#literally feels like i'm back in kindergarten learning my letters | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

prettyboysdontlookatexplosions · 2 years

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okay here's a thing i uncovered/recontextualized for myself to further add to everyone's curiosity re: "but how could literally anyone think this worked" in the world of Anti Sounding It Out. i mentioned before that while some people refer to the imagined halcyon days where we taught phonics and everyone could read, never has everyone in america been even close to being able to read, and part of that is because they way we taught phonics was probably in many cases not very good. [insert disclaimer about how america is a deranged federalization of a zillion different weirdo places and this also extends to schools and ultimately does make it hard to meaningfully generalize about them. you can find someone in america doing almost anything in a classroom.] like, if you were taught the level of phonics i remember learning as a child - consonant sounds & digraphs (though not by that name), short & long vowel sounds, "if two vowels go a-walking, the first one does the talking" (instead of being taught the sounds made by vowel teams), a couple more common weird letter/sound combos like -tion - and also you were dyslexic or just in the majority of the population that needs more structure to hit full proficiency in decoding, then "sound it out" would not be very useful advice, actually, for many words. also if you hadn't had enough opportunities to practice various skills to mastery (which is huge and i think an underrated issue in... many areas) even if you had been "taught" the rules, they still would not be very actionable for you going out and about reading.

i think if you ARE in the relatively natural reader demographic, it's hard to wrap your head around that situation. it's hard to imagine that a kid can know their letters & sounds, and still not be able to "sound out" such and such word - especially if you don't also have knowledge of more advanced phonics features. (i think also just visually seeing long words is stressful/cognitively overwhelming to kids who have a more uphill road with decoding if they haven't been given specific ways to break them down.)

so when i was working with early readers, back when i was assistant teaching and also in grad school for example (i started to have my doubts... not long after i finished grad school lol but on literacy stuff i was a believer the whole way through my degree pretty much), i would sometimes run into a situation where i'd be reading with a kid and they'd hit a word they didn't know. and i would be like, can you sound it out? and this kid, who i knew from other experiences knew their letter sounds, would not be able to sound the word out. so that activated my own confirmation bias, and seemed to demonstrate for me (someone who was reading before kindergarten and truly has NO memory of the actual process of learning to read, and for whom a lot of this stuff did kind of come together naturally) that for lots of kids, "phonics" isn't "enough" - because, like, they'd done phonics, and it wasn't enough! and now i look back and i'm like, well they knew the basics but they didn't know the features relevant to that word, because they hadn't figured them out. and in retrospect this feels extremely obvious. but at the time it really didn't, and those experiences felt at the time like evidence for this (bad) idea that kids learn to read through this like weird witches' brew of strategies and factors. especially since i received in grad school a total of two hours on phonics instruction and most of that was about ways to play phonics games, and none of it included, like, "here is a comprehensive list of sounds & rules in the english language arranged in a logical sequence."

