Three Kinds of Teachers (Second Version)

Education nowadays in Taiwan merely focuses on textbooks, exams and scores without concerning the benefits of students and their right to be educated. Because of Taiwan's score-trend education, there are few teachers encourage students to express their thoughts, but a lot of teachers only care about what kind of grades students receive in class. In general, teachers in Taiwan can be classified into three kinds. Each teacher has different teaching style that may have different influences on their students.

The first kind of teachers are those who always encourage students to take part in class. They ask students to share their ideas and teach them how to support the ideas with valid examples, which helps them develop the ability to think logically and make right decisions. Also, they teach their students how to learn, to sort and evaluate information, and even make judgments about evidence and sources. Finally, they allowed their students to have enough time to practice questioning, debating and researching. These teachers really care about their students and never blame them for having different ideas or different perspective towards things. This kind of teaching results in a better classroom discipline and a greater student learning.

The second kind of teachers always urge their student to improve their academic performance. They ask their students to highlight the main point, to summarize and analyze each chapter and even require them to take notes of everything they said. In addition, they often prepare a lot of handouts or pop quiz and force their students to swallow a great number of homework even though their students can not digest them well. They also ask their students to remember everything from the textbooks for getting better mark. This “duck feeding” teaching does not train students to be creative but makes them working like copy machines without ability to organize ideas.

Finally, there are teachers who care about nothing. They tend to be neither support nor demanding and thus often miss the warning signs from their students who are having trouble or under great sufferings. Also, students may feel unimportant and withdraw without emotional support from their teachers. These teachers’ attitudes have negative effect on their students. In addition, they may not even care about students' academic performance since they teach nothing except repeat what the textbooks say and read it out loud like a parrot. This kind of teaching often leads to a depressing relationship between teachers and students.

To sum up, I admire the first kind of teachers who have positive influence on their students. Students respect these teachers and know that they can go to them with problems of any kind no matter how big or small. This kind of teachers are the example that the other teachers should learn from.

Should Teens Have Cell Phones? (Final Version)

With the uae of cell phone growing rapidly for children and teens these days, cell phones have become a major concern for many parents. Different families have come to different conclusions on this issue. In some families, parents allow their kids to have their own cell phones, even kids who are not yet in their teen years. In other families, parents think it is unnecessary for their children to own a cell phone. Therefore, it often leads to a dilemma between children and their parents.

My parents are those who feel it is unnecessary for their kids to have cell phones. When I was in senior high, my parents told me that I could get a cell phone when I turned sixteen, so I asked for one as a birthday present. However, they broke their promise and said I could not get one because cell phones are fashion accessories and gaming devices that would only distract me from my schoolwork and waste my time. They thought it could be a distraction for me, even if it was just waiting for a call or message. They worried that I would waste time playing games or photographing since even the simplest cell phones seemed to come with games and a camera. Also, they believed cell phones had negative effects on my health. They believed the potential health risks of using cell phone were brain damage, hearing loss, radiation and tumors. Finally, they concerned about high phone bill costs which was just another expense that they had to pay for.

I knew my parents wanted to protect me from the dangers and abuses of cell phones as much as possible. However, they said I could get one when I turned sixteen. They are the ones who said it so I had the right to ask for one and I was quite sure I could use it properly. First, having a cell phone allowed my parents and I to keep in contact at all times, no matter where I was. I could never find myself without an opportunity to call my parents or emergency services if necessary. In addition, having a cell phone could help me develop my personal responsibilities. I would be responsible for taking care of my cell phone and not losing or damaging it. I would keep it to a limited number of minutes or text messages that my parents allowed me to use. Finally, if I had a cell phone, I would have no excuse for not calling home when I was going to be late. My parents could also use GPS to keep tabs on me at all times.

In sum, whether children have cell phone already or not, I really think phones can actually help parents keep kids safer. Parents should trust their children with this big responsibility. They can teach their kids how to use it responsibly and set the necessary limits. Thus, the dilemma between parents and kids can be solved.

