandparents at their lake house during the summer, children act differently toward adults.  We go to a community pot-luck dinner every Wednesday night where children may only serve themselves after all the adults have.  This rule reminds me of Confucius’ “长者先 幼者后”.  Nevertheless, while Confucius’ rule is out of respect for elders, our dinner rule is based on practicality.  Adults once explained to me that children must go after the adults because the children usually take far more than they can eat, which does not leave very much food for the rest of the pot-luck attendees.  Thus we tend to base our cultural rules on practicality rather than morality.  At other times Confucius’ suggestions are impractical.  In our fast-paced society, people do not have time to stop and bow to elders or walk slowly in their presence.  Again, today we base our customs on practicality rather than respect or morality.  Ultimately, 《弟子规》 provides rules that are aimed at creating better adult citizens and are very similar to the rules we are taught as children today.  That being said, our rules seem to be based on their functionality in a situation rather than respect or morality.