Issue 71, Summer 2010
World of Words Special 15th Anniversary Issue “The English Language Program’s student magazine; a compilation of the summer session’s highlights, students’ opinions and other features ”
Inside this Issue
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Policing • Compare Policing in Toronto and South Korea (Seoul) • Policemen’s speech • Imagine What It’s Like to be a Police Officer
Personal Journeys and Reflections • The Restless Boy • Why …? • An unforgettable Learning Experience • What are your future aspirations? ◊ Profile: Anna Ngo, From ELP CA to ELP Instructor
ELP Clubs, Events & Programs • Guitar Club • Tennis Club • Soccer Superstars • Softball Club: Go Eager Beavers! • Summer Camping • Get the Big Picture ! • My Progress in the ELP Comprehensive English Program • How have you changed as a Language Learner over the Past 5 Weeks? • How I Have Changed During the 6 Weeks
Feature: 15 Years of WoW Life in Canada • EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Superstar ELP Alumni BK Yoon • Class Trip: Toronto Islands • Feature: ELP Staff & Instructors Reflect on their time at ELP • Life in Canada • Amazing Day in Toronto • The Fantastic Journey around Toronto • The Cost of TTC • TTC Subway Service • Toronto: Graffiti Art • Voluntary works in Canada (Marathon) • My Summer in Toronto • Experiencing Toronto Foreign Affairs • I love Yumeoibito. I love to volunteer Opinion Section • Transportation Problem in Iran • A New Kind of Horse Power: • Green Energy Car Therapeutic Riding • Overpopulation in China • Jobless Youth • Alcohol, Drugs, and Dictionar- • Toronto & Japan ies • I am Japanese • Survey: Attitudes about • • • • • • • •
Smoking Is It Impossible to Live Without Taxes? Wealth What Does Boring Mean? Runny Nose Theory Paparazzi Why Do I Love It? Graphology What’s Your Learning Style?
More • The 2010 ELP Photo Contest • Introducing Your CAs • A Collaborative Class Article: Ramadan • Eid Al-fitr • Opportunity for Improving Specialized Business English • YOU: the ELP Student.
SPECIAL: Flip through this issue to the sections titles “15 years of WOW” to see how the WOW has changed over the past 15
Issue 71, September 2010
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ELP DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE September 2010 Dear all,
fered at the ELP.
I would like to welcome new and returning students, instructors and staff to this special issue celebrating the 15th anniversary of WoW!
In this issue, our student writers cover serious issues, such as policing, over population and transportation. Many students reflect on their time in Toronto, at the program and with newly acquired friends and mentors.
Summer sessions are our busiest and most eventful of the year, welcoming diverse groups of students from around the world to a variety of courses, programs, cultural events and activities. Our cultural assistants have had their hands full ensuring students have the fullest experience and utmost fun in the city while at studying at the ELP. Moreover, activities in the various clubs have been in full swing this summer. The photo excursions with the photo club have produced beautiful shots of the city as seen through the students camera lens (make sure to view the photo contest winners inside this issue). The weather this summer provided the best atmosphere for soccer players to shine as part of the soccer club. As we promised in the past issue, in this issue we are featuring ELP staff and alumni, as well as a special highlight on the ELP program by students. Instructors and staff members reflect on being a part of the program for many years now and students share their opinion on various courses of-
On behalf of everyone at the ELP program, I wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavors. Congratulations to all of you who are continuing their studies in university. As the program grows bigger, we are trying to maintain an extensive alumni network, please share your success stories with us so you can get a chance to be featured in our upcoming issues! Finally, I would like to thank all of you who help make this publication a continuous success by continuously contributing and encouraging students to contribute as well. We hope you enjoy this special issue of WoW,
All the best, Sherry Yuan Hunter Executive Director, English Language Program School of Continuing Studies University of Toronto
It has been a wonderful and exciting session as always, thanks to all the students, staff and instructors who have made it possible. And from all the staff at ELP, we wish you all the best!
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Issue 71, September 2010
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Issue 71, September 2010
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INTRODUCING YOUR CAs
CA is Cultural Assistant. Why? Because Cultural Assistants introduce you to Canadian culture by way of the numerous activities that are planned every month through the ELP program. But wait, that’s not it!
CAs also organize and lead various in-house activities. The artistically and musically inclined Shirley strums away with students during Guitar Club meetings and at Geordie’s Jam. Captain Anna tirelessly trains students for the ELP’s very own Beavers softball team. Toni’s newly introduced Tennis Club has been a certain hit with students this summer. Tope knew how to take full advantage of the summer and the diverse group of students at ELP by reviving the Soccer Club (especially with the FIFA 2010 in full wing). Tuesi is the new kid on the block, but he and Darren have done a stunning job at managing the Photo Club and teaching students camera tricks to get the most out of their city excursions.
Did you know? Before there were CAs, instructors used to manage student events and activities themselves! Top right: Bill and Steve with a student, al members of the Tennis Club. Bottom right: Bill with students tobogganing. Opposite page: Before ELP’s Geordie’s Jam, Steve and Bill were part of an ELP band!
Issue 71, September 2010
Shirley: "My name is Shirley.
I'm a graduate from UofT in Radiation Therapy. I love to travel and learn about different parts of the world. My interests include music (come join the Guitar Club!), art, friends, shopping, and working at ELP. My favourite ELP activities are summer and winter camping :D ! What I love most about Toronto is its multiculturalism."
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Tope:
HEEEEELLLLLOOOO! My name is Tope. I am friendly and you can experience this for yourself. Simply call for my attention when you see me and I'll try to get to know you. If I ever forget your name, don't worry I'll never forget your face. I can say hello in many languages and you can test this by asking me to say hello in your language when you run into me. I also enjoy assisting students so If you have any is: Where do I begin? I was born and sues you need help with, ask me when you run raised in Toronto. I finished my undergraduate into me. Thanks for taking the time to read studies at the University of Toronto with a dou- about me =) ble major in Psychology and Human Resource : Darren just graduated from OCAD Management in 2009. I have been working as a CA since October 2008. So I’ve been a CA for a university with a degree in photography. It is while. Last September, I began full-time studies only appropriate then that he is in charge of the in the TESOL program at Woodsworth College. English Language Program’s photo club. Join This past summer, I had the opportunity to him on city explorations to take photos and enteach Coffee Chat and a 3 week Speaking Eng- ter them into ELP’s photo contest for a chance lish course and I loved it! I had so many great to win prizes! experiences this summer and I am thankful for that. But at the present moment, I am still the : My name is Tue Si and I'm from Coffee Chat instructor and a CA. I like living in Toronto, I love it’s cultural diversity. However, I France but my background is Vietnamese so I do think that I’ve been here for too long and it’s am a French-Asian! I moved to Canada when I time for me to explore the world. I would love to was 19 and fell in love with Toronto so I've lived teach English abroad in South Korea, Hong here ever since. These have been my first couKong or Japan. Maybe I will see you there. ;) ple of months here at ELP and it has been a really great experience for me. As a former ELP : My name is Toni and I have been a cul- student it has been an interesting change of tural assistant at ELP for a year. It has been view to be leading students on many events of really great working in an environment where I which I have been to myself as a student learnget to meet other students from all around the ing English. I always enjoy meeting new stuglobe. I was born in the Philippines, moved to dents and hope the best for everyone in their Canada when I was 5, and am now a proud Ca- studies and stay in Toronto. nadian. As a geography student at U of T I have learned that Toronto is an especially great place to be because of it’s diversity. I am entering my second year of university and through all my exploration in first year I found that a Geography major best suits me. I love trying new foods, learning about different countries, and think of my self as an explorer. My dream is to travel to at least every continent in my lifetime and my ultimate goal is to become a cartographer. ELP is an excellent place to start exploring both for myself and students learning English!
Anna
Darren
Tuesi
Toni
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Life In Canada By: Yukiko Sakae This was my first visit to Canada. Life in Canada was different from the image I had thought. I felt very comfortable because of the variety of culture in Toronto, so there was no prejudice. Toronto was a very interesting city. Before the program started, I was looking forward to going to the school and I expected talking with foreigners because I wanted to make many foreign friends. However, after the program started, I was depressed because of my English abilities; my classmates were much more confident speaking English. I was very intimidated. But, I thought enjoying talking was the most important thing, so I got over my fears and talked to many people positively. Now I have good memories. The activities such as coffee chat, baseball game and Niagara Falls especially made me happy. I experienced many things and made new friends. Our CA’s, Tue-si and Toni, made our activities fun. I appreciate them so much. I will surely come to Toronto again someday. Toronto has become my favorite city. Thank you everyone!
AMAZING DAY IN TORONTO by Manon Tremblay Superwoman was in Toronto. She represents the power, force, determination and respect of Quebec. Is she really strong?
Right: Ironic gap between the sculpture and Latin quotation from J.Cesar : “Veni, Vidi, Vici”. However this sculpture symbolize a kind of human spirit of conquest; new territories, knowledge, technology, business expansion, perhaps new space on universe…
Left: An Asian sculpture is in front of a European background
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The Fantastic Journey Around Toronto Top right: The wing symbolizes the liberty that lets people throw away their troubles. And it makes people relax and comfortable. Middle right: Toronto in Indian means “a meeting place” I think this sculpture is really a symbol of it.
Two women sit on the opposite side, I think that they want to say something to each other. “How long did we need sit.”
This is the Old City Hall close to modern buildings.
(by Andrea’s Class)
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The ELP was proud to welcome the Schenzhen Group from China: One student shares her story with WoW It’s a small story of unity, diversity and generosity — shared and written by out 9 people. Everyone plays an indispensable role in our group. The productivity of our heads, hands is the sources of all our happiness. Unforgettable memory. Forever friendship! What I want to say: Owing a million heartfelt thank-you’s for the support, the praise by people around me. It’s with profound respect and warm gratitude that I got the great opportunity to enter Toronto University School of Continuing Study Program. (Left) The Maid of the Mist: take a breathtaking view from the base of Niagara Falls on the exhilarating boat tour.
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◊
Casa Loma provides self guided digital audio tours.
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Sir Henry’s financial misfortune forced him to abandon his castle home.
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My teacher Tuesi is teaching me photography; he has spent 4 years learning photography.
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In class group discussion.
by Linda Cong Zong
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The cost of TTC
The following process paragraphs explain the process this class followed when they developed surveys on issues of concern to
Canadians.
by Ayman Al-Sharief, Wenfeng (Andy) Zhao, Abdulla Al-Awi, Xin Tong Chen Paragraph by Xin Tong Chen This survey is about the cost of TTC conducted by my group (Ayman, Andy, Abudulla, Xin Tong). In order to achieve a complete report, we have to make sufficient preparation, investigation and data analysis. Before the survey, we needed to choose the topic and created five questions with my group mates. After that, we decided to do the survey at the St. George Station because we thought it was a suitable place to collect the answers. Each person in our
group asked 10 people for each question and recorded the answers. At the end of the survey, we got 50 answers for each question. After we asked questions we calculated the statistics. We also used a chart to display the data. Finally, we discussed the data to make a conclusion. After we completed these three stages, we had a satisfied data about the price of TTC.
1.Do you think the TTC has a reasonable price?
3
1
2.If no, how much will be suitable do you think?
4. Do you think people should pay for their extra luggage or bicycle? 2
3. Do you think the people should be pay ticket for their pets?
4
5. Do you think there should be discount for students and elderly? 5
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TTC Subway Service
The following process paragraphs explain the process this class followed when they
developed surveys on issues of concern to Canadians.
By Maki Okazaki, Amani Al Sam, Jiao Wang, Meeaad Aleissa Paragraph by Meeaad Aleissa Knowing people’s opinion by approaching them is a great way to recognize their thoughts and personality. From this point, Maki, Amani, Jiao and I as a group, conducted a survey in order to show people’s opinion about TTC Subway services. We asked forty individuals some questions about this issue and to know if they were contented or not. First of all, we combined together because of two reasons. First, all of us are interested in this subject. Second, the topic is a sensitive issue that touches the community. Then we created five questions, and considered many kinds of them such as multichoice, yes-no and scale point to make it easy and fast when we talked to people. After that, we went to St.George Street and separated. Everyone asked ten
Q4) What is your scale point about the service from 1 – 5?
Questions about the TTC subway service Q1) How often do you use the subway?
people our questions. During this activity I chose the people who were smiling and friendly. Some of them were satisfied with the services and they wanted to talk more, but others were not. After I organized my information, and also discussed it with the group, we analyzed the data to make a chart for the result with percentages. In conclusion, this survey helps us a little bit to know if people are happy with subway services.
Q1
Q4
Twice a day
16
Once a day
14
M ore than tw ice a day Less than once a day
12 10 8 6 4 2
Q2) Are you satisfied with the TTC subway service?
0
Q2
1 Aw ful
Yes
2
3 Good
4
5 Great
Q5) Do you have an opinion for the TTC subway to improve their service?
No
Q5
Q3) Which service is the best/worst for you?