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theliterarywolf · 2 years

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Another thing to dislike about Booktok. You mentioned how shit they are at actually describing what's inside with the steaminess. They also suck ass at warning you about content. It's like they want to warn you, but are too uncomfortable to mention what the triggers, squicks, or just unpleasant parts of the story might contain. Not everyone, but I've noticed a few do this, which is obnoxious. Booktok also feels like it has little in terms of diversity. Not in terms of like #Diversity, but as in book diversity, it feels like hundreds of people recommend the exact same books, and have the exact same talking points just a bit reworded. And still pretend like it was a "rare find" or some unknown book. Another issue is that they literally go seemingly only by diversity, without actually mentioning if the book is well written. It's as if adding in a bunch of different groups offsets any poor writing. "This story has LGBT themes, black, Latino, Asian characters... the writing is kindergarten level, and the author can't write any word above 5 letters correctly, their prose is all over the place, they randomly switch between past and present tense, and they constantly forget their own characters names... anyway, 8.5/10, a masterpiece." They conflate liking a book, with the book being a literary masterpiece. Their entire reasoning is also just "I like this, so it's a masterpiece." but can't even back it with anything but that "I like it" argument. They explain things as if they were a fanfic, instead of an Original work. You know the difference I assume: Fanfic you basically go into the tags as plot points, because people should already know the original stories base. Meanwhile with Original works you also need to lay the foundation for the story, to understand the themes, you can't just throw random fanfic lingo and leave it at that. They often sound like people who don't like to read, trying to tell you what to read. I don't even doubt many have read what they've talked about, but they literally sound like they don't actually read for the enjoyment of it, more like it's a chore for class. Especially when they can't even remember the main plot of the story they're trying to recommend. Criticism. They seem to have no idea how to actually critique a story. Even though that is probably one of the most basic skills you learn in schools, while doing text-analysis. It also feels like some of them are too afraid to do criticism, and instead just praise everything out of their arse. The already mentioned: They have no idea how to do summaries of the plot of the story. Like other anon mentioned: "You think it'll be a romcom, but ends up being a psychological thriller stalker." Although I don't think Booktok would ever be able to do it that way round, it's more like they'd try to claim/making it sound like the Psychological-thriller-stalker is actually a romcom stalker, because they hyper focus on certain tropes. Obviously the steaminess levels you mentioned. SpicyBookTok makes it sound like like the book is nothing but smut start to end, but then there's maybe one vanilla sex scene, and some graphic hand-holding. There's more, but this is my first load of issues.

BookTok: Wants to be a space of promoting books outside of the conventional publishing space that focus on diverse topics and backgrounds.

Also BookTok: Exists on a platform were people have to censor every other word like they're in a hellish combination of Homestuck Act 3 and that one Orbit gum commercial

I'd also like to bring attention to the 'They conflate liking a book, with the book being a literary masterpiece' point you made. It reminds me of how a lot of people, particularly young people, treat liking things as a core element of their personality and, therefore, think that they have to defend and praise that thing to a cultish degree otherwise they feel like they aren't 'respecting' the thing enough.

And when I say 'defend' I'm not talking about 'oh, someone is misrepresenting the thing to try and tear it and its fans down; let me step in'. I'm talking about those people who treat the thing like the second coming of Christ and start trying to badger everyone into engaging with it, belittling those who aren't, and harassing those who do end up engaging but end up having some viable criticisms.

Again, I bring up Swell Entertainment's The Cult of BookTok video and how she brings up that while individuals like that Chad guy who brought it upon himself to start belittling and badmouthing grown women for reading smut brought his dogpiling on himself, the cases where a guy will simply make a joke about a popular book and end up with a bunch of people harassing them? Yeah, that's a bit off.

#submission

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bylertruther · 2 years

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12, 20, 23!

twelve. favourite quote?

"Is that why you don't have any friends?" will forever be the funniest line, because Jonathan's reaction to getting mercilessly clocked like that is just too good bdfkjhbdsjf. This is, of course, tied with Mike's one and only most iconic and earnest declaration of love: "Do you remember the first day that we met? It was… It was the first day of kindergarten. I knew nobody. I had no friends and… I just felt so alone and so scared, but… I saw you on the swings and you were alone, too. You were just swinging by yourself. And I just walked up to you and… I asked. I asked if you wanted to be my friend. And you said yes. You said yes. It was the best thing I've ever done."

Honorable mention to Hopper's letter, too, because these bits really spoke to me: "Feelings. Jesus. The truth is, for so long I'd forgotten what those even were. I've been stuck in one place. In a cave, you might say. A deep, dark cave." [...] "Make mistakes, learn from 'em. And when life hurts you, because it will, remember the hurt. The hurt is good. It means you're out of that cave." Fucking hell, old man. I'm being killed to the death out here.

twenty. favourite emotional moment?

