WHO I AM

WHO KNOWS WHO I AM , WHERE I CAME FROM.

NEITHER I CHOSE MY BIRTH, NOR I CHOSE MY NAME .

NEITHER I CHOSE MY LIFE , NOR I CHOSE MY DEATH.

NEITHER IM "PREIST" IN TEMPLE , NOR IM "IMAM" IN MOSQUE.

NEITHER I KNOW RELIGION, NOR IM DISBELEIVER.

MY HEART IS DEEPEST THEN SEA ,WHO KNOWS THE DEPTH.
NEITHER YOU KNOW NOR I KNOW

I TRIED TO FIND MYSELF ON SKIES , I COULDN'T.

I TRIED TO FIND MYSELF ON EARTH, I COULDN'T.

I TRIED TO FIND MYSELF IN HEAVENS, I COULDN'T.
BUT
I FOUND MY SELF IN "A BROKEN HEART "
"IN CHAIN OF TEARS ."

THATS WAT I AM BUT WHO KNOWS
"WHO I AM"

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New Year's Resolutions

Hi this is Kurt.

Since New Year is coming up soon, I thought it would be great to talk about New Year's resolutions.

Making resolutions on New Year's Eve seems like a very popular practice all over the world. Everywhere in the world, people set goals for the next year on this special night, and I am sure you have done it, too.

Here are some interesting facts about New Year's resolutions:

About 3 out of 4 people have made a New Year's resolution at some point of their lifetime, and about 4 out of 10 people make one every year.

Some of the most common types of New Year's resolutions are:

1. Spend more time with family.
2. Lose weight/keep in shape.
3. Quit smoking/drinking.
4. Have more fun/learn something new.
5. Save money.

Unfortunately, by the end of the first week of January, 25% of the people who have made the promises give up. :(

But, that does not mean making New Year's resolution is a waste of time.

If you can take your time and set your goals carefully and specifically, you will probably succeed.

For 2011, I decided to learn a new language (probably Japanese). I always envied people who could speak so many different languages, and I love learning languages.

So, what are your goals for 2011?


by Kurt Ahn.

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The Secret About Great Teachers

At this day and age I noticed that we have fewer exceptional teachers, and more mediocre teachers. I believe that the mediocre teachers lack something very crucial that hinders them from ever achieving greatness. Extraordinary teachers have a passion for what they do, they have a positive attitude and they can motivate students by relating to them and working within their incentive systems.

Spectacular teachers becoming scarcer we have begun to accept mediocrity as long as they have the practical knowledge and a piece of paper that says they do – a degree or certificate. These “teachers” have all the practical knowledge you could want; they might be able to parrot back to you the entire encyclopedia Britannica, but they still lack something, that “so close yet so far” – passion. A superstar teacher who is passionate is naturally talented because they love what they do, they are doing it because they want to see students learn and grow, and as a result they have radiate charisma and a contagious enthusiasm. I am not dreaming, teachers like this are few and far between, but they do exist. A teacher who is passionate about teaching can inspire you to be passionate about teaching and look at life in a totally different light.

Another quality a great teacher possesses is the ability to see things in a positive light and the ability to take responsibility. They don’t blame people for their mistakes, they don’t have a victim’s mentality, and they don’t want to cut themselves when someone gives them constructive criticism. Every mistake and critique they receive is something they can learn from so that they can really refine and improve on their teaching ability. They don’t play the blame game or make excuses; they take responsibility and think about what they can change, they believe that they are the masters of their destiny. A teacher who makes excuses and has a victim mentality doesn’t have control of his life, is controlled externally, never changes, never improves, and never becomes great. On the other hand, the great teacher takes responsibility, takes control of his life, takes action, adapts, improves, and achieves his goals.

Although a great teacher can generally spark a student’s dormant enthusiasm and passion, there are some who need to be motivated differently. Any great teacher is able to ‘walk in their shoes’ and take some time to think about what makes the students motivated. They know that young kids and adolescents have a different paradigm and mindset and that the same things that make adults tick aren’t necessarily the same things that make young students tick. I have seen some truly excellent teachers use this to their advantage by offering incentives such as snacks, fieldtrips, and recognition and witnessed how effective it is.

In brief, these are some of the main traits of the truly successful, wonderful, and inspirational teachers. The things that truly separate the magnificent and the mediocre are passion for teaching, the ability to take responsibility and maintain a positive attitude, and see the world through the eyes of their students. I see a bright future for the aspiring teachers who possess these traits, as they will become legends, who will continue to inspire for years to come.

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Challenges of Teaching Multi-Level Classes

There are many challenges in teaching a multi-level class. When teaching a multi-level class the teacher must be adaptable and able to cater to the needs of a variety of different skill levels. Students who have a higher level of understanding for the subject could easily get bored because it is not challenging enough for them. On the other hand there are the lower level students who could feel anxiety, nervousness and inadequacy when confronted with difficult questions. Consequently, this could be very frustrating for the student and the teacher.

