English Corner

2007-05-27T05:54:00.000-07:00

Greetings,

I know it's been a while since my last update, so here we go! I hope your sitting down, because I have something important to discuss today. Are you sitting down? Comfortable?

Good.

Because here we go. I'm going to show you a few pictures that show you a major problem facing China today. A problem that only you, my loyal English fans can change. I must warn you, the images you are about to see are graphic and might be to much for the young, people with weak heart conditions, and chickens.

Read the sign. Do you see any problems with it? I hope so, because there are two glaring mistakes. Number one, MORDOR is not a real word. In fact, it's a place of great evil from the Lord of the Ring movies. For those who have seen them, it is the place Frodo must venture to destroy the ring of power. Is China in support of the evil lord? Second, there is no period or exclaimation mark at the end of this sentence! Lastly, what exactly are they trying to tell you?

AH! Stop the madness!

Now what excatly does a Car Kiss mean? Does it mean that if you drive in this lane you must kiss before you exit or get in your mode of transportation? Interesting. You know a foreigner sees this sign at an airport/trainstation or some place and they are going to think: "Wow, Chinese are so loving they get their own section for goodbye kisses!"

Now I have no idea what this Chinese sign is trying to say! If you guys can figure it out, that would be really wonderful.

It's up to you guys to stop these bad signs from being placed on display! Today, I went to the supermarket to buy sugar and the company misspelled Hubei! How can a Chinese company misspell a Chinese name? English, I can understand, but Chinese?

Oh well...I will post some more stuff later. In the meantime, take care and stay safe!

Jason

Something to Think About

2007-05-05T08:16:00.000-07:00

I have a few questions to ask you:

Have you ever heard someone call your name, but you were alone?

Have you ever felt like someone was watching you when you were alone?

Well I got some news for you…you weren’t alone! Now don’t freak out and start thinking there’s a ghost stalking you, because it’s not. In order to understand this strange phenomenon all you have to do is look at science, Quantum Physics to be more exact.

It is believe that there isn’t one universe, by many. All interconnected, but completely invisible to each other. Right now, for example you’re not reading this message because I never posted it. In another world I never came to China or I’m still single or perhaps I became a famous sports star. The possibility for you and me is limitless.

So going back to the questions above—why is it that sometimes you feel as if someone is watching you. Well, someone is. Perhaps it's you looking in on you from another dimension. Perhaps someone is dreaming or thinking about you. You see, the next time you have this feeling, don’t be nervous or afraid, because you are experiencing something extraordinary.
Same goes if you hear a voice. It’s not some ghost or demonic presence trying to frighten you—it’s just a rift in time and space.

You might think I’m making all this up, but scientist in this field have proven this to be fact. A great way to understand this concept of space time, perception, and the multi-layer of the universe is by watching the Matrix films. Sure, they’re not the best movies and some of the action looks to fake—but the concepts behind the films is quite vast and deep.

These ideas are something I’m greatly interested in and try to study in my spare time. Perhaps in the future I will talk about it again. So the next time your feeling lonely or lost, just remember life is full of beauty, mystery, and endless possibilities! Keep dreaming and reaching for those stars, because someday, you just might reach them!

Jason

Job Hunting: The Search for More Money

2007-04-28T05:31:00.000-07:00

Job Interview Success

Part 1: General Tips

Welcome everyone to the first entry on the English Corner in a very long time. Part of the reason, of course, isn't my fault. Not sure what happened in March, but the site was down most of the time and now, in April, the site tends to come and go. I will try to update it as much as I can in the future, so please get ready for that. Tonight, I'm going to share some advice about Job Interviewing. This is the first in a series of articles I plan to write about it this particular subject. I hope it helps you guys!

Tip #1 Ask for directions
On the day of the interview, you arrive 10 minutes early but only to learn that the manager works out of a satellite office located 30 miles away. Always, always, always ask for the location of the interview and then get directions.

Tip #2 Take your resume with you
The employer’s briefcase was left at home, the receptionist is out sick, the personnel department is out to lunch -- all of these reasons and more are why you should always carry your resume with you. Even if the employer doesn’t need an extra copy, it can be helpful for you to have a copy of your resume on hand for reference especially if you’ve created more than one resume when applying for different kinds of jobs.

