Dear students,
Thanks for all that you have been.
For someone (i.e. me) who has been teaching the same (roughly the same) content since 2002, it does get repetitive sometimes. Like going through the same facts, answering the same questions and watching the same videos (by now, I've watched Nanking like 6 times). What keeps the excitement going is that while the content, facts, worksheets, videos are the same, the responses from students are always different, from year to year; even in the same year, from class to class and from individual to individual.
So it really heartens me to know when a student enjoys something he watched. Maybe he blogs about it, another may recommend to his friends, or some may go google for more information. The idea is that if something engages you, it should take you on this self-propelled auto-pilot journey into multiplier dimensions to discover things you will never even hear in class. That is when teaching has succeeded and learning has begun. And you have all been very encouraging in this respect. It is your response that keeps me excited about showing you the next video.
I am glad most of you enjoyed Nanking for causing many thoughts to well up from within you. Listen to those voices of "whys" and it will help put the perspective back into the worksheets. The information in the slides and the questions in the worksheet are supposed to help us understand "why". There is so much more intriguing information you can google.
I have lined up a few more videos when school reopens: HIROSHIMA and WHITE LIGHT BLACK RAIN. In the meanwhile, take a relook at your worksheets and try to write out the links for each factor under each heading question. That is your only homework for this holiday.
Once again. Thanks for everything so far. I hope you have enjoyed yourself as much as I have.