I have taught some small multi-level classes just recently and found it challenging. However, I feel like I have learned many new things that I could try when teaching them in the future. I would begin the activity with the entire group united and have them discuss the theme that the lesson would be focusing on. I would then divide them into equal ability groups and each group would be responsible for completing a specific task according to their skill level. Each specific task would contribute something towards completing the big picture. I would then divide them into mixed ability groups where they would do something interactive such as a role-play to enhance their communication skills. I would set up stations for different levels in the classroom so that those who finish early can continue to learn and practice their skills.

It is especially difficult to evaluate students in a multi-level class. Our goal is to evaluate the students in comparison with their personal goals and personal best, not compare them against each other. Some ways we can monitor their progress without this kind of awkward dynamic is to find alternatives such as journals, participation, and observation of the students and for the students to monitor their own progress with a checklist.

by Ken Lam

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ESL Teaching at ATC

Yesterday I finally got the opportunity to teach after about 2 weeks! I had been long anticipating a chance to teach ever since I had taught Social Studies to a class of high school juniors last year. I had craved the feeling of standing up in a class of students and teaching. I loved the rush you got when you know all eyes are on you and that you were in a way leading them towards the right path. I had an amazing feeling of satisfaction when I felt that I came across in just the right way and so that both me and my students were enjoying the class.

Although it was a really fun experience I also found it a bit challenging. I had a hard time adapting because I was used to teaching a class of 30 native English speakers. I had to be very conscious of my voice fluctuation and volume as well as the speed so that I did not intimidate or confuse my students. When I had first planned this lesson a week ago I did not take the time, and how long everything would take, into consideration. I could have improved the overall experience for the students by paying close attention to the specifics, preparing more examples and being more clear about the task and expectations.

During the runtime of the class I felt that it could have benefited me to read the students' physical cues instead of interrupting their train of thought by constantly asking if they needed more time. Variety is the spice of life; when I got them to read aloud I had given them large chunks to summarize and I feel that I should have allowed them to alternate more to provide more variety.

Despite having run into many obstacles in terms of adapting, I realized that this was 'falling off your bike' part of teaching. We sometimes forget that we all have to start somewhere. Making initial mistakes is what makes it all the more rewarding when we do reach our highest potential because we know that we made something from nothing. When we look back we can truly appreciate where we are at and how much hard work and determination it took to get there.

by Ken Lam

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The things which we didn't know

There are many thing that we didn't know , so I'll introduce some facts.^^

1. crocodiles can't push out their tongue.

2. shrimps' heart is in their head.

3. pigs can see the sky. I heard that they can't raise their head. ^^

4. over 50 % people of world have never used a phone.

5. rats and horse can't vomit

6. "sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" that is the hardest sentence in English.

7. If you sneeze too strong, you would be died. In addition, if you try to bear sneezing, you would be died because blood vessels in neck or head will burst.

8. If you wear headphone for a hour , number of bacterium will increase about 700 times in the ear.

9. A lighter invented faster than a match.

10. 35% of people who look for a dating person are married people.

11. most lipsticks include a fish's scale.

are that amazing?? ^0^


By Dennis

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C/F feet/m lb/kg

It was below 22 degrees fahrenheit.It means it was below 30 degrees celsius.

MEANS>>>>>>>>>>>>COLD!!!!

Which do you use Celsius or Fahrenheit to describe temperature?

In North America, some people use Fahrenheit.

When you hear this conversation on the street, what do you think???

"It's going to be 32 degrees tomorrow."

"Really???oh,,,It's gonna be cold,,,I need a heavy jacket, gloves and a scarf!!!"

32 degrees?????It is hot!!!!!!you might think like this.

Actually they are using Fahrenheit instead of Celsius to describe temperature.

32 degrees fahrenheit means 0 degree celsius.

Now you understand,don't you?

It is very interesting to know different measurement.

When I was asked my hight by my friend, I answered 1.6 meters.

My friend was puzzled and asked me to describe with feet.

I DON'T KNOW! was my answer.

It was 5.2 feet.

1.5 meters is 5 feet.

2 meters is 7 feet.

1 foot is 0.3 meters ; means 30 centimeters.

So, it is about meter times 3.3 is foot(feet).

I can't tell you my weight,,,but here is a tip for lb(pound) and kg(kilogram).

100 lb is about 45 kg. 110 lb is about 50kg. 154 lb is about 70 kg.

Can you calculate your weight now?!

I remember just kg is about half of lb.This is not true but,,,,easy.

I like below 22 degrees fahrenheit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!love cold weather!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by yo-yo

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