M.I.H.S. Summer School 2008 July 24, 2008
Art and Collaboration
On July 21-22, 2008, Manhattan International High School hosted the Collaborative Art Initiative (CAI). More than 20 teachers from the Academic Program, University of the Middle East Project, together with the American coordinators, and Professor Mark Cooper (sculptor and artist), animated this two-day initiative, and engaged about 35 MIHS students who were in the process of attending different summer school classes.
This became an extremely enriching temporary interruption of the progress of their class work. To quote one of the students, during these two amazing days, “we all became part of the planet earth.” A group of students attending the enrichment literacy summer course reveal their feelings in their heart-felt articles written in class as a follow up activity. They worked hard to be able to use English words that could say how they really felt. Editing their drafts with the help of teachers and peers was a necessary bridge to express themselves in English. Their still in-progress language skills allow the true feelings of enjoyment and appreciation to be perceived by the reader. (Cinzia Bontempo)
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Free Acting Classes
If you are interested in taking acting classes this summer or next fall contact the Creative Arts Team. This program is provieded through the CUNY Schools. For more information about joining the CAT Youth Theatre call 212.652.2828 or contact ourYouth Theatre Administrator at Elly.Richards@mail.cuny.edu
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Where in the World is Education Better??
We surveyed 88 students asking them to compare education in their native country with the US. Surprisingly, only 57% of the students said the US is better. The other 47% preferred the education system in their native country.
People who said that education is better in United States said that in this country you have many more educational opportunities and you can actually enjoy your education rather than just look at it as a boring task. The United States gives you the opportunity to learn things in a more fun way that makes education very interesting for young people. In their native countries students didn’t get to have a good relationship with their teachers. Many students mentioned that their teachers weren’t available to talk with them about problems inside and outside school. However, here most of the teachers are always available to talk to the students. Another thing somebody mentioned was that in the United States you are accepted for who you are and you can make the best of it. In other countries students have problems with education because teachers want them to think in only one way, but in the United States teachers are trying to find the best skill a student has and bring it up to the surface. Students here have more freedom to use the skills they have to their advantage.
The other 47% chose the education system in their native country. Most of the students said that even though here there are more opportunities, the level of knowledge in their countries was much higher. Students said that back in their countries they learned much more advanced content than here. However, we have to understand that our school is for second language students and that is a reason why it may seem easier. Other students said that learning in a second language is simply too difficult. Students also said that teachers in their native countries were stricter. Teachers kept a distance making the students work harder.
However, education shouldn’t’ be something that seems like a task but something that you want to do and, in my opinion, if teachers are so strict and they don’t care whether you learn or not then education won’t be interesting and you won’t want to learn.
Many years ago when people couldn’t be educated unless they had money, they fought for education. They wanted everyone to be able to learn and have the ability to become educated because they thought that education was a wonderful thing. If we will now make education seem as something boring and horrible then all of that effort was useless. Everyone has different opinions about where education is better, but wherever that is, it should be fun and enjoyable because education will only make our lives better.
Katerina Andreadis
People who said that education is better in United States said that in this country you have many more educational opportunities and you can actually enjoy your education rather than just look at it as a boring task. The United States gives you the opportunity to learn things in a more fun way that makes education very interesting for young people. In their native countries students didn’t get to have a good relationship with their teachers. Many students mentioned that their teachers weren’t available to talk with them about problems inside and outside school. However, here most of the teachers are always available to talk to the students. Another thing somebody mentioned was that in the United States you are accepted for who you are and you can make the best of it. In other countries students have problems with education because teachers want them to think in only one way, but in the United States teachers are trying to find the best skill a student has and bring it up to the surface. Students here have more freedom to use the skills they have to their advantage.
The other 47% chose the education system in their native country. Most of the students said that even though here there are more opportunities, the level of knowledge in their countries was much higher. Students said that back in their countries they learned much more advanced content than here. However, we have to understand that our school is for second language students and that is a reason why it may seem easier. Other students said that learning in a second language is simply too difficult. Students also said that teachers in their native countries were stricter. Teachers kept a distance making the students work harder.
However, education shouldn’t’ be something that seems like a task but something that you want to do and, in my opinion, if teachers are so strict and they don’t care whether you learn or not then education won’t be interesting and you won’t want to learn.
