Stand and Deliver

This is a very good movie, which contains both of dramatic senses and dynamic actions. Why is this movie successful? Or why is that math teacher triumphant?
In my opinion, Mr. Escalante’s success is based in his contribution for the class. It is impossible to distinguish between teacher and class because he, himself is the class. He has a new method or an appropriate way to teach calculus to the tough students.
If I say, it is another kind of revolution, which is drastically available to turn from minus zero to plus hundred. He approaches the students as a friend, as a colleague, as a teacher, as a family member. He worries for students’ future. He worries for students’ failure. He makes individual discussion with the students, with his passion, sympathy, empathy and the power of a good teacher. He loves and admires in art and humanity (just like our Professor Carter).
He loves the class. He wishes the students’ success. He gives his time and life for the class. Once, even he falls down of stairs for his heart attack. He is a miracle worker.
The climax comes when the students are accused of cheating because they do well in the calculus exam. It shows one of the human natures, which becomes unbelievable when something breakthrough from its zero potential; in other words, when something suddenly transfer from its lowest level to highest level.
This is the movie, which has the sense that not only to be watchable, but also to be thinkable.

Freedom Style of ‘Freedom Writers’

The movie, ‘Freedom Writers’ gives a lot meanings and senses, such as
- Nature of relationship among people (us)
- The problem of race and ethnicity
- The law of lose and gain
- The drives of particular ‘mode’
- The value of Freedom.

The film gives us to see some kinds of nature of relationship between the people; such as – husband and wife, different groups with different backgrounds, parents and (their) children, authorities and subordinates, teacher and pupils.

Like ‘Crush,’ which was the movie that won several academy awards for the year of 2006, this story also reveals that the (big) problem, which is based in different races and ethnicities has been existed in the multi-cultural society of the United States.

This movie also gives us chance to notice that ‘to gain something, we have to pay something (as a price). Main character of the story, Erin Gruwell's enthusiastic efforts for her class, which is ‘goodness’ makes her even to face ‘divorce,’ which is ‘badness.’ She truly gives part of her life for her class. As an English saying, ‘No man can serve two masters,’ we usually can do only one thing at a time. Sometimes, we might have ability or quality to do two, three or many things for one person in one time, but usually, time does not allow us to be available to do it.

In every particular work, we need to have ‘mode’ or ‘deep concentration’ or ‘likeness’ or passion with that job. Erin, the wonderful teacher of this story has that passion, which has unconsciously come from her heart. When we allow ourselves to finish jobs in this way, the jobs are always successfully, wonderfully and uniquely done. At the same time, nobody or nothing can stop it.

The theme of this film is the teacher’s approach - ‘freedom style’ that let students write their own stories as they wish, as they can. According to the movie, the students in the class are highly tough folks. They come from several racial and ethnical backgrounds, which based upon different cultures. They mostly have gang affiliations as well. At the same time, as everybody does, they all love ‘Freedom.’ Erin’s Freedom style approaches - writing free diary, visiting historical places, meeting with respectable (famous writer) and so on, make them to be interested in learning, reading and writing. Eventually, those activities and teacher's passion makes those tough students to clearly and deeply see the value and power of education.

Moreover, writing diary in free style persuades and encourages them to write their stories, their feelings, their opinions without any restriction and worriness. In addition, freely writing on own experiences becomes the exit for them to reveal feelings, beliefs, opinions, stressfulnesses, dificulities and challenges of their daily lives in both of past and present.

Briefly, we can say that ‘Freedom Style’ makes ‘Freedom Writers’ to be successful.