Hiring more cleaning staff Adding more subway lines
Q3 Best
Q3 Worst Cleaning
Cleaning
Number of lines
Number of lines
Suitable time
S uitable time
Customer servie
Customer serv ie
Making the train run 24 hours TTC staff must be more friendly to customer No ideas/anther TTC provides us g ood service
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Guitar Club
Try. Just try. It can be your precious experience.
by David Kim (Yooshik)
R u ready? Don’t think too much. Just rush into the
Do you expect something that changes your life? Do you want to make new friends?, or do you want to be crazy? You can find it there, Guitar Club.
Guitar is the easiest and the most popular instrument in the world, as you know. Many people make music with a guitar and it makes people productive. It’s creative, productive, and amazing.
Unexpected
thing is that guitar can connect one person to another person. When you meet someone you have never met before, the guitar can be a good story to share with each other. You can talk about guitar, music, favorite songs, etc.
Interaction, that is the main code of guitar. Its six stings get along together and make beautiful sounds like our social lives. As each string needs other strings, we need new friends. Also, even if you don’t know anything about guitar, don’ worry, don’t be shy, a n d d o n ’ t h e s i t a t e .
Especially for me, my life changed so much after I learned the guitar. I learned it when I was in the military service. At that time, I experienced many things with the guitar. For example, I did a small concert, I joined a small band, and so on.
Ability
is not important. Learning the guitar just needs practice again and again. Also, in the club, there are good teachers for you. club and enjoy it! Everything!
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Tennis Club
A few words from Captain Toni: Tennis is a great sport whether it be just for a friendly rally or a competitive match. The tennis club brings students together from the English language program that are interested in learning to play tennis or have been playing tennis for years. It is a great opportunity to meet other students and learn and improve your skills with the help of the more experienced athletes. The tennis club is open to anyone interested, it is a good way to keep healthy during your English studies, and can add fun to your weekly routine.
by Yoshiyuki Sugimoto
The tennis club meets to play tennis on the outdoor courts located in Ramsden Park at Rosedale. I have personally been playing for tennis for several months now and have picked the game up fairly quickly with the help of many students and other cultural assistants. I have been very lucky to have shared many laughs with current and former members and hold many memories. I always look forward to meeting new members!
rea, Taiwan, France, Japan, and Canada! In addition it is a good opportunity to speak English outside of the class!
Tennis is my favourite sport and I often play it in Japan. I really wanted to play Tennis in Canada as well, however when I came to Canada I could not find any players to play tennis with. I then later discovered the ELP tennis club in which I participate every week. I think that being a member of the ELP tennis club has been a wonderful experience for me be(right: Yoshiyuki cause not only do I enjoy playing tennis but I also got playing Tennis) to meet people from various countries such as Ko-
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YOU: the ELP Student. Summer feels like it’s gone but my experiences this summer, will forever remain timeless. There are too many words I could use to describe the summer of 2010 at the English Language Program such as fun, dynamic, thrilling but times hectic. Activities were plenty with just a few being: the World Cup Party, the numerous Barbeques, the various club events (Soccer, Softball, Photo and Guitar) and other cultural events. In all the events that took place, the most important facet was YOU: the ELP student. In your unique way you have left a lifelong impression on the school which pictures and shaky camera clips will never adequately convey. Some – like the Montenegrins and Kobe Shinwa arrived as a group, arriving suddenly, like a gust of wind that leaves soon after. With both groups, the periods we spent together were short and I wish we could have spent more. Others bravely travelled to Toronto by alone without the safety net of immediate friends. However upon arriving in Toronto, you all commendably set up shop in Toronto, dishing delights from the foreign lands you call home and simultaneously immersed yourselves in the vibrant city of Toronto, leaving behind timeless memories. Memories were made on the soccer field: where often than naught, our group of international English students always managed to send local soccer players of the field by putting the ball in the opposing team’s net. On a particular occasion, I remember as we opposing teams off in quick succession almost at 5 minute intervals. While it is true that our team’s success on the field owed to the advantage and comfort we shared amongst each other and the opposing local teams we faced were randomly chosen, our soccer players do deserve credit. You deserve credit because you were all of exemplary character, cooperating and playing like a true team despite the different language backgrounds you all shared. The successes we constructed were due to not only to our ability to communicate but our willingness to work with each other.
Also evident during the World cup was the fluid mix of cultures. We watched games together and while we sometimes supported opposing teams, we always celebrated with smiles. The FIFA World Cup party was no different. We ate, laughed and watched with intensity an exhilarating final FIFA match and jointly celebrated Spain’s victory over the Netherlands. Working at the ELP this summer has been exciting and fun packed. Most importantly, the times I have shared with you all has been both special and a tremendous learning opportunity. You the ELP student have given me joy and made work a great experience. Some people envy the job I have and this is because of you – the great ELP students I have met. With that I must say, I am glad to have met YOU: the ELP Student. Hopefully our paths cross once again.
by Tope Salami
Issue 71, September 2010
SUMMER ESCAPADES
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Summer Camping by Risa Nishiyama I went three-days camping from July 30th to August 1 with about 30 ELP students and CAs. It was really exciting trip. Although we canceled most of 1st day activities because of late arriving, we really enjoyed many activities. On 2nd day, we did sailing, tubing (like jet skiing), tennis, and swing. Especially, swing was so exciting. It is hard to explain what swing is. In short I just swung from very high place. You must like it if you like roller coasters. On 3rd day, we enjoyed climbing, canoeing, kayaking, and hockey. Also at free time, we could play volleyball or many other sports. At night, both 1st and 2nd day, we made a fire. We heated and ate marshmallows, talked with each other, and sang songs of each country. Through three days, I made new friends, and got friendlier with old friends. It was the most important thing. I really enjoyed the camping thanks to my friends. It became my wonderful memory of life in Canada." st
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15 Years of WOW
In 2006, ELP wished to be part of Soccer fever by creating ELP’s own soccer team. This year, we did the same. With the Soccer Club being one of this Summer’s most popular activities for students (no doubt inspired by the FIFA 2010) , we take a look back at the “1st Annual UofT ELP Soccer Classic”, followed by a look at this summer’s Soccer superstar players!
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Soccer Superstar Players Name: Mustafa Country: Turkey Position: Forward What do you enjoy about soccer? Soccer is a really fun sport! What did you enjoy about Toronto? I really enjoyed Tope, he is a good friend. Name: Fadhil Country: Libya Position: Midfielder What do you enjoy about soccer? Soccer is healthy and fun. If I’m in a bad mood I like to play soccer. In Libya I play in a league but after my knee injury I stopped playing for a year so it is really great that I get a chance to play in Toronto. What did you enjoy about Toronto? Toronto is a beautiful City Name: Shu Country: Japan Position: Midfielder What do you enjoy about soccer? It is exciting, refreshing, and healthy. What did you enjoy about Toronto? I really like the nature, the environment, the weather, and Toni. Name: Mehmet Country: Turkey Position: Forward What do you enjoy about soccer? It is lots of fun and I have made many new friends. What did you enjoy about Toronto? Different countries’ foods in Toronto are really great. I really like the CN tower, the beach and U of T! Name: Jaeuk Country: South Korea Position: Midfielder What do you enjoy about soccer? Without soccer my life is boring. What did you enjoy about Toronto? The people in Toronto are so kind! Name: Yoshiki Country: Japan Position: Defender What do you enjoy about soccer? Soccer is a team sport. Playing and being part of a team is a great feeling. What did you enjoy about Toronto? I like the people in Toronto Name: Woo-Seong Country: South Korea Position: Midfielder What do you enjoy about soccer? I really love watching soccer and playing it in University. What did you enjoy about Toronto? The people in Toronto are kind and clean.
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Issue 71, September 2010
Name: Hiroto Country: Japan Position: Midfielder What do you enjoy about soccer? Playing soccer is fun and I started playing in high school and I’ve always enjoyed it since. What did you enjoy about Toronto? The big beautiful parks, the big campus at U of T, and the beautiful buildings.
Name: Thierry Country: France Position: Left Wing What do you enjoy about soccer? I like playing with people from different countries, the atmosphere is really fun, it’s not too competitive, and it’s the best activity for me. What did you enjoy about Toronto? Toronto is very diverse and multicultural. Name: Diego Country: Colombia Position: Striker What do you enjoy about soccer? Soccer is my life! What did you enjoy about Toronto? It is a multicultural city and there is lots of freedom here. I love the security; you can go anywhere you want to at any time. Name: Faris Country: Saudi Arabia Position: Left Midfielder What do you enjoy about soccer? It is my favourite sport ever since I was a child. What did you enjoy about Toronto? The good weather! Name: IIij Country: Montenegro Position: Left Wing What do you enjoy about soccer? Soccer is a fast paced game with physical contact. What did you enjoy about Toronto? I like how I can play soccer anytime and how U of T offers pick-up soccer games. Name: Jovan Country: Montenegro Position: Defender What do you enjoy about soccer? Soccer is a good game that requires a big pitch which means lots of running. It is also a very physical game. What did you enjoy about Toronto? This is a big beautiful city that is multicultural and there are many polite people. Name: Hitomi Country: Japan Position: Defender What do you enjoy about soccer? I enjoy seeing people’s surprised faces when they see me, a girl, playing soccer. What did you enjoy about Toronto? I enjoyed eating poutine.
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WHY DO I LOVE IT? by Hitomi Kaido I've never thought about a reason. However, the styles, the sound, the smell, the heat... all of it really arouse me to enthusiasm. Hi, my name is Hitomi. I'm a twenty one-year-old Japanese girl. I'm studying English in Toronto. My hobbies are drawing pictures, traveling abroad and playing soccer... no no no... actually soccer is my life!! One day, my father gave me a soccer ball when I was ten years old. It was a start in my soccer life. I became a member of the boy's soccer club at an elementary school. There was no girl except me, but I could run faster than any other boy. I always hated to lose to boys. They were my rivals but also my best friends. They've never discriminated against me. We used to kick the ball, dash to it and sweat all over whenever it was rainy or windy, from summer morning to winter evening. On other occasions, we used to have a barbecue or camp out. We did things together. This made us great team. Advancing to the Tokyo competition last year in this club, was the proudest moment for us. Incidentally, you may be surprised the captain was girl - me!! Whatever they were, these people were precious people to me as learnt to play soccer together. I was going to quit playing soccer before junior high school because I'm a girl!! But I kept playing soccer with boys. In high school, I was a member of the boy's soc-
cer club yet again. Besides that, I belonged to the girl's soccer team. It was new for me to exercise with girls or elders. This was the very world I needed if I was to keep playing soccer in the future. I became a hard working player. Before class, I went to the early morning practice. After all class, I went to the evening practice. And then, I went to the night practice for the girl's team. My schedule on the weekend was just filled with games. My mother worried about me. While she sometimes tried to take my soccer ball away from me, she also made me rice balls, the source of my energy. At last, I became soccer player of Tokyo. This was my third team and the most fantastic team. I met a famous head coach and top players of Tokyo selected from different teams. I was serious. I trusted I was going to be a professional player. I lived only for soccer and I could do anything for soccer, getting up early morning, watching my diet and dismissing pressures to be girlish. I remember the time I found my name in the starting line-up for a national competition. It was great source of happiness for me to put on a blue uniform. Both the flush of victory and the chagrin of defeat after hard training became our new goal. These were the first precious people to teach me the valuable lesson of believing in myself. However, suddenly I had to give up my dream. When I was in the second year at high school, I broke my ankle during an important game. When I saw my snapped nerve and my doctor's said it would take two years to recover, I was shocked. I was really shocked. I couldn't imagine I was going to stop playing soccer for that long. It was the first setback of my life. I lost energy. I lost weight. I thought I was going to lose everything but there was only one thing I never lost - my friends. They woke me up, took me along with them to their practice and gave me lots of encouragement. They inspired me to stay positive and to do the prescribed rehabilitation activities. I returned to the girl's soccer team one and half year later. I was rehabilitated and worked hard as a team mate whether it was: delivering water bottles, recording scores or supporting players on the bench. I thought differently now than then when I was not top player any more. After discarding my poor pride, I could become a better player. I really enjoyed playing soccer and spending time with my team mates. We got in one car to go for soccer practice, after which we would go for dinner together then talk all night. We got matching clothes, sang the same songs and laugh until we cried. I am always with them. I will be always with them. They were the first precious soccer friend and we shall remain friends forever. Today and in Canada, soccer gives me a lot of friends. When I walk on the street holding my soccer ball, people greet me. When I go to the pub, I enjoy watching soccer games with local supporters. When I go to the soccer field, I can spend time with a soccer family even if I am homesick. All the people who I've met through soccer remain a treasure. Soccer brings us together. Perhaps through soccer, wars can end people around the world are brought together. I am going to play soccer until the end of my life. Thanks soccer! Thank you Tope!
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Go Eager Beavers!
Captain Anna’s Thank You: Sadly our season has ended, but I just want to thank everyone for being a part of this team. You guys are AWESOME. Without you, softball would not have been as fun as it was. Thank you for always showing up to play, even though we lost all but one game. I hope all of you had a lot of fun this summer. It truly isn’t about whether we win or lose, it’s about how we play the game. You guys were all great team members. Thank you for a great season!