Many years ago when people couldn’t be educated unless they had money, they fought for education. They wanted everyone to be able to learn and have the ability to become educated because they thought that education was a wonderful thing. If we will now make education seem as something boring and horrible then all of that effort was useless. Everyone has different opinions about where education is better, but wherever that is, it should be fun and enjoyable because education will only make our lives better.
Katerina Andreadis
Volleyball Equals Teamwork
By Leo (Mingxi Jiang), Evo-A
Volleyball is a 12 man sport which needs a lot of teamwork. A regular game would have 2 teams of six players separated by an 8ft net. The six men of each team need rotate positions throughout the game. They move clockwise one spot when their own team starts serving. Each team would have a setter, passers, and hitters. The Passers’ job is to pass the first ball after the opponent serves or dig the ball when opponent hits. The setter, a team usually has 1 or 2 setters on court, needs to set the volleyball to the hitters from the 1st pass. Obliviously, the hitters hit the volleyball hard over the net and try to score. Each of the games would have total 25 points. The first team reaches 25pt wins. The whole match would be the best out of 3 games or best out of 5 games.
The most important concept of volleyball is teamwork. The players can’t hit the ball twice in a row. This means that a play in volleyball games always needs to be run with 2 or 3 players. The rest of the players also need to get ready on the defensive positions. In a game, communication is also a key to succeed. When players receive the ball, they need to communicate so they other players would know and leave the ball. The hitters need to talk to the setter so that he would know where to set the hitters. In a way, volleyball is built on communication and team work.
If any of you like sports, and are willing to train you teamwork and communication skills, you can join the school volleyball team. The season is already in progress. Feel free to join the team if you are interested. The team has practice everyday after school from 3:30 to 6:00 in the 2nd floor gym. You can also check our stat and record on the school website - School resources, sports.
Volleyball is a 12 man sport which needs a lot of teamwork. A regular game would have 2 teams of six players separated by an 8ft net. The six men of each team need rotate positions throughout the game. They move clockwise one spot when their own team starts serving. Each team would have a setter, passers, and hitters. The Passers’ job is to pass the first ball after the opponent serves or dig the ball when opponent hits. The setter, a team usually has 1 or 2 setters on court, needs to set the volleyball to the hitters from the 1st pass. Obliviously, the hitters hit the volleyball hard over the net and try to score. Each of the games would have total 25 points. The first team reaches 25pt wins. The whole match would be the best out of 3 games or best out of 5 games.
The most important concept of volleyball is teamwork. The players can’t hit the ball twice in a row. This means that a play in volleyball games always needs to be run with 2 or 3 players. The rest of the players also need to get ready on the defensive positions. In a game, communication is also a key to succeed. When players receive the ball, they need to communicate so they other players would know and leave the ball. The hitters need to talk to the setter so that he would know where to set the hitters. In a way, volleyball is built on communication and team work.
If any of you like sports, and are willing to train you teamwork and communication skills, you can join the school volleyball team. The season is already in progress. Feel free to join the team if you are interested. The team has practice everyday after school from 3:30 to 6:00 in the 2nd floor gym. You can also check our stat and record on the school website - School resources, sports.
Two Poems by Katerina
A Man Who
My mother's wedding,
will always stay in my mind,
even if I wasn't there yet.
Looking at that old picture
no matter how many years pass
the sad faces of my mom's relatives don't change.
They always have that disapproving look
that even the dust can't hide.
My mom in the center,
with her white puffy dress,
and the flower in her hair,
looking like a princess,
standing next to my father...
A man who never understood her value...
A man who took away my childhood...
A man who still instills fear in me,
every time I look at his face.
War
Open your eyes,
finally wake up!
stop talking about how dramatic your life is,
stop pretending that you are miserable.
Stand up on your feet
and look around you
You see the little girl crying?
alone in that corner of this bloody street?
Of course you do not,
your eyes can only see as much as you want them to see,
and you don’t let them see the real pain.
The pain that this boy has,
who begs for mercy from the soldier
without response,
claiming that he as well wants a family to live with,
a father to go fishing with,
a mother to wash him when he spends the whole afternoon,
playing with his friends,
and the only proof that he had fun,
will be the dirt on his face.
He as well wants to have
happy family dinners,
little brothers to share all the happy moments of his life,
and a life. A healthy life,
full of mistakes,
that will make him strong.
But you don’t see that,
so finally open your eyes,
look somewhere further than yourself,
and think what you can do about it.