 

 

Three Kinds of Teachers(First Version)

Education nowadays in Taiwan merely focuses on textbooks, exams and scores without concerning the benefits of students and their right to be educated. Because of Taiwan's score-trend education, there are few teachers encourage students to express their thoughts, but a lot of teachers only care what kind of grades students receive in class. In general, teachers in Taiwan can be classified into three kinds. Each teacher has different teaching style that may have different influences on their students.

The first kind of teachers are those who always encourage students to take part in class. They ask students to share their ideas and teach them how to support the ideas with valid examples, which helps them develop the ability to think logically and make right decisions. Also, they teach their students to learn how to learn, to sort and evaluate information, and even make judgments about evidence and sources. Finally, they allowed their students to have enough time to practice questioning, debating and researching with them. These teachers really care about their students and never blame them for having different ideas or different perspective towards things. This kind of teaching results in a better classroom discipline and a greater student learning.

The second kind of teachers always urge their student to improve their academic performance. They ask their students to highlight the main point, to summarize and analyze each chapter and even require them to take notes of everything they said. In addition, they often prepare a lot of handouts or pop quiz and force their students to swallow a great number of homework even though their students can’t digest them well. They also ask their students to remember everything from the textbooks for getting better mark. This “duck feeding” teaching doesn’t train students to be creative but makes them working like copy machines without ability to organize ideas.

Finally, there are teachers who care nothing. They tend to be neither support nor demanding and thus often miss the warning signs from their students who are having trouble or under great sufferings. Also, students may feel unimportant and withdraw without emotional support from their teachers. These teachers’ attitudes have negative effect on their students. In addition, they may not even care what kind of grades their students receive in class since they teach nothing except repeat what the textbooks say and read it out loud like a parrot. This kind of teaching often leads to an depressing relationship between teachers and students.

To sum up, I admire the first kind of teachers who have positive influence on their students. Students respect these teachers and know that they can go to them with problems of any kind no matter how big or small. This kind of teachers are the example that the other teachers should learn from.

Should Teens Have Cell Phones? (Second Version)

With cell phone usage growing rapidly for children and teens these days, cell phones have become a major concern for many parents. Different families have come to different conclusions on this issue. In some families, parents allow their kids to have their own cell phones, even kids who are not yet in their teen years. In other families, parents think it is unnecessary for their children to own a cell phone. Therefore, it often leads to a dilemma between children and their parents.

My parents are those who feel it is unnecessary for their kids to have cell phones. When I was in senior high, my parents told me that I could get a cell phone when I turned sixteen, so I asked for one as a birthday present. However, they broke their promise and said I couldn’t get one because cell phones are fashion accessories and gaming devices that would only distract me from my schoolwork and waste my time. They thought it could be a distraction for me, even if it was just waiting for a call or message. They worried that I would waste time playing games or photographing since even the simplest cell phones seemed to come with games and a camera. Also, they believed cell phones had negative effects on my health. They believed the potential health risks of using cell phone were brain damage, hearing loss, radiation and tumors. Finally, they concerned about high phone bill costs which was just another expense that they had to pay for.

I knew my parents wanted to protect me from the dangers and abuses of cell phones as much as possible. However, they said I could get one when I turned sixteen. They're the ones who said it so I had the right to ask for one and I was quite sure I could use it properly. First, having a cell phone allowed my parents and I to keep in contact at all times, no matter where I was. I could never find myself without an opportunity to call my parents or emergency services if necessary. In addition, having cell phone could help me develop my personal responsibilities. I would be responsible for taking care of my cell phone and not losing or damaging it. I would keep to a limited number of minutes or text messages that my parents allowed me to use. Finally, if I had a cell phone, I would have no excuse for not calling home when I was going to be late. My parents could also use GPS to keep tabs on me at all times.

In sum, whether children have cell phone already or not, I really think phones can actually help parents keep kids safer. Parents should trust their children with this big responsibility. They can teach their kids how to use it responsibly and set the necessary limits. Thus, the dilemma between parents and kids can be solved.