By Jay Ha Speaking of softball, first thing that pops into my head is “We suck.” In this summer, we just won one game out of eight games. Everybody knows that Eager Beavers sucks! But who cares? When we play softball, we laugh a lot even though we lose with huge scores. For us winning is not that important, as long as we enjoy our moment. There is always Anna, captain of softball. She always makes sure everybody who plays softball enjoys their moment. Every time after we played a game, she was exhausted because she cared too much about everybody getting a chance to play the game. Because of her, we had great games in this summer. There are students as well. We did our best even though some students never played before or don’t play very well. When one player does an excellent job after he/she missed many chances, it’s another joyful moment for Eager Beavers. Everybody applauds the player and cheers him/her up. If you want to make new friends, join the game. Playing sports is the perfect opportunity to make new friends. After playing sports, friends become closer than before they play. You don’t have to worry about how you play. We don’t play to win but for fun. Just give it a shot!
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Speaking English Class Project:
I. AM. JAPANESE.
World of Words
Hey. I’m not a samurai or geisha, and I don’t live in a temple and wear a kimono everyday. And I don’t know Taro and Hanako from Japan. I have a Prime Minister, not a President. I speak Japanese and I use not only kanji but also hiragana, katakana, so they’re different from Chinese. Japan is a peaceful country because Japan don’t have a military. Japan is the most developed country in Asia. Many people all over the world use Japanese electronics. And the best part of Asia. I am Japanese… Thank you. Hi, I’m not Samurai or a Ninja, and I don’t wear Kimono or eat Sushi every day. I don’t know every Japanese, but I’m certain they’re really, really polite. I have a emperor, not a king. I use Kanji not Chinese, and I use more two alphabet. I believe in peacekeeping, not policing: I don’t forget momory of WWI. Mt. Fuji is a truly proud and noble mountain. I’m not samurai or ninjya. I don’t eat SUSHI every day. I can’t KAMEHAMEHA! I have an emperor but it’s just symbol of Japanese history. I believe in peacekeeping, not nuclear weapons, not army. I have beautiful Mt. Fuji. I can enjoy four seasons. Japan is the first nation of Judo. Japan is the second biggest country of economy. My name is Ryotaro. I am Japanese! I’m Japanese. We don’t eat Sushi everyday. We don’t all live in Tokyo. There are no samurai in Japan now. Foreigner says “Cheery blossom is great and beautiful!” but in fact, just drinking. Not all Japanese like manga. Japanese men are kind, for example they had Yuka on their back. They are nice guy! Japanese women are also nice. A Kimono is a chothes. Japanese clogs are shoes, And Japanese is spoken only in Japan. Japan is the most advanced nation in Asia. Japanese history is so long. And the best country in the world! I am Japanese!
Issue 71, September 2010
In January, we have Coming of Age day. In February, we have ___! In March, we have ____________ I have sushi (raw fish on the rice)! Sashimi (raw fish). I have Tempura. WE have Gold Temple, Silver Temple. These are in Kyoto!! We love Kanji! WE have Mt. Fuji, cherry blossom WE ARE JAPANESE Hi! I’m not a Ninja, a Samurai. I don’t wear a katana anymore. We have great technology, for example, cars, cameras, PCs. We can see them all over the world! We are usually on time, and Japanese clerks are always polite to customers. We are considerate to others. So, I am Japanese!
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I. AM. Japanese. Contributors: Aya Fukui, Minami Michioka, Kana Mizutani, Chihiro Mori, Daisuke Mii, Tomonori Sugiyama, Lei Wang, Junko Okani, Naoya Okada, Tomoya Sakaguchi, Shinya Yokoyama, Kana Ogura Hey! I don't own a sword and I'm not a Samurai...or a Ninja In fact I have never seen a Samurai or a Ninja My country is made up of many islands, NOT one island And yes, Japanese is a small country and isolated, but we do have relations with other countries and we read and we travel All Japanese don't have the same character We are not all shy We are human beings Not all Japanese people know how to make sushi I eat rice AND bread And there is no California roll in Japan I have a Prime Minister, not a President And I speak Japanese, not Chinese Not every Japanese knows everything about new technology We invented post-it, not only 'cutting-edge' stuff Yes, many Japanese people are very healthy, but my father is fat And he ISN'T a sumo wrestler I know about Christmas and I often hold a party with friends But I don't wear a kimono to the party...or to work In fact, I rarely wear a kimono because it's our traditional dress Japan is in the east of Asia! The best nation of baseball and animation I AM Japanese!!
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First we watched a TV commercial called “I AM Canadian”…. In April 2000, Molson Canadian introduced an advertising campaign that starred a man named Joe: an "average Canadian". In the TV commercial, Joe is standing in a movie theatre, with a cinema screen behind him showing different images relating to Canadian culture. Joe gives a speech about what is it to be a Canadian and what it is not to be a Canadian. At the end, Joe shouts “I am Canadian”. The ad was very famous because it was different and creative, but it also made people think about and talk about stereotypes and their own national identities.
When we travel, we learn a lot about the host country we are visiting, but we also learn about ourselves. If you had to write a rant like this for your country and culture, what would you say? Do you feel people often have misconceptions about your country? Write in the same way about your country and submit it to the magazine and we will publish it in the upcoming issue!
Check it out the original version here: http://www.yout ube.com/watch?v=BR I-A3vakVg
15 Years of WOW
Why did we write this …
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Eid Al-fitr
World of Words
giving presents to the children. Furthermore, all Muslims wear new clothes during these special days as they socialise with their family. To sum up, Eid Al-fitr is a really nice celebration which refreshes the Muslims’ spirit.
by Abdulrahman Almutawaa Eid Al-fitr is a Muslim celebration after Ramadan. Muslims from all over the world celebrate this important holiday. It is a rest for the Muslims after the fasting in Ramadan. Eid brings happiness to the Muslim people. They buy some food for the poor during the last days of Ramadan to make sure everyone has a warm meal and can participate in the celebration. This charity is known as sadagaht alfitr. The celebration lasts 3 days. Muslims gather in the morning of the first day to perform the Eid Al-fitr prayer. Usually they visit their family after the prayer. In addition, they give the children gifts. On the second and third days they do the same thing, visiting relatives and
A Collaborative Class Article: Ramadan
stages: before survey, during survey and after survey.
In the first stage, a survey topic must be chosen. For example, when I did my survey, I chose Ramadan to be my survey topic since it is a current event. Moreover, it is related to Muslims only. Therefore, it was a chance for me to know how much Torontonians know about Ramadan. After selecting a topic, a group is made. Actually, my group has stuThe following process paragraphs explain dents who were interested in the same topic the process this class followed when they (Ramadan). The last step in this stage is making questions. My group and I chose five simple quesdeveloped surveys on issues of concern tions which were easy for most people to answer to Canadians. them as well as questions that give us a good conclusion about Ramadan in Torontonians’ minds.
Survey by Zahra Alhamza, Budour Almalik, Areej Albukhari, Mariam Alkhawaja Article by Mariam Alkhawaja
One of the most important universal skills for each student is doing a survey. Although, each survey has a specific topic, almost all of them is done in the same way. In fact, a survey has three basic
During survey stage, we chose a place to find people. Our location was near the Royal Ontario Museum. On that day, there were a long line of people who came to visit the museum, so it was an excellent location for the survey. After that, I chose people who looked friendly to ask them questions. Most people collaborated and enjoyed doing the survey. In deed, each student in the group asks 10 people the five questions, so the total was 40 people shared in the survey.
After the survey, we had to collect data. In other words, collect the answers from group members into a single piece of paper. Followed by analyzing data which means convert data into conclusion. For instance, the first question in the survey was “Do you know about Ramadan?”. 30 people said “Yes” while 10 people said “No”. As a consequences, we can conclude that 90% of Torontonians know about
Number of People
Survey about Ramadan
Issue 71, September 2010
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Ramadan; however, 10% don’t know about Ramadan. Finally, we made charts because the easiest way to read the 40 surveyed is through charts. Surely, we used computer in this step. To conclude, a survey is an important activity for students. In addition, it is very important for them to follow these stages in the same order to enjoy doing their surveys.
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It is impossible to live without taxes
government such us, federal, provincial and municipal, than any other country. When taxes are paid, government can find a way to balance budget. Canadian government provides unemployment insurance to all Canadians. This is very important for by Andrea Villareal every one, especially when people lose jobs and need unemployment benefits to live on. In Canada, Since human beings began to exchange goods and taxes are high but this is compensated with high services, taxes have existed. They serve to contrib- levels of safety, health, and education of the counute to the social welfare through the monetary con- try. However, high taxes can cause tax evasions as tribution toward the general budget state. people find ways of not paying taxes. Every government, without exception, gets part of In developing countries, the situation is completely the budget from taxes, and those taxes are coldifferent. There the problem of taxes is more serilected from people who live in the country and enjoy ous for two reasons. First, not all of the population the benefit and welfare provided by the governcan pay taxes because of the high poverty levels. So ment. Therefore, every citizen in every country has the the middle and upper class has to subsidize to pay taxes, no matter what products or services these people. Moreover, those citizens who pay they purchase or how much they earn. taxes don’t see an improvement in their economic There are many kinds of taxes; for example, propsystem of health, education or security because of erty tax, goods and service tax, business tax, percorruption. sonal income tax, foreign income tax, etc. A govI believe that each country has to find a tax balance ernment can tax its citizens directly and it can tax to ensure the population a high standard of living the property they own. Some countries, such as and, at the same time, allow people to generate Brazil, Japan and Canada have high and many taxes more incomes. Taxes are necessary in every econbecause they prefer to give a good standard of livomy. The key is to find a balance between efficiency ing to their inhabitants. and equity where the majority of the society feel People always complain about taxes, especially when there aren’t economic results. However, peo- satisfied with the amount of taxes they pay and what they receive in exchange. ple have to look also on the other side. Most countries imposing heavy taxation, like Switzerland and Canada, have a better welfare system than others. There is welfare in Canada, and residents of Canada have to pay higher taxes to different levels of
Wealth
and pain. They help us grow and move forward in life. I believe family and friends are precious wealth in our life. Finally, I know that dilemmas and disasters are likewise a sort of wealth. Of course, we never like to by Yi Hang Ji meet them. However, there are always many inevitable problems in life. We cannot evade them and Due to the development of society, people’s we must face them. These disasters make us learn understanding about wealth is changing. I think there are three main ideas about what can be called how to live and understand what life is. Meanwhile, we also become strong, brave and mature. For me, I wealth. feel the dilemmas and disasters are the greatest First of all, you have to admit money is a kind of wealth. The discussion of money never stops, but wealth of my life. To summarize, the definition of wealth varies the truth is money can really bring happiness to because everyone has a different viewpoint some people. In fact, money is always a mark of wealth. If you become rich, you will get many things about wealth. you want and realize your desires. Therefore, you must admit money is wealth. Furthermore, family and friends are also another type of wealth. People are lonely sometimes. We need family and friends to share our happiness
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by Ebthal Alshabib In the following two articles, Ebthal writes about graphology and the individuality of learning styles.
Graphology Everyone has distinct handwriting; some people have neat writing while others have messy. One of the reasons for having different handwriting is that everyone has a different personality. Because the nervous system has the authority over handwriting style, handwriting reflects the personalities of the writers. Graphology is the study or analysis of personality through handwriting. Today, graphology is being used in many distinct fields. In criminology, many detectives benefit from using graphology to identify criminals and some investigating centers, such as the FBI, hire graphologists to help investigate or solve cases. In medicine, some doctors use graphology in medical diagnoses. Moreover, big companies have been using graphologists to hire appropriate employees for specific jobs. In addition, using graphologists is common in politics to analyze the ideas of the enemy and whether they are telling the truth. Also, graphology could help teachers understand the needs of students. Graphology looks at handwriting as a drawing, map, or picture but not as writing. The spaces between words are social relationships. For example, narrow spaces between words mean a need for relationships or the desire to make friends; in contrast, wide spaces indicate no desire to make more friends. In addition, narrow spaces between lines reflect someone who likes action, unlike wide spaces which show a tendency to understand the
What’s your learning style? Learning styles are the preferred ways by which people learn. There are three learning styles: visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Visual styles belong to people who prefer to learn visually by seeing or reading. In contrast, auditory learners are people who like to receive new information and instructions through listening and speaking. In addition, kinesthetic learners can be classified as people who are dependent on touch or motion to learn. Moreover, each type has distinctive characteristics that can be identified by observation. First of all, each type frequently uses specific words that reflect their type. For example, visual learners always use words such
big picture. The letters actually speak and give more information than what we imagine. For example the letter "t" indicates self-esteem. Drawing the "t" bar on the top means high self-esteem; in contrast, a low "t" bar indicates low self-esteem. The dot on the top of letter "i" can give information about the way of thinking or focusing. If the dot is placed to the left it means tend to think more about previous events and the past. In comparison, placing the dot to the right indicates planning and thinking about the future, while placing the dot exactly in the center and top of the "i" means focusing on the present. Additionally, each single letter reflects specific features. When analyzing people’s personalities based on their writing there are necessary conditions. The handwriting must be on white, clean, unlined paper and you must compare more than two lines of handwriting. Look for the repetition of writing style, words and letter shape. Moreover, before judging people, we should consider the situation of the writer and all the circumstances which could affect the handwriting. In conclusion, graphology is an interesting and important study that could improve people's understanding of themselves, increase awareness of other’s needs and demands and boost the level of communication. Now, do you want to analyze your handwriting?
as "see,” "look" and "clear;" in contrast, the auditory learner uses "listen," "hear" and "tell,” while kinesthetic learners use words such as "feel", "touch" and "grasp." Also, the three styles have different vocal effects. For instance, the voice of a kinesthetic person is lower and deeper in comparison to the visual person whose voice pitch and tone are high and speech is fast. However, the person whose voice and tone is a medium level is auditory. Moreover, eye accessing cues are different in each type. For example, the visual learner always looks up when remembering or imagining, but the kinesthetic usually looks down. The person who looks left and right constantly while speaking is auditory. In conclusion, everyone has a different learning style; therefore, identifying learning style could help not only to improve the rate of learning but also to enhance our understanding of ourselves and improve our communication with others.
