MyTESOL103Blog

Hi, So this topic is a little sensitive and also funny. Each culture and person has something that they are proud of and feel happy about. Each culture and person has their own beliefs and their own support. And most cultures support the customs of their people. That being said sometimes we are put into situations that can stretch us or push us beyond what our perceived levels of comfort are. As we encounter other people in our lives we may be put in situations that challenge us. I think it is important to remember that each of us will pass through challenges and we must be aware of the fact that other people pass through them as well. Each person has their own way of doing things, and they usually do the things that are what is considered the norms of their society. When I was growing up my mother had to do everything. That was mostly due to the fact that she was a single mom, but it also was our southern culture. A woman's domain was the kitchen and the children and the man...

Hi, Differences in Manners, what a fun thing to talk about. As you all know I live in Korea and and I am an American. So, my stories so far have focused on that. But I have other examples of course as I am sure you all do, or to say it right, as ya'll do. So, I grew up in the south eastern part of America. Where I came from people are expected to be nice to each other. People will wave to you as you pass them in your car. People will even talk to you in the store or somewhere without even knowing you. You could go into Walmart and not even get far before you start having some conversation with a total stranger. So, when my wife and I moved to Idaho which is in the north western part of America, I acted the way that I was used to. I would wave to people and smile and try to say hello and things like that. And guess what, I was, for the most part looked at like I was crazy or something. So, I kind of stopped doing it, and then I went to visit my hometown for the summer with my ...

Hello, I am talking today about how it can be either easy or hard to have a cross-cultural classroom. I think it all depends on your perspective. If as the teacher you recognize that you are unique in your own beliefs and perspectives, than your students must also be unique. I use the word unique because even though there are many similarities that exist between us as humans, that each one of us is a unique individual with differing views and beliefs and practices. Knowing that each of your students may come from a different background than yourself, and have different emotional or sometimes even physical needs that are different than your own. For example, if you have a student with a disability that is either physical or mental, you will have to help them to learn in ways that work for them. Even if you have students that are from the same area as you, they may not have the same beliefs or mindsets as you. My overall point is that when you teach a class recognize that your st...

Hello, Today I am going to write about the different ways that cultures and people react or think about situations they go through or their successes and failures. This is called our Attributional  Tendencies. Here is a direct definition taken a website called SparkNotes under Social Psychology Summary, the definition is: Attributions  are inferences that people make about the causes of events and behavior. People make attributions in order to understand their experiences. Attributions strongly influence the way people interact with others. There are basically two types of this one is internal and the other external. Internal:  This is where you contribute your success or anything positive to yourself. If you were able to do something difficult and you completed it well, then you would only basically feel that it was due to your own talent or skill. External: This is basically the opposite of internal. This is where if you were to complete something or achie...

Hello, "Americans do not generally care if they are overheard or not" -Hall. I pretty much agree with that statement. I do not really mind if I am heard or not. I am just going to say what I need to regardless of who else may be around. Personal Space: Example 1: I do not like to be touched by other people. I never have. It makes me uncomfortable and I do not really enjoy it. I also do not like public displays of affection. When we first moved to Idaho we met some a Korean couple and became friends with them. As I began to be friends with him he began to become a little more affectionate with me. One day we were sitting on the sofa watching a video, my wife was next to me and the friend was on the other side. I began to laugh at something on the show and he laughed as well. No big deal right. Well until he reached over and grabbed my inner thigh and began to laugh more. I was so caught off guard that I abruptly stood. Each person in the room looked shocked. I did not...

Your Answer: Hi, So this time I am really excited to talk about this subject. As an American I know that I am independent. When I started school and filed for my FAFSA which is how we pay for school with the help of the US government. When I applied I was deemed independent and that felt good. Because I was independent. I had my own apartment, my own car and my own life. I worked and I ate and I did all of that without my family. I was unmarried at the time. I was proud of myself for the things that I had accomplished. Now, even though I am LDS and we preach unity, we also know that when we face judgement we will do this alone. No one else is responsible for our lives in that moment. I value my independence and I believe in it. However, I live in South Korea. And South Koreans are a collective society. They do not value independence and in the minds of the parents they are always able to tell you what to do, even when you are an adult! My mom stopped being able to tell me what...

Hello, This week so far we are talking about our differences in emotional expressiveness as it relates to cultures. I have a few stories about that. My wife and I moved to Rexburg Idaho in 2010. We had just come from Korea and were only married for about a 8 months at that point. When we got to Idaho we noticed many extreme differences from where we had just come from. But as we got acclimated and assimilated into the area we still had some troubles. Although not as many as when we first got there. One thing that I really struggled with was the way I was used to communicating. People from Idaho and especially eastern Idaho really struggled to understand a particular part of my personality and style. I grew up in Virginia and other areas in the south. I grew up with people who were overtly kind and friendly to your face but used subtle sarcasm to mock or insult you at the same time they were being "kind" to you. So, at the very least you could say that I had a very dry and...

Hello, I am on here again for a third time this week! I know you are as happy about that as I am. So, cultural miscommunication. I have so many stories and I am going to share a few of them. First up, in Korea it is a social norm to get married at 30. In LDS culture you would be considered an “old maid” or whatever that term is. But also, in America, or at least the America that I grew up in being married at 18 was not that strange and being married by 21 was completely normal. Even starting your own family that young was almost and, in many ways, still considered normal. My wife married me at 26 and I was 24. I thought we were a little older to be getting married as most of the people I knew were already married by our age. When my wife told her mother, she was getting married to me or rather when I proposed her mom did not like it at all. And to make matters worse my wife told me as plainly as you would tell someone hello. She just said her mom was upset that we were getting marr...

Hello again, So, life in Korea is a much different than the United States. But in some ways, it is the same. In Korea they seem to be both monochronic and polychronic. I have seen and experienced time and time again what it means to my wife to be on time. She is from Korea. She is not the only one who feels that way. But at the same time, business seems to be run in a polychronic style. They keep long hours and jump from priority to priority. It doesn’t seem that order is that important. They also focus a lot on team building. They often go on retreats together and usually eat meals and drink together after work. Not as individual friends, but as a company or a team. So, while they are very formal with each other and value being on time in their culture their work life seems drastically different. I am not wanting to put down Korea. It is a beautiful country with an incredibly rich culture and history. But between its government and its business practices and the massive stress tha...

Hello everyone, This week I learned more about cultural paradigms. I thought it was a great video and presentation done by Dean Ivers at BYU-Idaho in 2013. I provided a link to it below.  As you may know or not, I live in South Korea. I am married to a Korean girl and have half American/Korean daughters. I teach English here while I am finishing up my Bachelors. We have been here for a year and a half and before that we lived her for six months and then visited for two. So, I have a little over two years’ experience of what it means to live in Korea. Many people have come here to serve missions, and while I do count that for experience, I do not count it that much. Being a missionary means you have rules and responsibility outside of just trying to live with a different culture. You are not able to really see or interact with real Koreans as you are always trying to teach the gospel to them. I can say this because people who have served here have said the same things, an...