Daily Lives of Students in a Buddhist Temple

When I was five, there was no school in our village. To study reading and writing, we all had to go to the temple. Our village had a temple where we studied our primary education. A Buddhist monk taught us how to read and write. Let us see how daily lives of students in a Buddhist temple were.
Students (all boys and girls) were the ages ranged 5 to 14. Most boys stayed and slept in the temple; girls went back home after the class time was over. What I am going to talk here is about daily lives of boys who stayed at the temple.
Around 5:00 A.M., all students had to wake up because the food donators for the monks’ breakfast came between 5:00 and 6:00 A.M. There were about one hundred households in our village and every household had its turn to make breakfast. About three or four households were in their turn daily. Approximately, every household had a turn once per month. When the donators came, we had to help them to prepare food for monks and novices. At about six, the monks had the breakfast and the donators went back their homes. While the monks and novices were eating, we all had to be silent. Afterwards, we had our breakfast, which was the rest food of monks.
At 7 A.M., we all would gather in the main hall of the temple and began our worshipping. We put our palms together like a lotus bud and raised them to our foreheads. Then directing our gaze to the images of the Buddha and everybody recited (the three gems or the three refuges):
To the Buddha I go for Refuge.
To the Dhamma I go for Refuge.
To the Sangha I go for Refuge.
After we made obedience to the three Refuges, we had to vow to keep the five precepts:
I undertake the rule of training to refrain from destroying living creatures.
I undertake the rule of training to refrain from taking what is not given.
I undertake the rule of training to refrain from wrong conduct in sexual pleasures.
I undertake the rule of training to refrain from false speech.
I undertake the rule of training to refrain from distilled and fermented intoxicants which are the occasion for carelessness.
Then we had to recite Pali prayer texts, which could drive away the evil spirits and bring in good spirits as we believed. After every time we worshipped, we had to wish – ‘may you all be blessed, may you have the best of everything, may you share the deed of merit we have done.’ The wish was for everybody, every alive, every animal who are either near or far, familiar or stranger, dark or light, rich or poor.
At 7:30, the class began. The classroom was under the temple and there was no wall. We could see the class from any where around the temple and could hear the noises of the class, such as teaching, reading, yelling, (sometimes crying), etc. The monk taught us the primary education - how to read, write and calculate.
At about 9:30, the morning class had finished. The boys played in the yard of the temple and girls went back home to have lunch. We (the boys) could run and play around in the wide yard of our temple. There are many trees in the yard of the temple – mangoes, guavas, jack fruits, limes, lemons, coconuts, bananas and many others. Sometimes, we had to gather all fruits, which were rape enough to eat in this free time if the abbot ordered us. We usually picked the mangoes up in the summer, especially right before the raining season’s beginning. The storms typically came in this season and a moment after it was stormy; there were many fruits under the trees. Sometimes, we also swam in the river as the temple was situated on the bank of the river.
At ten in every morning, we began our trip for receiving food from the donators of the village. We had to initiate the expedition at ten, because it took time about one hour and the Buddhist monks could not eat lunch (any kind of food) after twelve or noon.
I will let you see the view of the team. In front of the procession, a boy who hit the brass triangular gong led the team. The sound of hitting brass made the villagers to notice that it was time to be ready to donate food for the monks. At the back of the boy, a yellow robed monk or a novice who cradled his black alms bowls in his arms walked silently with downcast eyes. After the monk, two boys or two men carried the big plate which had many little bowls to receive foods, especially other kinds of food except rice. At the back of them, another one or two persons followed with the baskets. The baskets were to take rice from the monk whenever the alms bowl was full. When the alms bowl of monk was full, the monk stopped his walking and waited for the person who had the basket. When the person with the basket reach for him, the monk would put all rice from his alms bowl into the basket and he continued the trip, along the roads and streets of the village. If the village was too big, which was established with complicated road and street system, we had to go two or three teams to receive the donations.
Lives in our villages were quiet, peaceful and leisurely, being far from the busy streets of the cities. Every house had own yard and each yard had many trees, especially the coconut, mango, jackfruit, guava trees. The houses were old fashioned rambling affair built of teak and bamboo. The roof was constructed by leaves of coconut tree and thatch, which gave a cool air-conditioned effect. Some people said that the iron roofing was unsuitable for the hot season of Burma’s climate, but I thought they said that because they were unavailable to buy the iron roof, which was very expensive for ordinary people.
People from almost every household were waiting for the monk from his or her gate, to donate food or anything what they wanted to donate. The quantity and quality did not matter, but it just needed to be clear in their high spirit to donate or give things away. Mostly, food donators had two little bowls; rice in one bowl and curry (meat, fish, vegetable, etc) in another. During the sunny days, while people were waiting for the monk, they had to be by the side of sunward because people could not step over the shadow of the monk. If someone stepped over the shadow of the monk, he or she had to get trouble or evils, as they believed.
When the monk stood in front of the gate of the house, each householder could sit and put his palms together and raised them to his forehead as he prayed for. Then he stood up and came to donate food. The monk opened his alms bowl and received food (rice) in silence and went his way. The donator could put the curry into one of little bowls from the big plate, which was carried by two persons.
After we arrived back the temple from receiving donations, we had to separate foods into monks’ table and novice’s table, since monks and novices could not eat food together in the same table. While monks and novices were eating lunch, we (the students) had to sit silently and waited for, till they finished eating, with hungry stomach indeed. When monks and novices finished eating, they all worshipped to the Buddha’s image and blessed to all donators.
As soon as the monks’ praying was done, we took all food to the place where the students usually eat. We ate our lunch at about 12:15 P.M.
Our afternoon class began at 1:00 P.M. and this time, we could learn till 4 P.M. After four, our daily learning process was done and we went back home to meet our parents and eat dinner. Some students (boys) did not go back home if their homes were far. They stayed at the temple. They had rest food of lunch that could be for dinner. The boys who went back home (like me) to have dinner had to get back the temple around 6:30 because worshipping and reading time at night had begun at 7:00.
From 7:00 to 7:30, directing our gaze to the images of the Buddha and everybody recited (the five refuges):
To the Buddha I go for Refuge.
To the Dhamma I go for Refuge.
To the Sangha I go for Refuge.
To the Mada Pida (parents) I go for refuge.
To the Arsaria (teachers) I go for refuge.
From 7:30 to 9:00 P.M., we had to reread all lessons those we learned at day-time. Sometimes, we nodded sleepily because of tired. Sometimes, we fall asleep. Whenever we nodded or fall asleep, we had to be punished by the monk. If someone did it, the punishment for him could be to be beaten by the monk, to run round and round the temple, to read till 10 P.M., (one hour longer than others), etc. Usually, we all slept at 9:00.
On weekends, we had the opportunity to go back home and stayed with the family happily and peacefully. At night, grandpa and grandma told the stories about the rich people, beautiful people, strong and healthy people, long-life people, which they got those good things as the result of deed of merit, feat of having good mind and good heart, sharing good things with others.
The student’s lives in the Buddhist temple of the villages could effect in both good and bad ways. For the positive thoughts, we were part of religious life, which made us to be tolerant, to know how to adjust and share with others, how to stay and work under pressure with such tight disciplines, how to be obedient and so on. For the negative thought, we know only one way – to be obedient to all elders, teachers, and parents without any complaint, any criticism or any protest. We all learned to read books only what the monk (or teacher) taught, to go the place where the teacher and parents allowed, to speak, act (everything) softly and gently. I felt that in our young lives, we learned only to be passive. Probably, this tradition could make Burma and Burmese to be under military and dictatorship for decades, without any complaint, criticism on the authorities as we always learned; Silence is golden, Patience is the greatest power!
In the early morning, we had to practice again;
I take refuge in the Buddha.
I take refuge in the Dhamma.
I take refuge in the Sangha.
Afterwards, we have to perform what the elders wanted us to do obediently, patiently and peacefully.

