Changes to my study programme

When I was an English teaching training student at university, I never questioned the study programme of my major, but now, after years of experience, I have thought about all the things that could have been better. To begin with, I think that there should be more training in real classrooms. The professional practice should be done after one has lived what being a teacher means and that can only be achieved by experiencing the teaching environment. Moreover, professors teach excellent methods to improve the teaching but they seldom use them. The best way to teach is by being an example. I would also like that all the English teaching training students had the chance to do one term abroad, so that they can improve their language skills and what’s more important acquire and understand the English culture, because a language is more than using different words to say something……..

Write about some changes that could be made to your study programme (career)

Among others, think about:

 -The curriculum (the subjects you have to study)

 -Workload and length of studies

 -Faculty facilities (buildings and infrastructure)

 -Use of technology

 -Teaching methods

SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION

 

According to this theory, we are all connected to anyone else on this planet. It says that in a chain of no more than six or seven acquaintances we could contact anyone on Earth. The most popular example to prove this theory was the game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon”, a very well-known American actor.

Well, I decided to experiment with this theory, but using my family and relatives as contacts. What I found out was even more interesting and special than I could imagine. It includes, on the one hand, a worldwide historical person and on the other hand, a famous actress.

The first one is about one of my father’s sisters. She married a Chinese man, who had arrived in Chile during the Second World War. His parents put him on a boat to South America to save him from certain death in China. His name was 十 (it’s read ‘sap’) which means “ten” (he was the tenth child in his family). The thing is that his father was a doctor – a very good one – who had access to the Forbidden City and so, had contact with the Last Emperor, “Puyi”. In this case, there are two people between me and the Last Chinese Emperor: my uncle Sap and his father. Amazing, isn’t it?

The second story is from my mother’s side of the family. One of my cousins worked as a performer at the Chanhassen Diner Theatre in Minnesota, while she was studying at the university there. Well, among her coworkers there was a young woman called Amy Adams. They met there and shared time working for that theatre. Later Amy Adams became a very famous actress. I remember seeing some musicals at that theatre during the late 90's. They were really good.

I found out more awesome connections, but today I am going to limit my stories to these two ones.

Now, it's your time to do some research and let us know what you have found out.

Do you have any story to tell regarding this theory?

Is it yours or someone else's?

Who does that story involves?

Where did it take place?

Include any information you consider to be important.