And then,
when all of this is done,
you can put a smile
on your “never happy” face
and enjoy your life,
without complaints, please.
My mother's wedding,
will always stay in my mind,
even if I wasn't there yet.
Looking at that old picture
no matter how many years pass
the sad faces of my mom's relatives don't change.
They always have that disapproving look
that even the dust can't hide.
My mom in the center,
with her white puffy dress,
and the flower in her hair,
looking like a princess,
standing next to my father...
A man who never understood her value...
A man who took away my childhood...
A man who still instills fear in me,
every time I look at his face.
War
Open your eyes,
finally wake up!
stop talking about how dramatic your life is,
stop pretending that you are miserable.
Stand up on your feet
and look around you
You see the little girl crying?
alone in that corner of this bloody street?
Of course you do not,
your eyes can only see as much as you want them to see,
and you don’t let them see the real pain.
The pain that this boy has,
who begs for mercy from the soldier
without response,
claiming that he as well wants a family to live with,
a father to go fishing with,
a mother to wash him when he spends the whole afternoon,
playing with his friends,
and the only proof that he had fun,
will be the dirt on his face.
He as well wants to have
happy family dinners,
little brothers to share all the happy moments of his life,
and a life. A healthy life,
full of mistakes,
that will make him strong.
But you don’t see that,
so finally open your eyes,
look somewhere further than yourself,
and think what you can do about it.
And then,
when all of this is done,
you can put a smile
on your “never happy” face
and enjoy your life,
without complaints, please.
Hello Columbia University!
Valeri
Interview by Katerina and Luz.
Did you get a scholarship?
Valeri - Yes, I did get a full scholarship for $ 200,000. Everything is covered. So, I’ll be studying at my dream college for free.
Why do you wanted to go to Columbia University?
Valeri = Well, I actually wanted to go to Columbia University because that has been my dream since I was very young. Also, the president of my country graduated from Columbia so I always used to hear “Columbia…Columbia” all the time on TV. It was really my dream so when I came here, I joined a program at Columbia which is called “Double Discovery Center” and after I became part of the campus. I fell in love with the place. It was no longer my passion but my strongest dream and there were a lot of reasons for me to go to Columbia which helped me make the decision to apply.
Do you think this school prepared you good enough for college?
Valeri - I think that in some ways this school prepared me good enough for college. But, I also think that you need to do things outside of school and be responsible to look for different opportunities for you which I did a lot.
Which profession do you want to follow in the future?
Valeri - Well, first I want to have a major in Political science and a minor in United States history or world history. I also want to become a judge so I obviously want to go to law school. I want to work for the United Nations.
Which grade do you think is the most important?
Valeri -I think the most important year was 11th grade because it was actually the most challenging. However, every grade had its importance for me.
What d0 you think helped you to get accepted in Columbia?
Valeri = I think it was basically my academic work and the teachers were really helpful in terms of the application process. But, as I said before the extracurricular activities help you a lot. You have to find something that you really have passion in which I basically did.
Did you expect to get accepted in Columbia?
Valeri - I think that when I apply to Columbia I wasn’t expecting to get accepted, but, I was certainly HOPING. It was really surprising. I was astonished and I’m still very surprised because the dream of my life came true. It was very different because I think in that moment there was HOPE and the only thing that I think I got at the end was the thought that “It’s up to you to get into the college that you want”.
What do you think is the best thing about our school?
Valeri -The best things about our school is the diversity and representation from different countries from almost all over the world.
What do you think is the worse thing about our school?
Valeri -The worse thing about our school is the fact that we didn’t have American students so we don’t get any experiences of interacting with Americans and we don’t get to know anything about their culture.
What is one of your best school memories’?
Valeri - There are a lot of good memories and a lot of friends. But, I think the best memory that I’ve had in this school was the trip to Washington D,C because the students, including me, and teachers kind of bonded more together and got to know each other better in different ways. So, it was a chance for me to bond together with teachers and students and to have fun which was the best part of everything.
What advice do you want to give to people who want to go to good colleges?
Valeri- I would just say keep up your grades … obviously, start studying for the SAT as soon as you can because we’re at the biggest disadvantage because English is not our native language; Get involvde in different activities outside of school and inside and DON’T let people tell you that you can’t do something if you know you are able to do it.
* WRITTEN by Luz Sierra.