That scene from season one when Joyce sees Will in the wall and the kids can hear him through the radio at school will forever and always make me cry. :( Noah manages to sound so genuinely terrified and desperate that it makes me anxious. Winona, of course, does a great job at showcasing Joyce's pain and struggle where you know she desperately wants to help Will, but she can't and even if she wants to keep him there because it's Will! he's alive! he's finally here! the only way she can help him is to tell him to run because if he stays then he'll die. :( And then you see all of the kids in the AV room trying to talk to him on the radio and crying as they hear the sheer terror in Will's voice and then they realize that he's in serious danger. That this is real life: Will is not safe, he is terrified, he needs help now, and he's being hunted by a monster to top it all off; but... just like Joyce, they can only listen to him cry and plead and hope that he can hold on a little longer. :( It's just... WOW. Fucking iconic television honestly. Winona and Noah ate that shit up. I think it's especially poignant that we watch them listen to Will being hunted by a monster in the Upside Down and then right after we watch Mike push down another monster (Troy) in the Right Side Up. If he can't protect Will where he is now and slay his monster there, then maybe he can at least do his part in their world fight Will's bully here. </3 I also really loved the scene when Joyce and Hopper are trying to resuscitate Will. We know that Hopper is terrified and triggered by this, but he's powering through and trying everything he can to keep Will and Joyce from suffering the same fate that his family went through. It's just really powerful to witness Hopper's flashbacks to Sarah and Joyce begging and pleading and sobbing for Will to come back. Season one is literally just that girl like nooooooo one compares tbh.

twenty three. who has the best hairstyle throughout all the seasons?

Steve and Mike are both tied because they've yet to have a bad hair day!

#asks #thank u thank u thank u :D !

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meichenxi · 3 years

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Hi!! I'm a college student about to graduate and my dream is to teach English in China and I was wondering if you could somehow help me and give me some advice. I have been studying Chinese during my years at university (and I love your blog!), along with my physics degree. I don't know if any of this is relevant but my level of Mandarin is not very high (HSK3), I study in the UK and I'm planning to get a TEFL 120 hour certification in June. Is this a solid plan? Love your blog, Isa

Hiii! Sorry it took me so long to get to this, I have my final exams at the moment and am on semi-hiatus. First, what an amazing dream!! You'll have a wonderful time :D

SO in general having a degree not in English language and a TEFL certificate is most definitely enough to secure you a job, but at the moment it is a rather 'special period', as every job advert says, and so finding a job is a little trickier because of visa problems.

Basically, there are no work or study visas available at the moment for people from the UK. The only people who can get into China are those who the Chinese Embassy deems 'foreign experts' and therefore 'crucial to China's progress', and your company or school will have to provide something called a PU letter. This grants you the ability to actually apply for the work visa, though itself doesn't grant it. At the moment there aren't that many companies available who can offer that.

Because of this, I'd recommend going through a recruitment company. I do not necessarily mean a graduate scheme (the ones advertised as such are not very well paid and you don't have much control over where you go), but a recruitment company. You can find these on any general site if you google 'ESL jobs China'.

In terms of actual jobs - generally speaking there are three categories, private language schools, state schools, and international schools. International schools are by far the best in terms of packages, but they rarely take graduates without 3 years of teaching experience. The good news is that if you do find somebody who is looking for recent grads (if you go to a particularly prestigious university like Oxbridge, for instance), you might be able to teach Physics or Science rather than English language. International schools will also be the easiest to deal with in terms of communication and visa applications, but the competition is quite stiff, and most people who apply will be teachers in their home countries already.

State schools are another good option if you want 'normal' teaching hours, good holidays, and older children. The position I have next year is in a good state school that has two programs, the Canadian curriculum and the GaoKao (the Chinese university entrance exam). The main disadvantage is that you may be the only foreigner in the school, and communication might be difficult. I don't just mean with Chinese but in general: you will be not told things, you will be excluded, you will turn up to your class and find someone else teaching it and be told just to go back to your office. If you can be flexible and have an open mind, state schools are great, but they may be quite exhausting especially if this is your first time in China. You will also have to teach to exams, and the curriculum might be tight. For me personally though, I would much rather teach in a state school than the next option -

Which is private language schools. These are very good - sometimes. This is the main problem: the quality of the schools, the teaching, and the ethos all vary from school to school. You may be teaching very young children, and you may be teaching exclusively in the evening. The schools may be very supportive of creativity in the classroom, or you may be literally forced to teach the flashcards they give you. The plus about these schools is that they often have competitive relocation packages, are not too bothered about how experienced (or not) you are, and that there will be a community of other English speaking colleagues (natives and not) to help you integrate.