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girl I really like. The problem is that I’m not very skilled in math and I was in school for electrical engineering. So I agreed with my mum’s suggestion and hoped to live a better life. At that time I was so depressed I separated myself from friends and stayed at home lying around in bed. I didn’t have the desire to do something joyful. One of the worst things was that I quit basketball and let my team down. I just lost the passion to play ball or should I say to live my life. Anyway during that time I didby Philipp Chung n’t know what I wanted. I was like an empty shell, like a blind person Hi guys, let me tell you something without a cane. about me! My name is Philipp. I’m an 18 year old high school student So my big voyage started in Februfrom Germany. I was born and ary. I flew directly from my home bred in Germany but my origin is city, Stuttgart, to Atlanta Georgia, Chinese- more precisely Canton- where I stayed at my aunt’s house. ese. I love to play basketball, you There I have 3 cousins; one who’s could say basketball is my religion. two years younger than I and who One of my other passions is play- also was born and bred in Germany. The other two cousins are ing the guitar. older than I. One is a few months Now let me tell you why I made older and the other one is already this journey. Back in the winter of working. In Atlanta I went to my 2009 I had really bad depression. cousin’s high school for 3 months where I gradually started to gain hope to make it through another year. After three months in Atlanta I was starting to get better but wasn’t I really happy then. On the 16th of May I arrived at the Toronto Airport to meet my parents and grandma but I actually didn’t know what to expect from Canada or the ELP which I attended the next day on my 18th Birthday. The first day I got a pretty nice impression from the U of T and the people there. I It was horrible. I even went to a celebrated my birthday with some therapist but that did not help. So Korean guys Minsoo, Jaeho and my mum suggested that I take a Dehi even though I didn’t know break for half a year. I had a really them at all; they invited me for a hard time because there were so cake. The next few weeks went many things that got me down, like pretty fast. I met a lot of new the first basketball game that we friends and improved my English lost, the intense pressure at speaking. I just want to mention school and unfulfilled love with a some friends who have grown dear
World of Words
“The Restless Boy”
to me. One of them is Jae he’s a student at U of T and went to the same class as me. He is a pretty handsome, smart guy who’s like an older brother to me. Having him around was always fun! And of course all the CA’s, Anna, Shirley, Toni, Marianna, Darren, 2AC and Tope. I love you guys, I’ll never forget you! During this journey I didn’t only improved my English I also learned a lot about friendship, the courage to face life and most importantly I learned a lot about myself and now, I know who I really am and what I want. I want to be happy. In the future I want to become an English teacher in Korea. One of my biggest dreams is to graduate high school in Toronto and study in Canada. But I didn’t just fall in love with this beautiful country - I also fell in love with a girl. You can achieve anything you can imagine if you believe in yourself! Here are some favourite song’s I want to share with you guys!
Playlist: 1. Eminem – Not Afraid 2. Kimura Takuya – Hajimete-no Chu (My First Kiss) 3. Sum 41 – So Long Goodbye
Issue 71, September 2010
WHY…?
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German is my native tongue, but I think graduating won’t be a problem for me, because in my opinion, my English is good enough to stick it out. The reason why I really want to study in an English speaking country is, I want to become an English teacher and my last high school I attended was not meant to be for me, because it was a school for electrical engineering, and I’m not mathematically inclined! And Studying in a foreign country would be a good chance to get a lot of life experience. So guys, if you want to help me, just write me an email to me and tell me what you think about this awkward situation!
This is the question right now! Maybe you know me already from the last essay I wrote, if not, my name is Philipp and I’m an 18 year old high school student from Germany. This may 2010 I came to Canada to study English at U of T. I took a comprehensive course for four weeks and I really, really enjoyed it, because I had a great teacher and a lot of nice classmates. And now I’m thinking about graduating high school in Toronto. It’s a big decision in my life, because it can change everything, and because I will live in a new country, big city, have new friends and a lot more. It’s not that I have a problem adapting to What would you do?? all these things and it’s not I don’t miss my family in Email: Germany, especially my parents and of course my philippchung@web.de friends. A bigger issue is the money, because you have to pay money even for a public school in Canada. I know I lived my whole life in Germany and
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World of Words
leader—someone with the ability and intelligence to make the world a better place. How ELP helped you get closer to these asWhen I was young, I wanted to be a vet- pirations? erinarian. I grew up thinking about that career until my last year in high school, when I had to make a choice about my major at university. During my childhood I spent most of my time on a farm, riding horses and enjoying my time with different kinds of farm animals. We must work hard In order to obtain our goals, aspirations and wishes; life doesn’t always give us what we have planned. However, disappointments and difficult moments always happen for a reason. Even what we experience as failure often turns out for the good; periods of discouragement are not always bad for us. I made the decision to study Business Administration—a career choice very different from my ambitions of earlier years. I have always wished to be the best in The ELP program has helped me to what I do and to enjoy it as much as possible. move closer to my aspirations in several ways: As a business administrator or as a veterinar- first, I learned how to communicate my ideas in ian, those ideals will always remain the same. English and to understand the way the lanNo one can say for sure that they will guage works in different contexts. Second, it be the best in the world, whether at university helped me to reach a new viewpoint from or in their career. However, In order to make which to see my own life, as well as the lives of our goals come true, we still have to believe in so many new friends from all over the world. our capacity to fulfill our dreams. The most important thing is that I had I have finished my university courses in the opportunity to exchange ideas, knowledge Business Administration, and have found that and experience with people from very different this career is both challenging and appealing to backgrounds. In the class, for example, we had me. I look forward to a successful and satisfy- people from diverse regions of the world: for ing career in this area. I have a strong feeling example, the Middle East, Europe, South Amerthat I have made the right choice. ica, and Asia. My courses let me experience the Since 2007 I have been working for a whole world in one small classroom! Thanks to company in Colombia. Year after year I have this, I discovered our similarities and differbeen learning how the business world works. ences: what people in general love and dislike, When I think back on my time at school, I recall both personally and in the world at large. I also that my aspirations up until the age of fifteen found out how competitive people from around didn’t change. I now ask myself, why have my the world can be! All of these experiences and plans changed since I started university? The insights have influenced in a positive way how I answer is that I realize I am working to pursue foresee a rich and satisfying future for myself. my new and deepest wishes. I know that I am I will remember U of T as an excellent place to taking the right steps to build my future. Each make new friends and learn English in a warm, day I move closer to achieving my ambitions. professional, and supportive environment. For the future, I see myself as being successful both as a person and as a business
What are your future aspirations?
by Juliana Acosta Jaramillo
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For most people thinking about the future is thinking about dreams or goals to accomplish. This is because the future is unknown and the only thing that everybody can do is to seek a better reality in the days coming up. For me future is a matter of accomplishing my aspirations and at this moment the most important aspiration is thinking about my professional future. I came to Toronto, specifically to U of T, driven by my desire to next year start a postgraduate study in Political Science. By the end of 2010 I will get my major in Economics. This degree along with my English knowledge will help me to fulfill this goal. I firmly believe that having short and long term goals is what makes this possible and above all achievable. I have these and I hope that circumstances will help me accomplish this in time. The experience was so far better than I thought. Being in the ELP program was a good opportunity in m a n y senses. First it h a d helped me to be confident with my English, e s p e c i a l l y w i t h communication s k i l l s such as
listening and speaking. Furthermore the lessons were helpful and entertaining. Second, the abilities that I had got during the ELP program will be very useful to get closer to my future aspirations. Specially for continuing my postgraduate studies, in which I would put into practice the knowledge acquired in the classrooms. The extra-activities that I could take like workshops, coffee chats and the volunteer program were also very helpful and they gave me the opportunity to make friends and learn more about Canadian culture. Studying in the ELP program has given me not only the opportunity to learn English but also I’ve learned about other cultures and met people from all over the world in a short time. That’s amazing! I met such good friends here that I’m sure I will keep their friendship forever. They made learning English fun; I shared with them good memories that I will always keep in my heart. Finally, I will just add that these three months in Canada have gone so fast and now that I’m going back to Ecuador I feel satisfied because I took as many opportunities as I could. I just want to thank ELP teachers and staff that helped me during the course and that made this experience something unforgettable.
An unforgettable learning experience.
by Andrea Villarreal
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How I Have Changed During the 6 Weeks Written by ShunFu Hu, a Comprehensive English Student As an English learner, I used to be extremely conscious of grammar, which I mistook as one of the commandment that could not be violated -- cursed shalt thou be, dareth thou make grammar mistakes. During these six weeks, I realized that, just as people in North America revere liberty, the language spoken
Get the big picture ! by Maria Eugenia Alvarez Fernandez
My Progress in the ELP Comprehensive English Program
During the last weeks attending the Comprehensive English course, I have improved some skills, mainly the listening skills. I have applied the commandment “GET THE BIG PICTURE”, so now when I watch TV or talk with people, I do not try to understand everything or translate the conversation, as I used to do at first when I arrived here.
by them share the same quality. Within scale of felicity, appropriateness and clarity, English can be as free as wind that cannot be lashed. It proceeds in its delightful pace as speakers have been adding variety to its vocabulary which has already been insuperably rich. That is to say, ESL learners like me can speak without any fear of making wrong sentences, as should be more properly defined by “new” sentences. With this conclusion in mind, I now have become more daring to seize any chance in which I can practice what I have learnt. Also, I have become more flexible when dealing with confusion. I’m free now. To communicate with others is more important “GET THE BIG PICTURE” , in that way I can get the idea and participate in the conversation. If I do not know the meaning of a word and I think that it is really important, then I ask the meaning. At least, now I can distinguish the unknown words. I feel more confident every day, I “BELIEVE IN MYSELF”, and I am sure I can do it. I have been more than fifteen years without speak English and after two courses at U of T, I can have a conversation with Canadian people or make interview jobs and understand what they are asking or explaining me and have also a feedback. However, at first I was worried about make mistakes, but at this moment I realized that “MAKE MISTAKES WORKS FOR ME”, and I really appreciate when people let me know about the mistakes and teach me the proper words or grammar or others.
by Sheena Kuo I’ve had amazing progress. At first, I thought I had to improve my writing skills. However, it’s not like that. After taking these courses, I changed my mind. Speaking English is the most important part I have to improve on, especially pronunciation. I discovered that I can’t catch word stress and intonation of English. Therefore, when I speak English to native speakers, they often smile and look at me strangely because they are having difficulty understanding me. Through the Comprehensive English course, I finally understood the reason why I had difficulty communicating. Sandra, my core class teacher, gave me lot of practice opportunities to improve these skills. I also discovered another way to im-
prove my pronunciation. Using the audio articles on the internet is the way. On the internet, I found some articles, and there are video files attached to the articles. You should follow along with the speaker and repeat it. I think it’s useful! The biggest difference from the courses here from those in my own country classes are the type of tasks including storytelling, movie reviews and one-minute speeches without saying “uh” and ”ah”. These tasks are challenging to those learning English as second language. Such difficult challenges! However, no pain no gain! It’s worth it for me to practice a lot. I learned about syllables, reduction and linking, making my speaking better. Besides speaking English, I also learned how to encourage myself to speak in front of people. Everything in the ELP will be an unforgettable memory.
Issue 71, September 2010
by Chiaki Asakura After I came to Toronto, my impression toward English changed. Because when I studied English in Japan, most of the students around me were Japanese, if I couldn’t ex-
15 Years of WOW
How have you changed as a language learner over the past 5 weeks?
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press what I wanted to say clearly, they could understand it through other cues. However, in Toronto, especially in the ELP classes, if I can’t express my opinion clearly in English, it is difficult to communicate with others. So it is important for me to try to convey my feelings and my opinions in English with body language. I realized how useful body language can help me articulate! I think this is one of the most meaningful discoveries in my Toronto life.
