Dear “Anonymous” Student,
I was rather sad to see your open letter to Ajahn Giuliano (http://www.opnlttr.com/letter/open-letter-dr-giuliano-giustarini-mahidol-university), which I invite readers to see. In that letter, you also offer some advice to me, and as I am the director of the programme that you left with such long-lasting bitterness, I feel the need to respond to your claims. I have done so already, as comments to your own letter; but I realize that comments are often left unread.
Of course I am quite aware of your identity. Out of respect for your wish to remain anonymous, I shall not reveal it. However, it is not honest to post a string of defamatory accusations on the internet without signing them. Quite obviously, had you signed your letter, I could easily provide ample...
Education
Hello all.
Thank you. For your time, your concern, and your efforts. You're here for a reason and whatever that reason, I am thankful. I want for you to take a peek into my story and use it to empower yourself and all things positive.
June 19th, 2017
In so many ways, I've prided myself on you. That's MY school. But I see now where it is necessary to have a serious talk with you. This in no way is a critique to claim that you have no strengths because you are a mighty institution. I've grown here. Learned here. I've been on TV here. I’ve become a next level leader here. I've impressed my family here. Made the world of connections here. I'm your BSU President, Writing Fellow, President's 64 Member, Razor’s Edge Leadership Scholar, and Summer Housing Assistant. I literally, like...
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To Whom It May Concern,
As a child going through the Norwalk Public School System, I struggled with more than just academic courses; I was bullied by my peers because of my weight. You can imagine what went on in my head going to Nathan Hale Middle School as a young adolescent and being made fun of by other students, and then having to sit through classes that I struggled in or did not particularly care for.
I was never considered to be a strong or highly intelligent student. I did really well in English, and was considered average in my academic classes such as Social Studies and Science. Math was something I particularly struggled with. It was a difficult subject for me and I never really liked it that much.
That’s where music came in.
I am an alumnus of the Norwalk...
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Finally some good news for China's 29,000+ foreign teachers and other expat workers who seldom ever collect their last paycheck when changing jobs. President Xi Jin Ping sent a directive to China's courts that legal discrimination between Chinese and Foreign plaintiffs would no longer be tolerated and now even punished. (No specific punishment was specified, however). Apparently, this message went out six months ago, and the last three cases brought to China's courts for violating the employee rights of expat workers gained traction and prevailed. Although China's court records are not public, we learned that the three teachers won settlements that average 570,000 or roughly 90,000 each in cases alleging forced unpaid overtime, an illegal contract, and violation of China's Privacy Act...
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The hijab. Something so spoke about but known very little of by the majority. At the beginning of each and every day, I wear the hijab as a religious obligation and as a reminder of my faith and my duty to inform those who know very little about it or of its significance. But the issue regarding the hijab is one that has been in the air for quite a while, whether that may be showing the hijab in a positive or negative spotlight—most likely the latter. Of course, the media and other outside sources just add gas to an already blazing fire by eloquently reciting the age-old statement of the hijab being a tool of oppression used against the women of Islam by their male counterparts, which I’m here to say is completely and utterly false.
You sir have played a vital role in my life, not in...
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Back in Marchof 2017, Deputy Administrator Song of China's SAFEA bureau (State Administration Foreign Experts Affairs) in their Beijing HQ office, openly admitted that "China has a big problem with fake foreign teachers estimated to now be one-third of all the foreign teachers working in China." That "one-third" equates to roughly 10,000 "teachers" that really never taught anyone anything before they arrived to China. In fact, many were unemployed and a few hundred even have criminal records.
The following month, over 1,000 fake foreign teachers were arrested under China's "False Documents Law" for using faked or forged diplomas, TEFL Certificates, and even phony police certifucates, which were provided by shady and unlicensed recruiters. Both the recruiters and those arrested are...
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A Letter To The Kids Who Just Don't Get It
I'm not a writer. I'm not a blogger. I'm not an English major, and quite frankly, I don't enjoy writing very much. I would much rather say what I have to say in person. However, there is no way I can say this face to face to everyone who needs to hear it. I see these "a letter to" posts often shared by people on social media that go viral because they resonate so deeply with everyone. How clever.
I'm not writing this to go viral. I'm not writing this to be clever, BUT I am writing this with the hopes that the right people read it.
Dear kids that just don't get it,
I have one thing to tell you. One thing that might save your life.
You. Are. Not. Indestructible.
Now before you skim over those words, I want you to really let...
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This is an open letter to Minnesota Department of Education's Commissioner Brenda Cassellius, Mr. Wethington of SSTAC, and posted for the community at large.
I recently came across a draft of the gender identity toolkit and was concerned by a number of things in it.
First of all, I would like to thank you for the time you are putting into addressing this very real concern that affects the lives of individuals. Thank you for the detail included in the toolkit – it shows that a lot of thought went into legal requirements schools must consider and past recommendations from federal departments. I appreciate the goal of ensuring that students are feeling safe and supported.
Unfortunately, as a citizen of the United States, I have found the entire conversation around gender identity...
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I wanted to write to the French Ministry of Education to suggest some changes that I feel are necessary in the French educational system in regards to the harshness of French classroom culture.
I was a student at an international school in the United States and I noticed some differences between the French system I was immersed in and the American one that were shocking to me. I often felt humiliated in front of my classmates for small things like spelling errors, and I observed a lack of positive comments or praise when I did good work. Considering the national motto is “Liberty, equality, fraternity” I cannot understand why schools are so unaligned with the values of the country. The French system discourages and shames kids for what they aren’t good at instead of...
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Imagine walking barefoot through a cow pasture on a moonless night. You can smell the danger all around you but you can't see it until you suddenly step in it. At this point it is too late for you but you can at least warn the others following in your path. Thus you can now understand the purpose of this blog.
For the last 7 years we have been warning people ar our website and at City Weekend magazine but it time to spread the message to every Province of China to save you all time, money, and grief. Be aware that half of all the scammers in China are NOT Chinese, but fellow-foreigners. We start by introducing you to some great websites that name and shame those who prey upon us all in China...
http://reddit.com/r/chinascamcentral
http://chinascampatrol.wordpress.com
http://...
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