Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Saying Goodbye at the Blog

Here's your chance to wish us well or say anything you like. It's been a fun year!
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8 comments:

Brad said...

Teaching you has been an honour. You came to me expecting to learn and, as I say goodbye to you, I hope that you have. What you’ve learned may be different from your original expectations, however. But that’s good.

Every term, I begin teaching and hope that my students will experience something new (and yes, something puzzling and interesting, too!). English can be a slog. Learning to communicate ideas effectively is a difficult task. One of the keys to my curriculum is keeping the ideas interesting and useful and up to date.

I agree with a college professor of communications I read about recently. He argues that students need to know how to make sense of the world and to articulate and defend their ideas. It’s not about learning “content” anymore; content changes and these days changes by the hour! He also argues that purely focussing on content bores the average student (and is quickly forgotten). Besides, the Ministry of Education curriculum guide says, in essence, that it is more about the “how” than the “what.”

As Temple Grandin says, “The world needs all kinds of minds.” I hope that you will remember her example and know that each of you has something unique to offer the world. Believe me, the world needs us all to be at the top of our game. The next century, it seems to me, will be pivotal in human history. We face our own extinction.

The days of our lives are indeed as “fleeting” as Szymborska tells us in her poem. But that doesn’t mean we should be pessimistic. The fear we have is “needless” after all.

Every term is different; every class unique. I’d like to thank you all for your perserverance and courage. Please consider coming on June 17th so that we can chat together one last time. And, if not, remember that teachers love to know where you land in life and how it goes. Take care!

June 4, 2010 at 10:26 AM
Marina said...

Goodbye, my friends. I spent good time with you.
Coming to your class, Brad, I was feeling as Wall-E, opening the old refrigerator and – oh, miracle - see a green, vulnerable, but full of life, little plant growing through the rusty soil. Thank you for that thrilling feeling of discovery THE KNOWLEDGE.
I learnt a lot from you, girls, as well (now will be a la Szimborska list):
From Magdalen – wisdom;
From Tiffany – lightness;
From Jane – multitasking;
From Melanie – catholicity;
From Tatyana - love of freedom;
From Hana – to keep integrity;
From Lisa – to stand for the family;
From Mandeep – openness;
From Susan - to love sad stories;
From Min Zhang – not to regret.
If I did not mention you, I still will miss you.
Goodbye. No, see you - for the Earth is round.

June 4, 2010 at 11:28 AM
Melanie said...

Brad,
It is an overwhelming good-bye message and reminds me the first class, you treated each students with respect and very confident about what you`re going to teach us. It was the most valuable lessons in my whole life. You exposed me to see a forest as a big picture. Your method of teaching was unique. You brought variety issues through meticulously selected materials. I have learned a lot throughout the classes academically and socially. (I never talked to cashiers before unnecessarily, but now I became a chatty to them.)
Ladies,
I have been enjoyed discussing ideas with you in the classroom and the blog. Thank you for encouraging me to step forward when I made mistakes and sharing your knowledge and opinions with me.

June 5, 2010 at 2:38 AM
Anonymous said...

English 11 allows me to get know what is “blog.” Thanks to the Brad who introduce me with the blog. Posting comments on the blog is the wonderful way to shares my thoughts and opinion with classmates. I learnt many new things from my classmate’s works through the blog. Good bye blog!! Just for a little while, because I will be back on the blog with English 12. Now am very much familiar with the blog.Thanks.

June 7, 2010 at 4:46 PM
Tiffany said...

See You Again!


I never had a class as mini as I have this spring.
I never remembered all my classmates' names
and know them as well as this term.
I never studied a course without textbooks but by Internet.
I never spoke so much during the class time.
I've had all I never had in my English11.

I've enjoyed learning English from discussions that inspire my thoughts.
I've enjoyed observing the sign of images whichever
from films or pictures to express my feelings.
I've enjoyed appreciating the beauty of a poem rather than suffering the pressure
of analyzing the poetic techniques.
I've enjoyed seeing the unique world of Haiti and China from stories.
I've been enjoying the time with all of lovely you.

I prefer "see you" to "good bye!"
See you Brad, in English 12 and probably Writing 12.
See you my classmates whoever will be
at PALC in September or on the streets whenever.

I'll be here, PALC, until graduation.
I'll be here, BC, might be forever.
I'll ever use Internet, at least.
So, see you again!

June 8, 2010 at 1:00 AM
Tatyana said...

A lot of people have crossed my way, but only a few I can remember for the rest of my life.
In February 2002, being in Canada for three days only, my husband and I have stepped to Adult Learning Center for the first time. Brad was the first teacher on Canadian land whom we spoke to. After he found out that my husband is a truck driver and I am a road construction engineer, he said: “You build roads and he drives”. This joke has stayed in my heart as something more than just welcoming words and I remember these warming words until now.

Following the road of immigration could be very challenging and confusing. And it is twice as hard to integrate when you have children. There are often many questions, but no answers. Brad is the one who taught me much more than grammar, rules and proper “body” paragraphs... Even though we disagree about what initiates the global warming, thank you so much Brad for the warmth of your heart which you pass through and to us, helping and understanding us tremendously.

It was difficult to come to classes in the middle of working hours, usually during my lunch time, but as soon as I engaged in discussions and started listening to you Brad (and my classmates of course!), I felt revived, even saved in some sense…since I felt as I could be easily understood and helped at any time.
I want to thank my classmates for being friendly, reliable, kind and helping.
And thank you Brad for always being “here” for us and for your talent!
See you in September!

June 8, 2010 at 10:10 PM
Lisa said...

I want to say thank you Brad; for giving me confidence, courage and that the "blog" can be my freind and not a scary monster that i pictured it to be. I would rather say "see you in the fall" than good bye! I would like to say to all the friends that I have made in class, "thank's for all the great advice that you gave to me." I wish all of all the a great summer and the very best in the fall.

June 9, 2010 at 10:07 AM
wendy said...

I liked

In February, with a tense body, I nervously stepped into English 11 Class. With the course going, I became relaxed. Now, at the end of this course, I list some of my liked.

I liked the varieties of the materials, from the textual short stories and poems to visual films and pictures; I liked the broadness of them，from the South American Haiti to Asian China; I also liked the freshness of them, closely connecting to the contemporary events, including the Winter Olympic and Haiti earthquake.

I liked the freedom of writing that Brad had given us, from single paragraph to multi-paragraph essay; I also liked the freedom of reacting to works, no matter how different our opinions were or how poor our grammar was.

I liked the style of learning, not only from teacher but also from my classmates (through discussing and blogging); I also liked being a temporary teacher, to comment on my classmates’ or teacher’s works.

I harvested a lot in the past four months. However, I am greedy. I expect more in the coming English 12. I am ready for challenge.

June 9, 2010 at 11:03 AM

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