Should Teens Have Cell Phones? (First Version)

With cell phone usage growing rapidly for children and teens these days, cell phones have become a major concern for many parents. Different families have come to different conclusions on this issue. In some families, parents allow their kids to have their own cell phones, even kids who are not yet in their teen years. In other families, parents think it is unnecessary for their children to own a cell phone. Therefore, it often leads to a dilemma between children and their parents.

My parents are those who feel it is unnecessary for their kids to have cell phones. When I was in senior high, my parents told me that I could get a cell phone when I turned sixteen, so I asked for one as my birthday present. However, they broke their promise and said I couldn’t get one because cell phones are fashion accessories and gaming devices that would only distract me from my schoolwork and waste my time. They thought it could be a distraction for me, even if it was just waiting for a call or message. They worried that I would waste time playing games or photographing since even the simplest cell phones seemed to come with games and a camera. Also, they believed cell phones had negative effects on my health. They believed the potential health risks of using cell phone were brain damage, hearing loss, radiation and tumors. Finally, they concerned about high phone bill costs which was just another expense that they had to pay for.

I knew my parents wanted to protect me from the dangers and abuses of cell phones as much as possible. However, they said I could get one when I turned sixteen. They're the ones who said it so I had the right to ask for one and I was quite sure I could use it properly. Having a cell phone allowed my parents and I to keep in contact at all times, no matter where I was. I could never find myself without an opportunity to call my parents or emergency services if necessary. It could be easier for my parents to decide pick-up times and locations so I didn’t have to wait in an unsafe place or borrow a strangers phone. In addition, having cell phones helped me develop my friendship. Although my parents might worry that I would communicate too much with friends and too little with them, the importance of socialization for teenagers like me could not be undervalued. Cell phones allowed me to communicate with my friends regularly, encouraging me to take time to sustain relationships with friends.

In sum, whether children have cell phone already or not, I really think phones can actually help parents keep kids safer. Parents should trust their children with this big responsibility. They can teach their kids how to use it responsibly and set the necessary limits. Thus, the dilemma between parents and kids can be solved.

Playing House

Organization and Ideas 

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1.          Leight poses a question “Do the chances of a successful marriage actually improve by cohabiting?” Her answer is “NO”. She also quotes various cases and research in support of her opinion.

2.          Cohabiting and married couples have different characteristic. Cohabiting couples lack both specialization and commitment in their relationships. They generally live financially and emotionally independent to allow themselves to leave whenever they want. This often results in short-term relationships. In contrast, married couples specialize. They share household chores and pool their money, time and other resources to create a higher quality lifestyle.

3.          Leight prefers married couples than cohabiting couples because she shows the advantages of married couples and the disadvantages of cohabiting couples. She tries to break the misunderstanding that cohabiting improves the chances of a successful marriage and convinces people that trust and commitment is the key to successful marriage.

4.          I think it is sufficient enough for a research paper. Work cites shows references in a very detail way.

5.          No, I think this essay is pretty convincing.

Living on Tokyo Time

Organization and Ideas 

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1.          Butler describes that Japanese are so busy that they work 10 hours a day and even work on days off. They seldom take a vacation of more than four days. Therefore, a straight week is like a luxury for them. Students are no exception in such a fast-paced society in Japan. Their summer vacation is less than a month and they still have to do a lot of assignments.  

2.          Why doesn't this cradle-to-grave, manic scheduling bother them? It is because Japanese grow up with a sense of time as a communal resource and obligation. They follow their culture and faith to build a well-organized society.  

3.          Japanese believe that time belongs to the whole society and their priority is to serve it. To them, free time only exists when obligations have all done. In contrast, Americans believe time belongs to individuals. They own their own time and are reluctant to sacrifice it for work. Therefore, they take it for granted that their free time is none of their boss's or teacher's business.

4.          Butler probably prefers the life style in America because she says that she would not trade a lifetime of free time for all of the invaluable social goods in Japan.

5.          Americans treat time as it belongs to them and thus they know how to save time, spend them, invest time and even kill time. They force themselves to sacrifice their time for work to get money. Therefore, they think their free time is none of their boss's business.