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World of Words
WHAT DOES BORING MEAN?
Runny Nose Theory
I´m a Colombian citizen. I´m from a country that everybody knows because of the bad things. When somebody tells me these negative things, I get really angry. But one day, I just started to think if maybe we deserve that and I realized that perhaps we do. When I was listening to the police officer´s speech on Wednesday, I got the difference between Colombian police and Canadian police. It starts with the people who live in the country: Canada has in Colombia the stereotype to be a boring country but when you come here you know that it isn´t true. I found all the tranquility that everybody hopes to find here in Canada. The difference lies in that the police group of Toronto is not made up of those who are wearing the blue uniform. It has almost three million people working for a better city, for a better life. But, in other countries in South America like mine, we don´t care
about what´s going on with others. We foolishly think that if ‘I am good and my family is good, the other people can do whatever they want even if it is in front of me’. I remember once when I was robbed, some bad person assaulted me and stole my mobile, people who were watching the scene just passed around me and didn´t help me. Also, when I went to the police station they told me that they saw this man before and he may be at home, so I should just go home too. On the other hand, the punishments are so different. For example, in Canada, for thieves who are dedicated to robbing people on the streets, they could be 5 times at the police station because they were caught but they don´t have a real punishment so they know they are going to be ok and they think why not do it again? If there is something that I will miss from this country it is this: to feel safe everywhere, and I hope one day I can be proud of the police service in my country just as Torontonians should feel of proud of the Toronto Police Service.
by Diego Vitata Sandoval
by Jay Ha Runny nose is a significant measurement of how much you love someone. We can see this point well when a mother wipes her children’s runny nose with her bare hand. Let’s imagine, if one of your lovely friends has sticky and yellow runny nose, can you wipe his/her nose with your bare hand? Answer would be mostly “No.”
This time, imagine a person you truly love. What if he/she gives you a bright smile like a sunrise to you without awareness that he/she has sticky and yellow runny nose? If you can’t wipe his/her runny nose, it means you don’t love him/her truly.
Issue 71, September 2010
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Paparazzi by Atsuko Hirano Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Katie Holmes, Lindsay Lohan, Tom Cruise, Kate Hudson, Bruce Willis are some of the people he has photographed. His photos appear in People, US Magazine, and New York Post. In Speaking English, we had several great guest speakers. One guy was John White, who is a paparazzi photographer. If you look in The Toronto Sun every Friday, you can see John’s pictures. He has two pages called “Hollywood North”. His pages are called Hollywood North because that is Toronto’s nickname (many famous Hollywood movies are made in Toronto). John also has a website called TORONTO CELEBRITY AND EVENT BLOG (Tceb.ca). From his website, we can see who is in Toronto at the moment. John works for an agency called INF and you can find his photographs in famous gossip magazines and websites. John told us many interesting things about his job. He told us about how he got into the business. He told us about what makes a shot worth more money (new Hollywood couples, a ‘story’ like Katie Holmes and her daughter strawberry picking, a famous star in his/her bathing suit on the beach). He told us that some stars were a little upset when he took their pictures. He told us about his difficult and funny adventures. Once he rented a car and rented a boat to get the first picture of a Hollywood couple – Kate Hudson and her new boyfriend (his picture was proof that they were a couple). He told us about a couple of stars who pretend they don’t like to be photographed, but really they want/need to have their pictures in the magazines. John believes he is successful because he tries to respect the people he photographs. He knows that there are limits. Sometimes people invite him to their parties and if he receives an invitation, he knows that he cannot take a negative picture at the party. Outside the party, anything is okay, but he should respect his invitation. It is easy to say negative things about the paparazzi. John admitted that the paparazzi do not have a positive reputation and he can understand why many people don’t like the paparazzi, but his
talking also made me think about the other side. The relationship between the stars and the paparazzi is ‘symbiotic’. Stars need paparazzi and paparazzi need stars (but we also need limits for this relationship to be successful). I think he has a point. Also, most people criticize the paparazzi, but they are still interested in the lives of the stars. It is hypocritical. If the paparazzi and the stars have no audience, then paparazzi won’t exist. John told us about his father’s advice: “Do something you love and you will have the best chance of success.” John said he earns a good living as a pap a r a z z o (although the economy and reality TV have hurt his business a little), and he is definitely doing something he loves. Thank you John!
Add John’s blog, Tceb (Toronto Celebrity and Events Blog) to your facebook or MySpace and stay caught up with the latest Toronto celebrity news:
Tceb.ca
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World of Words
From being a CA to a Teacher by Anna Ngo
First of all, I would like to thank Marjatta Holt, Lisa Morgan and Jennifer Harris for giving me the opportunity to teach the three week Speaking English course. From this experience, I learned so much about teaching and about myself. I’ve been a CA since October 2008. The job isn’t for everyone, but I truly love this job! Tope and I always say that if we could do this forever, we would. There are so many reasons why I love being a CA. It’s so much fun! You get to meet students from all over the world. I can share my culture with them and, in return, I also get the opportunity to learn a thing or two about their culture. I also love being able to explore the city with the students. But most importantly, I love getting to know them. The students make working at ELP a pleasant and enjoyable experience. I’ve made so many great friends and had so many great memories here. Being a CA is not a 9 to 5 job. You have to have a very flexible lifestyle to be a full-time CA. During the week, the day usually starts at around 12:30 for ticket selling and ends at an unknown time, it really depends on which activity you go on. On certain days, such as the first day of school and weekend trips, we have to be at ELP early in the morning. As a teacher, I think the hardest thing I had to adjust to was the working hours. For the last 5 years of my life, as a university student, my life was nowhere near routine. Being a teacher involved having a set schedule. I woke up at 6:30 every morning to get ready for work. I would arrive at school by 8:30 to photocopy and teach from 9 to 1. After class I would take a break and have lunch until 3. Then it would be time to prep and plan for the next day. Prepping and planning took up most of my time; I didn’t have time for anything else. This cycle repeated itself 5 days a week for 3 weeks. I had a class of 16 Japanese students from Kwansei Gakuin University, Kansai University and Nagoya University of Foreign Studies. My students were great and wonderful people. I remember waking up and feeling really tired, but when I stepped into the classroom and started teaching every morning, I felt more energetic. I believe that having a great group of students really helped with my energy level. It definitely made teaching more fun and enjoyable. It is such a wonderful and great feeling when students remember and use the words and phrases that I taught them, especially after a week has passed. Just today, a student
emailed me asking “What’s up?”, that made my day! Most of my students were really shy and quiet, but it made me feel happy when they said they didn’t understand something. I know it’s sounds strange to feel happy when someone says they don’t understand you, but I felt happy because I was able to create an environment that made them feel comfortable enough to say that they didn’t understand. I think this is important for any classroom and learning environment. The transition from CA to teacher was a little difficult. As a CA, I was always the approachable, happy and cheerful one. I felt that I was still this way when I was teaching but it was a little different. As a CA, everything is more casual and laid back. I talked to students as if they were my friends. However, as a teacher there’s a level of professionalism to being approachable, happy and cheerful. I have to know where to draw the line in order for students to know who’s in charge. I wasn’t that much older than my students, and if you look at the class picture, I actually blend in. Appearing professional and mature is a challenge I’m going to have to face for the next few years. It’s time to say goodbye to my “CA clothes and unofficial uniforms” and hello to my “teacher clothes”. I love the CAs, they are like my family and best friends. I’ve spent so much time with them for the past year and a half, at times, I did feel a little sad or lonely because I wasn’t with them anymore, and I didn’t have time for them. I am thankful that they were all very supportive of me. I was also glad to know that they missed me and welcomed me back with open arms and big hugs. I couldn’t ask for better friends. Many of the returning students whom I became friends with were also very supportive of my teaching position. They were very positive and provided me with support and encouragement. I am very thankful for that. I felt that by being a CA, I was able to talk to students to get their perspective about their language learning experience. I was able to learn about what they like and don’t like. I found this really helpful. All in all, from these experiences, I still love being a CA and I also love being a teacher. It has been a great summer. I can honestly say that working at ELP has changed my life. Who knew that when I began this job almost two years ago, that I would become an ESL teacher? Working at ELP were the best days of my life!
Opportunity for Improving Specialized Business English
Issue 71, September 2010
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“This article is dedicated to our fabulous teacher Sandra”
TORONTO – From July 5th to great opportunity for students to have individualized August 13th, 2010, The Univer- help.” Mr. Jacky Choi, a student in the class, comsity of Toronto (U of T) held an mented, “When we studied speaking skills, such as English Language Program telephone or presentation skills, we practiced in (ELP) for international stu- small groups and shared information through coopdents. Students could improve erative activities such as brainstorming.” The class English skills in several focus classes. One of these focus classes was Business English. The purpose of this class was for foreign students to improve English skills in business. After six weeks of training, learners all enjoyed the class atmosphere and achieved their Above: Eugenia Alvarez Fernandez and Rozhin Amin discuss telephone skills in their Business English Focus class. academic goals. The students were from all around the world, not only improved English skills but also improved of all ages and with varying lev- communication skills among foreign students. els of education. There were All learners completed the Business Focus students from Korea, Japan, class successfully. They were happy because they Taiwan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Tur- achieved their goals. On the other hand, they were key as well as European coun- upset since the fabulous Business Focus class tries such as Spain and Italy. Some learners were ended. working professionals and others were in their early Common opinion was that they improved interview years of university. skills, learned more about formal and informal The topics studied included news reports, speaking in business settings and how to make efresume writing, interview skills and effective Power- fective presentations. As a result, they increased Point presentations. their job opportunities. Furthermore, they got a There were many benefits in taking the Busi- chance to publish an article in WOW. Most imporness Focus class. Mrs. Sandra Fusco, the instructor, tantly, they networked by making friends from the said, “The class is a good way for foreign students to most eastern to the most western parts of the world. improve English skills and a small class is really a
For more information about the Business English Focus class or the U of T ELP, visit: http://www.learn.utoronto.ca.
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World of Words
Transportation problem in Iran by Sanaz Sahabi
Green Energy Car
Tehran, the capital city of Iran, has recently become a gigantic parking lot. Street cars can move only as fast as pedestrians, and it takes a long time to travel in the city for a purpose. There are numerous traffic problems not only in Tehran, but also all over the country mainly because of a poor transportation system. Moreover, gas and oil prices are considered as an affordable expense, and big cities are much more crowded than the suburbs since life opportunities considering jobs, education, and facilities are more easily found there. As a result, all our resources will soon be exhausted since such an overconsumption will increase the amount of oil waste. In addition, studies indicate that air pollution results in lung cancer and other dangerous diseases such as asthma, gastro-intestinal infection, and other types of cancers. Then, as air pollution stems from car exhaust and other factors, thousands of cars converged in the city will affect the atmosphere and environment. The most commonly proposed solutions to this problem are developing better life conditions in the suburbs, increasing fuel prices, and developing a better transportation system.
The first solution, developing the suburbs, is possible to do in a number of ways. The government can transfer factories, businesses, and universities on a reasonable scale to these areas, encouraging people to move from cities. This method is efficient in the long term; while it decreases the amount of personal aggression either because of air and noise pollution or for wasting time in traffic, it also helps the suburbs’ economy. However, this idea’s success is conditional since it is hard to convince adolescents to change their life styles. The second practical solution is to develop a transportation system appropriate in size and quality. Although this answer may cost more money than other solutions, it would help the government to save money in other ways in the future as repairing transit facilities and increasing them is a long-term investment. In addition, people who prefer traveling by public transportation can access destinations easier than before; besides, they can save money spent on parking . The third and best idea is to increase oil and gas prices to push people to use more public transportation and bicycles. Such methods would lead to more energy savings. However the plan’s triumph depends on the better public transportation services while the total cost would be also economical compared with driving personal vehicles. In short, if the government solves the problem in this way, the consequences will be a peaceful, and pure atmosphere with less violence in cities.
by Andrew (Jun Lin) Wu In recent years the Green energy car has been gaining in popularity at an amazing rate. It seems that a lot of countries have invested money researching and developing the future Green energy car. The Green energy car will play an undeniably important role in the future. Those who welcome the Green energy car have several reasons. First, the Green energy car would not pollute the environment while the traditional energy car makes the world dirty and costs millions of dollars in gas every year. Besides, traditional energy like oil cannot be recycled; therefore, if we do not develop our Green energy car, the transportation system will break down very soon. In addition, the efficiency of the common cars is very low, so it will also waste a lot of oil and expedite more environmental de-
struction. In addition, p e o p l e s p e a k highly of a Green energy car. It is not only environmentally friendly but also economical. Everyone knows that the world’s oil price is very high and oil will become more expensive. Also, if you buy a Green energy car, you will get some rebate money from the government. Considering these reasons, we can easily see that buying a green energy car is better than buying a traditional energy car.