Featured Teacher of the Month
MR.MOSES
Mr. Moses’ Interview
Q: Why did you choose to teach at our school?
MOSES: Actually I was a student teacher in this school before I became a teacher I came to this school and worked with Mr. Michael who is the principle at Kingsborough International HS right now. I saw the population in this school and I actually realized that I was really good with students who are immigrants. Plus, I kind of understand immigrant experiences because my parents also emigrated from Korea, I know what it's like to learn a second language and to be hyphenated American like Polish-America and Korea-America.
Q: Why do you teach freshmen instead of sophomore, junior, or senior level?
MOSES: Actually, I got this job when the only opening was for 9th grade, but I like teaching 9th grade because I am really good at it. I’m loud. I’m energetic, and I think I can relate to these students maybe a little bit more than some other teachers. I wasn’t a very good student when I grew up. I was a very bad student, and I’m a little immature as a teacher. So I think in that senses I know how to have fun(you know!) and students kind of like it. Also, I like to work with 9th grade because they need to be broken in. They come here, just out of junior high, and they think that they know everything and I like to make fun of them and let them know that they don’t know everything and kind of teach them how to get through the next couple years in high school. They need to work hard because if you get them later on they just will be disrespectful. So it's better to teach them and let them know the score from 9th grade.
Q: What are the problems that you usually face teaching 9th grade?
MOSES: The problems that I face in the class come with the huge varieties of language levels. We have students that just came here like week ago with students who perhaps learned English in their native country. I have to teach students who can speak so well and their writing is so wonderful alongside students who hardly know how to speak and write. My challenges are: How do I keep everyone in the class room interested? How do I make the top student still feel like they are learning and it not too easy for them? How do I help the student who doesn’t know the language, doesn’t know how to communicate in class, or participate in class? So basically my work is to try to find a way to help all students in class and make sure that they are doing their jobs well.
Q: What are some techniques that you use to teach English language?
MOSES: The technique for this school is to teach students through content. They can learn English through Global studies, Science, or English. So students are able to learn English through the subjects that they have been taught. And all the students have problems with grammar. I teach history so most of grammar that I teach student is past tense, so this is a challenge for them. I also talk and have a meeting with other teachers every Thursday. I usually talk about the students (of course!) and discuss the issues that students have. It’s good that on Thursday we, all four of their teachers, sit and talk about kids and how to find ways to help them.
Q: What is a profile of a good student in your opinion?
MOSES: I believe that students come in different sizes, colors, shapes, and languages. For me, I can say that if there were a prototypical student I would be a bad teacher. A good teacher knows that the students come from different backgrounds and have different needs. And, therefore, my job is to be the best teacher for all the difference types of students. If I just have only one kind of good student, it would make me just a pretty simple teacher. Personally, I like to work with the students who don’t like school and will act disrespectful in other classes because, to me, it’s more of a challenge. How can I make them like school? How can I make them do my homework? What can I do to make them improve their education and want to learn? I want them to find a reason to go to school.
Q: Do you think you achieve your goal as a successful teacher?
MOSES: In some points I think I am a successful teacher for some students. However, there are also students who have fallen into the cracks and I’m not able to reach them. Now I think one thing is because of I’m in graduate school right now. I go there and I get home like 10:00pm. I spend so much time doing other work that I need to finish for my degree, that I have less time to grade their homework. I think, therefore, this effects my teaching, but I think as soon as I am done I can spend more time and focus more on my students. I’ll be done in May and I’ll be an even more successful teacher (I hope). Also, I think I’m successful at catching a student who cheats in my class( watch out people!!) and I think I’m getting better this year because this year, I have caught, at least, three studentswho tried to cheat on my tests.
Q: Where do you prefer to teach, America or Korea?
MOSES: I prefer to teach here more than in Korea because here I have an opportunity to teach different kinds of people. Also, I love different food, different cultures, and different things so that’s why I love teaching at this school.
Q: Do you think students like you????
MOSES: I think they do, but you know what, I don’t care. I don’t care that they like me as long as----actually I do care a little. Still, I think most of them like me. I know not all of the students like me and I think students like me because of the way I teach. I don’t start out as friends with everybody; it is not my job as a teacher. But if you see me teach, I’ll do whatever I can to make it interesting and fun. And that’s what makes students like me, not because I’m beautiful which I am.
BY: KEMAKORN AND MAGDALENA
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