What do I learn from the sociology class?

There are many things I have learned in the sociology class; from social primary group to social stratification, from theoretical perspectives to racial and ethnic diversity in the community. All those things I learned in the sociology class come from three major fields:
(1) Learning from the (text) book
(2) Learning from the instructor
(3) Learning from the class (presentation, research paper, etc)

(1) Learning from the (text) book
The book, ‘Society: the basics’ by John J. Macionis is remarkable and impressive. As a non-native English speaker, language is still barrier in studying. Even though it is not very easy to read this book, it is not very difficult, either. The clear writing style helps me to highly comprehend.
There are many interesting categories in every single chapter of the book. From sociological theories, perspectives, approaches to scientific sociology are also studied in the book. Let me pick a couple sentences that make me impressed up here;
“These tropical forests are vital to maintaining the Earth’s atmosphere. Deforestation ends up threatening everyone, including those people back in the United States enjoying their hamburgers.”
This means tons. When I told this to my wife, she said that ‘let’s don’t eat hamburgers in future.’

(2) Learning from the instructor
There are several things that we also have learned from our wonderful professor, Sherwood Edwards. He usually speaks clearly and firmly with fluent English and appropriate examples. Here are a few notes from his lectures;
When we study about the bureaucracy, I learned from his sociological perspective that ‘We cannot manage organization without bureaucratic leadership; in other words, we cannot move bureaucracy from the society.’
Impressively, another idea that he give me is- ‘Smart people always dominate doom people.’ ‘All men are born equal, but after that, quality become differential, based upon time, circumstance, condition and opportunity that individuals are coordinate.’

(3) Learning from the class
The research paper gives me opportunity to understand that ‘how to use the SPSS system, how to read the statistics and to see both of micro and macro views of today’s society.
The class presentation also gives us to know and understand more each other among the classmates.

Briefly, I feel that I get a ‘sociological glasses’ from this class to see society by the sociological view.