Issue 71, September 2010
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OVERPOPULATION IN CHINA by Meng Li
It has been estimated that thousand of years ago, there were fewer than 400 million people on the earth. Today, the population of the world amounts to 5,000 million. Three percent of this figure is the population of China. The Former Soviet Union wanted to attack China with nuclear weapons in the 1960s, and the Chinese people were afraid of genocide; as a result, at that time, the government encouraged people to have children. Now the population is becoming a serious issue which all the Chinese people are facing today. This issue brings a lot of problems. For example, parents do not have enough time and energy to give each of their children a good education if a family has more than one child. Some people also experience pressure and difficulty finding jobs because one job may have more than ten workers competing for it. The effects of over-population are like chains; for instance, the two kinds of people who are mentioned above will create some social problems because they are uneducated, and they have no money to support their families. These kinds of people may start to commit robbery or beg on the street, and many little children may become beggars with their parents. The Chinese government is trying to find a good solution to fix this problem, like family planning, a policy
where one family is only allowed to have one child. The problem is some pregnant women go to the countryside to elude the government inspection. They are not aware of the seriousness of this issue. Family planning is a practical solution to this problem, and it is the only one. However, the government should strengthen the management of this system, and the inspections of pregnancies should be across-the-board and precise. At the same time, the government should give some punishment such as fines. When a family wants to have a second child, they should be fined. The government needs to solve the basic problems as well. They should provide more opportunities to people who need jobs to support their families and help the children who cannot go to school to obtain an education. Overall, the most important point is the Chinese government should pay more attention to this issue of over -population. As soon as we fix this problem, China will go forward. The Chinese should recognize that solving this problem is the only way to improve the quality of our lives. If every child can gain an education, it will be beneficial to the development of the country. In short, over-population is a necessary problem that all the Chinese people need to face and fix today.
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World of Words
Voluntary works in Canada (Marathon) by ShunFu Hu, In walks with three dying marathon runners, their feet withered, their pupils shadowed, their faces dominated by suffocation, their garments assaulted by perspiration, yet their perseverance staying untainted, having been holding up their lifeless body as they let out their joyful cry at the moment they rushed through the banner in the final line. Jocund glory stood tiptoe by their side, along with Joy, who came from their hearts. Beside those were a group of voluntary spirits, their origins varying, from Montenegro to Korea, from Taiwan to China, but all conveyed the wholehearted willingness to devote, representative of the University of Toronto Voluntary Group. From the OISE they came, in a car they celebrated two birthdays, and in a temporary tent they camped. They woke when the sun stealthily shed its humble light into their place the next morning, and rested after the sun was about to hide its face. Many runners they saw, their pleasure they shared, their smile their rewards, their endeavouring their model, their perspiration their inspiration.
Issue 71, September 2010
Page 47
“I love Yumeoibito. I love to volunteer.”
I belong to a volunteer group in Japan, the name is “Yumeoibito”. The purpose of Yumeoibito's activity is to build an elementary school in Laos by collecting construction costs, one million and fifty thousand yen. By the way, the activity is called “making every heart into a loop with 100yen”. Our policy is “Not fund-raising, but cooperation”. We never do a fundraising campaign and hold events to raise funds. Well, what do we do? For example, we speak to strangers and distribute handbills, explain Yumeoibito, or while we pick up garbage, we appeal to cooperate. And by reporting the present situation in Laos to those who joined “making every heart into a loop
with 100yen” on the homepage, members can be connected with other cooperators after cooperating. We carried out the collection of construction costs on August 17 this year, and we will be at the opening ceremony of a school between in January and in March next year. Now, we are discussing about our next goal after the ceremony. Lastly, I love to volunteer. I love Yumeoibito. I'd like to join more activities of Yumeoibito after this. Thank you for reading.
by Saki Sasamura
World of Words
Toronto and Japan
by Tomomi Kinoshita
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Hi! My name is Tomomi! I'm a Japanese girl. I came to Toronto for Speaking English class for one month. I could meet various kinds of situation here. Now, I want to talk about my experience in Toronto and something I felt. First of all, when I got lost, some people in Toronto asked ''May I help you?" and "Everything Ok?" even though I didn't ask. Every time I got lost, some people in Toronto asked me. I was very glad. My heart got to be warm. I haven’t felt such feelings in Japan so much. But in Toronto, I could feel that almost every day. Of course, though Japanese are kind, people in Toronto are especially kind for me. And I was also impressed with the behavior of clerks. If you are Japanese and when you came to Toronto, you will understand what I mean soon. In Japan, they serve what you ordered quickly and services are very very good with no tip. But they look busy. In Toronto, I feel relationship between clerks and customers is very relaxed and time have passed slowly. I like the atmosphere. It’s new for me. If you want to feel one, I recommend little Italy to you. You can see nice people and place.
Next, we were sometimes told, ‘Japanese are shy. They don’t say own their opinions so much.’’ It’s true but I think it is because of education in Japan. In my case, I didn’t need say my opinion in front of other students when I was high school student. All I had to do was understand what teachers taught and remember that to pass the university of my First Choice. There were no chances to debate in class. So, Japanese are not always shy, they are not used to saying their opinions in front of audience. Though I wrote some negative opinions to Japan, the reason why I think so is that I have lived in Japan for 20 years. So anything in Toronto looks bright and makes me happy. Actually my mother doesn’t agree with some of my opinions. Some Canadians who have been to Japan also told that Japanese services are excellent and Japan is very safe so they like Japan very much. Yes, it depends on our way of thinking. But nevertheless I want to ask people in Toronto “Do you know how attractive you are?’’
Issue 71, September 2010
Lucy: second from right & her best friend, first from left. Lucy is originally from China and is currently completing her masters in KU in Japan.
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dream, I met my best friend who comes from Tokyo. We met each other every day and went everywhere together. We were in the different class. Both of us enjoyed our school life very much. After class, we usually ate lunch, went to many places where we want to go. We tasted a lot of delicious food, talked with many types of people, bought a large number of souvenirs. I felt free in Toronto. I think people who live there have their own freedom in their hearts. That is important and nice. Also, people are active and passion there. So Toronto has given me an amazing and fantastic memory. I love my class very by Lucy Wang much. My teacher is so kind and my classmates are all good people. I met two lovely girls come from the This summer is one of the most wonderful same country as me. But when we began to feel desummers in my life, because I went to Toronto with light at our friendship, we had to say goodbye. I felt 29 students from our university in Japan. I spent a sad. The friends I made in Toronto are my biggest very short but happy time there. Although I have fortune for me. I will keep in touch with them. My come back, I still remember all the things in Toronto. host family is also very nice. I like all the things there. Such as the wide streets, the cute houses, the busy Anyway, the summer I spent in Toronto is unforgetsubways, and lots of people who come from all over table and I do remember this special experience forthe world. This was my first time to go to an English ever. speaking country. My dream has come true now. I feel that it was a very very beautiful dream. In the
My Summer in Toronto.
Photo contest runner up & 2nd place winner in ELP Events: Ilija Mugoša (from Montenegro)
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Page 51 Issue 71, September 2010
Kansai University French Canada Trip
World of Words
by Daryna Sadova
A New Kind of Horse Power: Therapeutic Riding
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When we think about horse power, usually what comes to mind is physical strength. Horses are very strong animals, indeed. Even since ancient times they were used as a pull force for household purposes. With time, the use of horses has changed. Nowadays, people are rarely using these animals as a pull force on farms or for hunting; they are using them more in sports and medicine. While being very strong physically, horses are also very powerful in many other ways, so that they can be qualified as very good “doctors”. In today’s world, therapeutic riding is very popular and widely practised among many clinics that work with people who suffer from stroke, autism, Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, physical disabilities and many others. In August, ELP students had a great opportunity to meet and listen to the presentation of Kelly Sherrard who works with horses and kids with disabilities. Kelly is very passionate about horses and has been riding since she was a child. She told us everything about the horses from colors, marks and breeds to Olympic Games and therapy. The whole presentation was very exciting and interesting. However, one thing that I found most fascinating is the way horses are used for riding therapy. It has been proven that horses have great qualities that help children with, for example autism and Down’s syndrome, to get better and achieve so much. The therapy reaches children in a way that parents and other therapies are not able to. Still, unfortunately, not all children respond to horse therapy because everyone is different. However, many doctors believe that with proper training, horses have an amazing potential to treat kids with different kinds of disorders. Riding therapy helps children learn about themselves, interact with others and the world around them. It also
stimulates muscle pattern, promotes balance and muscle development. At the same time, the children gain horse riding skills. It is challenging for kids with autism to communicate, however, after few sessions with a horse, improved results can be seen. Therapeutic riding also can help children with disorders to become leaders, since horses by nature like to be led. Horses are very sensitive and can feel everything that is happening around them. So when the leader asks nonaggressively and nicely, the horse will obey and feel safe and comfortable. Any breed of horses can be used for the therapy, however they have to be trained first to be calm and patient, since safety of kids comes first. Our guest speaker told us that horses have special training during which different sounds and actions which might be expressed by kids with disorders are made by the trainer. In fact, Kelly said that she trains horses in this way and also supervises children during therapeutic riding. She told us a very touching success story of one of her students who suffered from autism. After receiving riding therapy, he fell in love with horses and got very good at riding. Also he saw great health improvement. He took more and more horse riding lessons and eventually he was competing at the Paralympics. I think this kind of story should encourage and inspire parents whose children suffer from disorders to sign up their kids for a life changing beneficial experience. Not necessarily every child will participate in Paralympics, but horses will help them to discover the world around them, get to know themselves better, and cure the diseases or make significant improvement. Even though there is still a possibility that the child will not respond to the treatment, parents still should not give up and just give it a try.
Issue 71, September 2010
Jobless Youth
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youths remain out of work for a long time, thus deprived of an opportunity for learning job skills. Many by Claire (Minjeong) Kim corporations say there are few young emYoung people in Korea usually get a job and ployees to learn its know-how from the forstart a new chapter in their life after finishing mer generation at the work place. their post-secondary education. However, for more than 5 years, the situation has been The first solution, reducing the number of changing. If people get a job before or right jobless youths, is that the Korean governafter graduating from university, everyone ment should offer a variety of youth proapplauds their success because recently it grams to have job opportunities, such as inhas not been easy to see young generations ternships or work place experience profinding work. One major cause of youth un- grams. For instance, the government or employment is that an economic downturn in other social organizations provide job experiKorea has not produced strong growth in ence programs for university students during employment for several years. Most corpora- vacation, and students can get credits for tions usually recruit their new employees their courses, or a small salary. It could be twice a year, but the number of recruits has helpful to not only youths who do not have kept decreasing. The official jobless rate for any work experience, but also the corporathose aged 15-29 stands at 8.3 percent, tions which need extra people to work temwhich is more than twice the jobless rate of porarily. Secondly, it is necessary for the 3.5 percent of the whole nation, according to government to provide incentives for those the National Statistical Office in Korea. The admitted to vocational high schools and to other major cause is over-education. On the two-year junior colleges. Many Koreans think one hand, a number of corporations say that academic education is much more valuable they have difficulty hiring high school gradu- than technical education. That is why there ates for entry-level jobs. On the other hand, a are few people who want to go to vocational growing number of university graduates are high school or to two-year junior college to competing against each other in a job mar- learn technical skills. It is far from acceptable ket which is gradually getting smaller. This for more than 80 percent of high school phenomenon makes students postpone their graduates to go to university in Korea. This graduation from university and register for a goal among Koreans means that many uni9th or 10th semester without any academic versities are opening every year, even though purpose, while students traditionally took some have decided to close because they do eight semesters to graduate. According to not have enough students to operate their Samsung Economic Research Institute in Ko- business. This is a social problem not only in rea, when a 25-year-old person is out of work Korea but also all over the world nowadays; for a year, it means a loss of 23.8 million won however, we need to have specific and force(approximately US$ 2,000) in personal in- ful solutions for the future of Korea. come, and another loss of 330,000 won (approximately US$ 300) in tax revenue to the government. In addition, the quality of labor will decline when a large number of
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World of Words
Class Trip: Toronto Islands
by Lailla Grillo
It's Friday! So let's have a picnic. Almost the whole class met on Friday after classes at the ferry docks. Some of our classmates brought a friend and one woman brought her daughter. We went to Centre Island to have a picnic together.
Everybody enjoyed the short but very nice trip on the ferry. We saw the skyline of Toronto and the sun was shining. After we arrived at the island we walked a short distance until we reached a nice place to have our lunch. The place was set directly on the edge of the lake. Certainly there were also the birds which are never missed on the island. As soon as we were settled at our table they began to fly around us and to “talk" to each other with their strange noises, but we ignored them and started our picnic. Everybody brought something to eat or to drink. We were such a nice group! The time passed by too quickly with talking, laughing, taking pictures and certainly eating. Also there were two girls who went to bathe their feet in the lake. However a swan tried to bite them. The whole atmosphere was relaxed, bright and easy. The time passed too fast. As we had a
look at the time it was already five o'clock so we decided to go back. The birds had just waited for this moment. As soon as we cleaned up our things nearly fifty birds flew to our table and started to pick at the leftovers of our picnic. That way nobody had to care about the garbage right? Back on the ferry there were a lot of people. When we waited for the ship the daughter of one of our classmates got an animal made out of balloons and she wore it as we got off the ferry. It looked very nice. We enjoyed another short and windy trip on the boat and said good bye for now to the island. Back in the city we separated at the ferry docks. Some people in our class went to a Korean pub and the others went home or did something else. But I am sure that everyone enjoyed this wonderful afternoon. It was a great picnic!
