6/12/2018 Lesson 8 "Deep Culture in the Elementary Classroom":

6/12/2018 Lesson 8 "Deep Culture in the Elementary Classroom":

As an EFL teacher when I taught young adults, I had a lot of freedom about the topics to teach. I taught my students about different Holidays in America (Thanksgiving and Christmas traditions), sadly, I cannot specifically recall any other culture-based lesson (perhaps, it was a long time ago, and I was just a fresh brand-new teacher with little experience). When I was working in Elementary school then I had a stricter agenda, so I followed the guidelines which I received in the school, and I taught what they were requiring me to teach (which also probably contained a minimal amount of culture-based lessons).

Ever since, amazing changes happened in my native country and as well as in the country where I reside now. In 2004 Hungary and Latvia joined the EU, and in the same year I received my teaching diploma which sadly meant that we new teachers were not prepared for the changes the EU would cause in our little countries.

What did joining the EU cause in the field of language teaching?

Good question! Before we joined the EU, most people needed to have language exams to receive their diplomas from college or university. A person had to have an intermediate language exam usually English or German in order to receive his/her diploma. None cared about learning the language, the knowledge was measured in language exams. All the language teaching focused on preparing for language exams and all of a sudden, the borders suddenly opened up and allowed thousands and thousands of people to move to the UK, Germany etc. The language teaching had to be changed. People were in need of usable language knowledge and not language exams.

Why did I tell all this information?

Good question! Before joining the EU, language teaching meant to prepare for exams, a few people cared to teach about culture, because those things were not included in test questions, but since people nowadays need real language skills I believe the time to teach about culture and cultural differences had arrived. Nowadays, elementary children had visited a few countries, have at least one relative living in abroad, have at least one classmate who moved abroad. Thus, it means ‘nowadays school children’ had contact with other cultures and once we get into contact with another culture surely, we also encounter cultural differences. I think, ‘nowadays school children’ are receptive to learn about deep culture and we teachers need to use this chance to teach them valuable, real-life like situations which can enrich their perspective of other cultures thus prepare them to become ‘global citizens.’

 Image source: www.freeimage.com : European Parliament

Under the term, ‘nowadays school children’ I am referring to students who live in those EU countries who joined the EU in 2004. They are the late-comer EU joiners.

6/6/2018 Lesson 7. Culture and Psychology

6/6/2018 Lesson 7. Culture and Psychology

When I was a child I heard my mom saying: “Unfortunately, Hungary was always on the wrong side of the war. During both of the World Wars we stood by the losers’ side”. After the 2 WW the Soviet occupation happened. These constant pressures molded the way how people think and act.

A 1991 piece in The New York Times entitled "Hungarians Are Thriving, Gloomily" reported that "Poll after poll shows this nation to be the gloomiest in Eastern Europe–more unhappy and more fearful about the future than neighboring countries where unemployment is twice as high, inflation is about to surge back into the double digits and nationalist extremists are whipping up old hatreds." The author also quoted Jozsef Antall who in an earlier interview had said, "A Hungarian will always see the worst. It comes in part from a peasant mentality, which will never predict a good harvest." Antall continued, "Just as there is American optimism, which is the motor of American life, so Hungarians have a tendency to be pessimistic. Every renewal in our history was always born in pessimism. Even our anthem is pessimistic."[1]

I am an optimistic person. I try to be optimistic. Sometimes, it is hard. It is in my mind, it is in my core, it is in my genes to be pessimistic, but I decided to overcome it and look for the bright future which we all can have if we give up our natural man/woman and submit our will to God.

I remember a joke once I heard. A Hungarian family moves to the US/UK. They put their child into daycare. The teacher from the daycare told to the parents, that they needed to bring their child to a psychologist because the child was drawing cruel things. The surprised parents asked what kind of things their child drew. The teacher answered, a burning snail.

The mom laughed and said: ”Oh, that’s not a problem. We have a children’s song like that. 

Snail-snail come out,
your house is on fire,
you'll get milk and butter,
there will be for tomorrow”

The teacher continued, “OK, and how about the blind crow?”

“That is another song, answered the father. 

Cheep, cheep, jackdaw,
Little blind crow,
My godmother asks for her cart,
I cannot give it to her,
The hens are sitting on it,
Shoo, shoo, shoo!”

The teacher continued, and how about the ear and tail less cow?

The mother responded, yeah, that is another song: 

“Spotted, spotted, cow, cow,
Has no ears and no tail
Where are we gonna live,
Where you can get some milk.”

The teacher could not endure this and quickly asked: “Don’t you have some happy songs?”

“Of course, we have” responded the mother. For example, 

“Come out, sun,

Bright sun!

My little geese are freezing in the garden.”

Know about our own culture is important as we cannot allow that, that it would negatively influence us. Once we know our own culture then we can enlarge our perspective and can learn about other cultures as well.

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[1] http://hungarianspectrum.org/2009/03/11/hungarian-pessimism/

6/5/2018 Lesson 7. Differences on Manners

6/5/2018 Lesson 7. Differences on Manners

“So many countries, so many customs” is a true saying. Each country has its own unique culture.

As ESL/EFL teachers we should study other foreign cultures when we have foreign students in our classes, as well as we should spend time expending our curriculum to teach about cultural differences. That way, we could help our students to become global citizens, who are aware of possible cultural differences. We might not be able to teach all the differences, but if we help our students to raise their interest about cultural differences, then we could know that they themselves will search out the differences and will spend time on educating themselves.

We need to be flexible with other foreign students and we should not judge someone after their manners. What is allowed in one culture might be totally rude in another one.

As a child, I remember learning about table manners such as: don’t put your elbows on the table, don’t play with the food, always put your fork on the left hand and keep your knife on the right hand, do not stand up from the table before you ate your meal. It is now funny to me as a mother to teach my children the same thing: take off your shoes when you enter the home (whom ever home you enter), wash your hands when you get home, cover your mouth when yarning, don’t chew loud, oh and I favorite one, do not stare people. I use this one often with my older son 😊

Manners on loud music or noise in Latvia is against the law after 11.00 pm till 7.00 am the noise level should be under 30 dBA. If the noise bothers the neighborhood then they may call the police, who will come to check it. The person can get a warning if it happens the first time, if it had happened previously then they could get a fine.

In Thailand, this is how people wait in line.

What are your favorite local customs which you think everyone should learn?

Source: 1. picture freeimages
2. picture  http://www.strangemedical.com/content/item/199104.html