The reason I add this is that it's so, so important. It's very laudable and easy to wish for immersion and want to make Chinese friends - and you should!! - but living in another country without easy access to internet you are used to can be exhausting at times and even the staunchest believer in immersion is going to be stressed and tired and teary far from home. Having colleagues who want to improve their English can also be a good basis for a (somewhat awkward at first) friendship.

Some general tips: brush up on your English grammar. Seriously. Because the amount of teachers who have no idea and bluff their way through it is shocking and disrespects those who try very hard to make it a proper profession. Also having students ask you when you use the present perfect continuous and the present perfect simple and not knowing the answer is a very special kind of pain!! I'd recommend bringing a reputable grammar book with you, and using it when making your lesson plans.

Re Chinese: if you already have a little, your Chinese will improve so much when you're there!! Don't stress about it because China is a wonderful environment for learning - it's literally perfect, few people speak English and EVERYBODY wants to speak to you as many people are direct and very curious - but at the same time, the more you can learn, the easier it will be. Don't neglect your characters!! Learning useful menu characters and signs will be hugely helpful too. You won't need Chinese in your job really, but you definitely will in your daily life, so well done for learning and keep at it!!

The other thing I would say is: sort out your music and your social media and your banking before going to China. This includes a good VPN. You can't download apps on the google App Store, and to make the transition to the Chinese internet easier, I'd recommend getting a Weibo account, any music app, Baidu translate and maps and so on, and accustoming yourself to that before going.

Re where you are going and the package: you should have your flight paid, help with your visa, and transparency about quarantine procedures. You should also have accommodation or an accommodation allowance of between 2000-5000 (2000 is more than fine). Public or international schools may pay for your food during school-time as well. Re cities: prioritise what is important to you. If you want to save, bear in mind that China is extraordinarily cheap and that even in places like Shanghai, you can still save a lot if you live somewhat sensibly. To give you some context: I lived in Tianjin, a second-tier city, and I got 'pocket money' of 2000 every month (with accommodation and food paid), and I managed to save enough to do martial arts for a month at an academy after 5 months. And I was living well - going out about twice a week, taking taxis, eating out almost every evening (cheap food). So don't prioritise one position over another solely because of money, and also bear in mind kindergarten teachers may only be getting about 2000-3000 a month - so regardless of whether you earn 10,000 or 15,000, it's a) SIGNIFICANTLY enough to live very well and save very well too, and b) considerably more than many of your coworkers will be earning.

Also, different cities have different costs of living: 10,000 somewhere like Hangzhou will go considerably further than 16,000 in Shanghai. Another thing to bear in mind is the air quality, and the environment, and the access to green spaces. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THIS. If this is important to you, go somewhere smaller or in the south with access to nature - I nearly went crazy living in such a big city with such poor air quality. The positions I had to choose between were one in Shanghai, better paid and at a better school, and a position in Zhuhai in a campus in the mountains, in a third-tier city by the sea. I know now how important green is to me, how much I prefer a more relaxed pace of life, and so I chose the latter.

Lastly, don't be intimidating and don't be afraid to ask questions about your job. Make sure that everything they say is in the contract, in both the English version and the Chinese version. This is important because only the Chinese version is legal, so if you have a friend, get them to check that the same stuff is in each bit of the contract. Communication might be difficult, but don't be afraid to be direct and press for answers, don't just accept what you're told. You might be messed around with a bit, so it's important to 'shop around' for positions - don't feel bad if you do so, and don't be afraid to turn things down that don't suit. Finally, don't feel terrified if you can't find information about a school online - a lot of stuff isn't on Google, and will also be better accessed via WeChat or mini programs. Not finding information about your school or city does not mean it doesn't exist!!

So be prepared for a wild ride - and enjoy! If you have any more questions about any of this, please feel free to ask at any time!

meichenxi out :P

#advice #esl #teaching esl #askies #esl in china

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