Issue 71, September 2010
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15 Years of WOW To the left: an ICU group od students featured in a past issue of WOW.
Below: Summer 2010 ICU group of students with CA Toni.
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World of Words
Comments from Chongming Teachers “We enjoyed our stay in Toronto very much. Everyone is friendly and polite. Especially, our teachers are patient; when we met troubles, they always tried their best to help us. In class Maryam encouraged us to communicate with each other in English. We are really thankful...”
Guo Yili, Lu Jian, and Chen Yu “We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to come to U of T. The teachers here are very experienced, energetic and friendly. We enjoyed every minute of our class. These memories are really unforgettable.”
Mao Yumin (Amy), Ni Yanqin (Nice Ni), and Yin Lujun (Liz) Sept 2, 2010 “How time flies! It’s wonderful to be here. We experienced the exciting life in Toronto and enjoyed every minute in class with our knowledgeable and elegant instructor—Maryam McCubbin. Also we met energetic Jennifer and many other wonderful teachers. We experienced the canoe in Lake Ontario, we enjoyed the crazy farewell dinner... We have learned a lot, and we have also left our footprints in Toronto. Everybody is attracted by the beautiful city—Toronto! We love Toronto. We love the warm-hearted and helpful people here!”
EFL teachers from Chonming: Yuan Zhifeng (Danielle), Wang Jing Jing (Grace), and Liu Fenxia (Windy)
Issue 71, September 2010
“We are glad to be here for further study and enjoying the wonderful education methods in teaching English. We are overwhelmed by our teacher’s dedicated spirit in teaching, warm-hearted help, and ever energetic state. Despite the fact that we have different culture background, we can share with each other many aspects, such as methodology and organization in class. We appreciate Maryam’s beauty, hard work, courtesy, elegance, wisdom, profound knowledge, you name it. We will cherish all the experience here forever.”
Xie Qiongyao and ShenBin (Sharon) “University of Toronto is fantastic. All the teachers are experienced and understanding. They prepared each class dedicatedly. Here we enjoyed every minute of each class. Most of us has made much progress. No, we should say all of us improved our spoken English greatly. And our listening is much better. We thank all our teachers and all the staff. You give us many interesting and meaningful classes, you also organized many kinds of extra activities and clubs. You introduced the whole city to us and showed the English and Canadian culture to us. We feel like fish in water here. This training program is our unforgettable experience in our whole life.”
He Weiqiong (Vivien), Zhu Liu, and Di Shi “I enjoyed the one-month stay in Toronto, a city with cultural diversity and the great harmony of nature, humans, and animals.”
Gao Quan (Mike) “We enjoyed our stay in Toronto very much. Within one month our group of 20 teachers travelled around the whole city. We saw sites such as CN Tower, Niagara Falls, and the Central Island. What impressed us the most was that our teachers were very kind and hospitable. They created a lot of opportunities to communicate with us. Thank you very much.”
Fan Liu, Zhou Hong, and Yuan Chunfang
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KU Group
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World of Words
Farwell Dinner
Issue 71, September 2010
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Kobe Shinwa Group
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Alcohol, drugs, and dictionaries With a catchy title like “alcohol, drugs, and dictionaries”, you can guess what this article is about. Guessing is exactly what I would like you to do because it is an important language skill. If you can predict approximately what the following paragraphs are about, I would say you are doing well. But I am getting ahead of myself. Let me explain. I strongly believe that many ESL students are so dependent on dictionaries that they are crippling their language comprehension, especially reading. It is not a surprise that when I give my class a reading comprehension exercise and ask that all dictionaries be closed and put away, most students look at me in an anguished sort of way. Some say that no teacher of theirs has ever asked them to shut their dictionaries. This kind of makes me a bit mad (just a tiny bit) and I often reply “actually, you should leave your dictionaries at home”. There are many reasons for this stance.
World of Words
preparing for a proficiency test? As the title of this article suggests, you must be aware that there are things like alcohol and drugs to which people get addicted. I would like to say unconditionally that we should stay away from drugs. Alcohol, on the other hand, can be consumed in a judicious way when relaxing and socializing. It can also enhance the enjoyment of certain foods. However, one does not drink alcohol with every meal or at all times of the day. There is a time and place for alcohol consumption. Dictionaries are similar to alcohol, so you should learn to use them wisely. Before you reach for your dictionary, use your inborn language skills in order to understand what words mean in particular contexts. After understanding the meaning of a word, you can consult a dictionary to see if your hunch was correct. If you discipline yourself not to reach for the dictionary as soon as you see a new word, but rather guess its meaning from the context, you will probably improve your language comprehension in no time. Well, try this at home and see for yourself.
I teach test preparation classes. No proficiency test I know (e g., iBT TOEFL, IELTS, MELAB) allows test takers to look up words in a dictionary while writing a test. Nor are smart phones and BlackBerrys allowed in any test. So, you are basically on your own. All you can take to a test centre is yourself, your identification, your skills, and something to write with (a pen and/or a pencil). So, in my test preparation classes, I teach test taking and language skills that do not depend on any aids (dictionaries, cellphones, etc.). Quite often, the first demon I must slay is the dictionary and it is quite a tricky business. It's tricky because dictionaries are very important in your language development. I love dictionaries and am awed by the array of electronic dictionaries that are available to an ESL learner. However, overuse of dictionaries can backfire and stunt the very skill you are trying to master. In the last five years, the proliferation of electronic dictionaries has skyrocketed and, predictably, so has the dependency on these clever gadgets.
Pick up a newspaper like “Metro”. Choose an article and read it. Make brief notes on the main idea and important details of the article. Try your best to understand what the author is trying to convey. Next, make a list of words whose meanings you don't understand. Because you have a rough idea of the article, you can probably guess the meanings of some words at least. Write down your best guess next to each word. Then look up in your dictionary to see if your guesses were right. Repeat this procedure with as many articles as possible. In a few days, you are likely to develop the guessing skill. Moreover, if you guess the meanings of some words correctly, the skill will empower you and make you a more confident language learner. What's more, you will become adept at reading quickly once you have confidence in yourself. Skills like skimming for main ideas, scanning for particular pieces of information, guessing the meaning of unfamiliar words, and predicting how an article might develop ideas are important for the reading sections of proficiency tests. Moreover, time is very limited in the reading section of proficiency tests. By acquiring and honing the guessing skill and gaining some confidence, you would likely cut down on the time it takes you to understand the important ideas in a passage. Be responsible for your language development. Read as much English as you possibly can. Put your dictionaries away and develop your skills of guessing, understanding, and predicting.
So, what must an ESL learner do, especially when
by Meher Shaik
Issue 71, September 2010
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Survey: Attitudes about Smoking The following process paragraphs explain the process this class followed when they developed surveys on issues of concern to Canadians.
By Jamal Al Nofiay, Malik Al Salih, Ahmed Afaraj, Asma Alsulamy Paragraph by Asma Alsulamy Jamal, Malik, Ahmad and I, who are students in focus class, level 40 at U of T, conducted a survey. Because we are non-Canadians, and we know there are many smoking laws in Canada, we wanted to explore Canadians' opinions about these laws. Before conducting the survey, we discussed a lot to created the questions which we wanted to know about. We tried to make it easy and not to take a lot of time to ask and answer them. After that, we were ready to ask people, so we decided where we would go to contact them. Because I was very shy, and
this was the first time doing it also in English which is not my first language, I preferred to choose Tim Horton as a place to contact Canadians where no one will be busy. When I was there , I chose the single people to ask and asked the questions quickly and clearly to make sure there was no confusion. Then, I wrote the answers immediately not to forget them. At the same time, my partners did the same job in different places. After that, we met in the class to collect and analyze the information. Finally, we created charts for each
Are you smoker? 1 :not smokers 2: smokers
If the government put a new law to increase the cost of cigarettes, will it help to decrease the amount of smokers? 1: no 2 : yes
There is a law to ban smoking in buildings, do you think it's safe to smoke outside after midnight? 1: no 2 : yes
Do you like to visit someone who smokes inside his or her house? 1: no 2 : yes
In your opinion, what age do you think people should be allowed to smoke?
1 : age 2 : the number of people who said that age
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World of Words
Toronto: Graffiti Art
by various students
“I like this because I was deeply impressed and interested in the word of "TORONTO" was draw by someone in Toronto city” by Ayumi Takeda.
“This grafitti was drawn by someone. I think the picture is maker's dream, so he or she wanted to become super dancer!!” Anonymous
“I like this picture because it is very cute!!!!” by Shohei Asakawa
Issue 71, September 2010
WANT E
HAVE YOU SEEN THIS PERSON? 100,000 REWARD!
He goes by the names: Mehmet, Aoi, Thierry, Attaya, Philipp, and many more. But don’t be fooled. His real name is Mustafa.
WANTED FOR DISTIRBING THE ELP PEACE! (no we’re just kidding—Mustafa has been our student for awhile at ELP, but now he has gone to start his Masters at McMaster University. Congrats! Mustafa.)
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D
TASTE OF TORONTO
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Issue 71, September 2010
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Northland
camp
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Compare Policing in Toronto and South Korea (Seoul) There are some differences between Toronto and Korea. First of all, In Korea, they don’t have horses. Actually Seoul is too crowd to using horse to policing and it’s too expensive in Korea. In terms of car, it costs more than 4 times. Next, most of policemen want to promote speed. Because salary gap between ranks is quite big and initial salary is less than 20,000 dollar per year. It’s a pretty small payment
Policemen’s speech When I was 13 years old, I decided to become an English teacher in my home country, Japan. Therefore, I have never considered a career in policing. However, one of my friends once considered it. He was thinking about his job in the future. He was interested in preserving the peace. By listening to Mr. Montgomery’s presentation, I learned that the job is not so easy, and sometimes, the job is dangerous for them. The policemen sacrifice their tome and health for the peace. It moved my heart very much. The reason was that to contribute for the citizens was not easy at all as I had thought. I decided to become an English teacher because I want to change the children’s dislikes of English. It is the way for me to contribute to the citizens. It is not same as police men because there is no dangerous thing or too much sacrifice. And also, English
World of Words
to make a living in Seoul. So, if they get a chance to promote, they won’t miss it! Third one is equipment. In Korea, policemen don’t wear bulletproof vest and carry taser gun. Of course they don’t have need to keep their gun because authority in Korea is so strong. So they rarely feel difficulty when they deal with people who make trouble or commit misdemeanor. Conversely, they have some similarities. Their policing system is very similar in some way. They set the districts and each district has their police branch and they follow their own rules or missions. Sometimes they cooperate with each other so they can police more efficiently.
Author: Anonymous
teachers are not criticized by the citizens. It is some kind of paradox that the police are criticized by the citizens because polices are for the citizens. Also, in Japan, I often hear that people do not like, sometimes rather than do not like, hate the police. These people usually say that the police disturb them to do something. It sounds arrogance because all people who have a job do disturb somebody to do their own jobs. They cannot help to make someone uncomfortable. That is how the world moving. Needless to say, at the same time, they contribute to their society and the others. We are now here because our ancestors tried their best to make this world better. We are doing same thing now as they tried. Sometimes, we will feel uncomfortable about some organizations. But, sometimes it is needed to accept those things by knowing the reasons why they did so. This will make the world much better and better.
Saoko Tabuchi (Sao)
Imagine What It’s Like to be a Police Officer Imagine what is like to be a police officer. Last we respect them, and we were impressed by their week, two officers explained to the English Lanfriendliness and dedication to keeping the peace. guage Program how to be a police officer. They explained the requirements to be a police officer, and also indicated what the selection process Submitted by the class of 4-170: was. They talked about their duties, and also about their equipment. Most interesting of all, they Amal, Mubarak, Yunny, Ayako, Yuintroduced us to their personal experiences. riko, Sophie, Kerry, Yoshiki, Risa, The police officers presentation was rich in information and now we feel safe. The presentation was Mikaela, Amy, Jaeho and Yoshiyuki. engaging and thought-provoking. We admire them,
Issue 71, September 2010
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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Superstar ELP Alumni BK Yoon by Shirley Tsang
BK Yoon is a
very special alumni of the English Language Program. Originally an English teacher in Japan, Yoon came to Canada to further his education and explore the country where his wife grew up in. After taking a course at ELP, he went onto pursuing a Masters degree from the University of Toronto (OISE) while working as a staff member at the ELP office. Recently, he also completed his TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) studies to become an ESL teacher. Yoon is a wonderful friend and counselor and is very much adored by all the Cultural Assistants he supervises. If you are an ELP student considering further studies in or immigration to Canada, you definitely won't want to miss out on this exclusive interview:
Q: What is your cultural background? A: I'm a 3rd generation KoreanJapanese and soon to be Canadian.
Q: What do you like about Canada? A: As soon as you arrive at Pearson International Airport, you can become Canadian. In other words, you NEVER stand out because of your appearance such as race and ethnic background. Q: How long have you been studying English? A: Real study? 6 years. Q: What did you do as an ESL student? What was your favourite part about ELP as a student? A: I not only studied in class but also tried to think in English, dream in English and act like a local Torontonian. More importantly, I also participated in all the activities organized by ELP and took advantage of all the opportunities that ELP provided. Q: How long have you been working at the ELP? What did you do? A: When I first started working at ELP in June 2006, I was still a 2nd year Master student at OISE. I was the only CA at that time, believe it or not. What did I do? I can’t list all of the things I did with students because there are sooooooooo many. All the experiences that I have had at ELP for sure made me grow. Q: Tell us about the most memorable experience you had at ELP. A: One of the eye-opening experiences was when one of my favorite teachers at ELP once shared his teaching philosophy; “to learn is to teach twice.” Q: Why did you want to become an ESL teacher? A: Because I know as an ESL teacher, what aspects of English students find difficult to acquire and I can help them what solutions and strategies they can apply to maximize their learning. Also, I understand that English can give you more opportunities than you had ever imagined before. There are so many, I mean, so many interesting things that we don’t know and English language can help you explore them. There is an old saying that “the frog in the well knows nothing of the great ocean.” This means that if you stay only in your comfort zone, you won’t be able to find other great things in your life and maybe another-self. Go outside, use English and explore yourself! Does this make sense? Q: Is there anything else you would like to share with students? Any advice for studying English or immigrating to Canada? A: I believe that Canada gives you great opportunities. But in order to be successful, you gotta meet the right people, at the right time and at the right place. Keep an eye open because your opportunity may be lying right in front of you!
What do others think about Yoon? Anna: YOON IS THE BEST AND COOLEST PERSON IN THE WORLD. :) It has been great working with him, being his classmate and talking to him about anything and everything. He’s a great friend! Life would not be the same without him! Janet: Yoon as a friend: humourous, mellow, interesting, open minded, and an around solid friend. Yoon as a supervisor: encouraging, supportive, incredibly open, organized and just knows what he's doing. He really pushes us to push ourselves. Jay: Yoon is a friendly and kind to everyone no matter what their age is. I want to get to know him more. Shirley: Yoon-san is an awesome co-worker, supervisor, teacher, friend, counsellor, and big brother! I'm really glad I got to know him through working at ELP! Tope: I can always count on Yoon to offer me excellent guidance.
To Shirley-san! 道険笑歩 From BK Yoon
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World of Words
WoW magazine has come a long way—this year, we are celebrating the 15th anniversary of WoW! Take a look at how its changed over the past 15 years ...
Issue 71, September 2010
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Part of this special issue, we chose to feature ELP staff and instructors who have been here for 15 years or more ! We asked some to reflect on their experience working here and how the program has changed over the past years.
30 Years at ELP How things have changed! When I started as an ESL teacher in this program 30 years ago, the program was quite simple: we had one course – general ESL with Talking and Writing in the morning and Reading and Listening in the afternoon. Even in those days we had a lot of students, we just did not have a lot of space. During the fall and winter terms, we were in many different buildings on the campus, and in the summer we moved to St. Michael’s College or to University College. Computers - none. TV/VCRs - no way. Tape recorders - a few. The basic equipment was chalkboards and chalk. A major improvement was when we got a photocopier! Slowly things started to change. First we got rented space here at OISE. It included one small room for the administration office. It only had space for one desk and chair, so the two (yes, in those days we only had two people in the office) members of the admin staff had to take turns sitting at the desk. About 13 years ago we moved to our current offices and classrooms. The choice of courses increased from the general ESL to Academic English, Business English, to Comprehensive English, and Speaking English. The teaching staff, as well as the office staff, has increased manifold. We get students from all over the world and are working on increasing the number of countries represented here. Through my years here, we have had some great times and some harder times. At one point we had so many students that even though we already had the regular classrooms we have now, we had to rent 15-20 extra rooms all over the campus; some classes were in a different room almost every day. Then there was a global economic crisis and our student numbers went down drastically. One year, there was a fire in the OISE building on the first day of courses, so the whole building was shut down for several weeks. We quickly found another building for our classes, and when the students
came in the following morning, not knowing that there had been a fire, we had to find them all and direct them to the other building. We made it, and the summer went smoothly despite the fact that we really had to improvise a lot. And that to me is the secret of the success of ELP: no matter what happens, we work hard and make this a great place to study. Working in the ELP, first as an instructor for 17 years and then as a coordinator for the last 13 years, has been an amazing experience for me. I have met a huge number of students from many different places and learnt a lot from them. The instructors are a truly inspiring and talented group of people – I have always said that the ELP staffroom is one of my favourite places in the world. The office staff is both knowledgeable and helpful. I especially enjoy seeing the CAs at work full of enthusiasm and new ideas. Now that I am close to retirement, I can gratefully say that his has been a workplace like no other, and I will miss it very much.
by Marjatta Holt Course Coordinator, 30 years at ELP, 30 years wowing students and coworkers
Issue 71, September 2010
by Laurie Weber In fifteen years of teaching, what has never ceased to surprise me is the range of personalities and behaviors I find among my students. Not just shy, or talkative, or outgoing, or hardworking, but all kinds of unexpected permutations, such as disorganized but trustworthy, studious and forgetful, ambitious but lazy (occasionally!). Although I try not to develop stereotypical views of various nationalities, I have formed generalizations over the years, but even these get frequently challenged as I meet students who just don’t fit the expected pattern. I even had a “rude” Japanese in my class at one point. He simply didn’t act with the exquisite politeness I had come to expect, but stated bluntly what he wanted. His Japa-
by Heather Bryans I’ve been teaching in the ELP for 22 years. Agh! Is that possible? The time has gone so fast. From my very first class to my most recent one, teaching in the ELP has been a real joy, and it is the students who are at the heart of my love for this work. I am grateful to all the students who I have met over the years for sharing their lives and aspirations, and for keeping me young (in spirit, at least). Thank you to all my past students for 22 great years, and a warm welcome to students yet to come.
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nese classmates felt it necessary to speak to me privately and explain that this particular person was behaving in a very un-Japanese way and that I shouldn’t think that all Japanese were like that. They were embarrassed, but I thought it was refreshing to come across someone who didn’t fit the usual mold at all. For me, meeting individuals in the classroom is a delight, and I look forward to discovering what unique combination of personality and national culture they each bring to the class. I also enjoy watching how they interact with each other, and discovering how each class is different from any other I’ve ever had. It’s like a new salad every time: a little bit of this, a few pieces of that, some oil, some lemon, a touch of garlic, give it a good toss, and the result is a surprise. Occasionally, it’s not a wonderful taste, but most of the time it’s delicious!
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by
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Evelyn
Pe d e r s e n
* Pros & cons of teaching English for 15 years It has been a joy to be teaching with the ELP for the past 20+ years; in this career we meet so many interesting students, from a wide variety of academic, professional, and cultural backgrounds. Exchanging ideas and sharing experiences in the classroom every day with college-age students and young professionals has, I think, helped keep me young! Sure there have been a few bumps along the way, but on the whole, I am very thankful to be working in this field. And “if I had to do it all over again,” I would choose to be an instructor in the ELP! * Words of wisdom for outgoing & incoming students My philosophy for learning language is this: “English in, English out.” Students must take every opportunity to take IN English: by participation in the ELP’s extra-curricular activities and Volunteer Club; by reading English language newspapers, magazines, short stories, novels, and non-fiction; by watching English language television programs and movies; and of course by making friends and spending time with native speakers, as well as with students from other countries. There are all kinds of opportunities for conversation at the U of T’s International Student Centre; several downtown churches also welcome, and host conversation clubs ~ and
free dinners! ~ for international students; check out these opportunities. We’re soon coming into hockey season: watch hockey with your Canadian homestay family, and ask them to explain the game to you. Go to one of Toronto’s market areas ~ Kensington, or the St. Lawrence Market ~ and chat with the vendors. Head down to Harbourfront for one of the many free events there, and strike up a conversation with an exhibitor or local artist; they’re eager to speak to you. The more students immerse themselves in these kinds of realworld language situations, the more improvement they will see in their English abilities. The worst thing a student can do is spend all his time in the safety zone of friends and family from his own country ~ how can that ever lead to improvem e n t i n t h e n e w l a n g u a g e ? * How has the ELP changed during these 15 years The English Language Program has changed in many ways. Our program has grown in physical space, course offerings, and in enrolment. Students today are much more sophisticated than they were 20 years ago, and the ELP has had to embrace change in order to respond to the needs of modern ESL learners. We have had to adopt new technologies, as well as new approaches in the classroom. But change is good! As our students have grown, we have grown along with them, and it has been an exciting journey; in fact, there has been “never a dull moment.”
Jennifer Harris has been with ELP for more than 15 yeaers now. in one of the past WoW issues, students have written an artile about her—take a look below:
Issue 71, September 2010
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Last but not least, some closing remarks and “thank yous” by one of ELPs current AE instructors.
Thank you!
dian culture. I have seen the smiles on students’ faces as they visit one of these great places.
Steve Bahry (We are lucky to have two Steves in the ELP!) works with other teachers in the ELP. He has many years of teaching experience and knowledge of research that he shares with everyone. He also sings and plays the guitar at Geordie’s Jam. Sometimes, his sons will join us at the music night. One of his sons plays the trumpet and the other plays the flute. It is really nice to see Steve and his two sons playing music with our students and teachers. This It is with great pleasure that I write this article about my colleagues also makes the ELP feel like home. Catherine, Evelyn, Heather, Jennifer, Jesse, Laurie, Linda, Maurilio and Steve Bahry. Each of these teachers has taught in the English Maurilio helps his students to enjoy every minute in the classroom. In fact, Maurilio’s students do not want to leave the classroom. At Language Program for at least fifteen years. the end of class, my students begin to get ready to leave. They look If you have ever been in Catherine’s class, you know that she loves at the clock, stop listening to me, and put their books away. Maurilher dog Jake. Jake comes to visit every once in awhile. He helps to ios’ students do not do this! I think that they would stay all day if make the ELP really feel like home. Catherine has a passion for they could. One day, we had a big snowstorm, and our building was teaching reading in her class, and she helps her students develop a closed because of the storm. Maurilio was still in the classroom love of reading. She started a collection of books that she shares with his students. Nobody wanted to leave, but they had to go. with her students in the classroom. Catherine also knows how im- Maurilio shares his love of learning with his students, and they enportant it is for her students to write well in English. She creates joy learning English from him. many interesting materials to help her students improve their writLaurie makes her business class fun for her students. I see Laurie’s ing while having fun. students in the hall, and they are excited about learning business Heather also loves books but a different kind of book. Heather’s skills, strategies and vocabulary. Once students enter Laurie’s students get to know the dictionary very well. Heather makes this classroom, they are not at school, they are at work. Laurie helps her sometimes boring topic seem fun, and her students really benefit students study genuine business situations in the classroom, and from the experience. Heather knows that students need a large she shares her many years of business experience with her stuamount of English vocabulary to be successful learners. Her stu- dents. Laurie loves to garden. She grows beautiful flowers, and I dents also learn valuable strategies to improve their vocabulary believe that her yard looks like a park. outside of the classroom. She helps them become independent Evelyn has two passions! She loves to write and she loves to watch learners. movies. Evelyn’s students benefit from both of these passions. She Jennifer loves teaching teachers. One of her specialties is to help teaches them how to write in the North American style, and she teachers from all over the world develop lesson plans and materials teaches English through movies. Evelyn makes her students work to teach English. Jennifer teaches the teachers, and they teach very hard when they are writing, but then she lets them relax when many people in their home countries. Jennifer also enjoys teaching they are watching a movie. She also makes very good popcorn to English through music. Her students find out that country music share with her students during the movie! provides many new words for them to learn. As you can see, I am very lucky to have such great coworkers, but I Jesse shares Jennifer’s enjoyment of music, but Jesse enjoys a am even luckier because they are my friends. Please join me in different kind of music. She sings opera music. Jesse has a beauti- thanking these wonderful teachers for spending so many years ful voice and often attends Geordie’s Jam (the music night) to sing helping students. with students and other teachers. Jesse’s other passion is teaching the first level in the Comprehensive English program. Many of her students are very shy at the beginning of the course, and they find it difficult to speak. Jesse makes every student feel comfortable and soon they talk, talk, and talk!
by Mary Lawless (ELP Instructor)
Linda shares Jennifer and Jesse’s love of music. She also sings at Geordie’s Jam, and her favourite song is Hallelujah. This song was written by a famous Canadian singer, Leonard Cohen. Linda’s specialty is organizing trips for students to visit major attractions in Toronto. She takes students to the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario, Queen’s Park (Government of Ontario) and the Ontario Science Centre. Linda helps her students learn English while they learn about Cana-
ask your f r
iends and m
entors to s h
are
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University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies English Language Program