Tip #3 Bring a portfolio
Having a few reports or copies of project summaries or published articles will help an employer not only to gauge the quality of your work but also shows that you have come to the interview with more than a casual interest in the work to be done.

Tip #4 Greet the receptionist
Your biggest ally is often the person who sits in the front office. The receptionist or administrative assistance is often asked or will volunteer opinions to hiring managers. Follow the advice of Mom and extend simple courtesies to everyone you meet.

Tip #5 Have your reference list handy
Carry a list of your references with you for the interview. Keep this item along with your resume and any other materials in a folder so that all items are clean and unseen.

Tip #6 Dress according to the setting in which you’ll be working
Wild ties with cartoon characters are best left at home. Long sleeve shirts for men with ties and jackets. Dresses or skirts with an accompanying jacket are appropriate for women.

Tip #7 Shut off the cell phone
Take the time to turn your phone off in order to avoid having the best moment of your interview interrupted.

Part 2 will be up soon. Also, if you dear readers have any topic suggestions, please let me know! Until next time, have a great May holiday!

Update

2007-04-17T04:59:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long delay in posting anything, but this site hasn't been very stable recently. I'm not sure why, but some days it works and others it doesn't.

Anyway, I wanted to let you guys now I'm going to write a new article later this week concering everyone's favorite language, English.

I would like to say that my first Dramatic English class is coming to a close. It was a great class and the students had a wonderful time. It's a shame it has to end, but things tend to have a close. I will let the rest of you know when and how you can sign up for future installments of the Dramatic English class.

In the meantime, have a great night and I will post again soon.

Dramatic English Update

2007-03-09T03:55:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to let you know that spots are still avaliable for my upcoming class, Dramatic English. There have been a few changes, so those of you who inquired before may want to check back with me for furthur information concerning days and such.

In the meanwhile, the weekend is coming soon and I for one can't wait. I have no classes, so I'm going to relax at home and do a little writing and a whole lot of sleeping! What about you guys?

I suppose before I go here, I'll leave you guys a bit of advice concerning foreigners currently living in China. Do not, let me repeat that so you can see it more clearly, do not worship the ground they walk on. Some Chinese students think Americans, Canadians, and Englishmen are fantastic, like God's amongst his flock, but let's be honest, a lot of these people are just not worth the praise.

Only respect those who respect you.

Keep in mind, more than anything else, that they are just like you. Treat those who deserve it with respect and admiration, not the whole entire flock. Because let's be honest, some of them are simply not worth it.

And also remember: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably it is.

Now I'll be posting some more articles soon, so please bare with me as I get the next batch ready. I will also post a few more books in the future so keep an eye out for those. Until next time, take care and I'll be in touch.

PS: For Dramatic English information send an email to: jthmaniac789@hotmail.com

Classes Starting!

2007-02-28T04:33:00.000-08:00

DRAMATIC ENGLISH

A new opportunity is being opened exclusively through this website; a new class offered by yours truly called Dramatic English. This is a class I have designed to help students break bad English habits and improve their confidence in a friendly small environment. I’ll explain the details below and if you are interested, please send me an email for additional information at jthmaniac789@hotmail.com.

WHAT IS DRAMATIC ENGLISH?

Dramatic English is designed to break old habits of speaking English by using elements of drama. The class teaches you how to use body language, tone, and your English in a lively and more naturalistic way. It can also help improve intonation, rhythm, fluency, confidence, pronunciation, and accent.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Most English classes you take are often lecture based, which means you just sit there and listen to a teacher give advice about how to improve your English. You probably take notes and if you’re lucky are given a little bit of time to speak yourself.

Dramatic English is all about you. I don’t teach you on how to sound more authentic, I coach you. Using the skills by famous actors, you actually get to use your English and your time improving with me by giving you suggestions, advice, and tips to improve.

Now this class is not designed to make you an actor, but to sound more natural. More importantly, it will give you the confidence and abilities required to be a more outgoing English speaker.

Unlike a lot of English classes, Dramatic English courses will be small, enabling everyone involved to become friends. Each class is limited to only 10 students, so make sure you sign up quick because spots will soon be filled.

*NOTE: Classes will not be starting on March 10th as originally planned. Instead, once students have signed up, we will work together to find days we can all meet based on your and my schedule, since a lot of you guys have classes on Saturday and Sunday. For more details, email me!

ADDITIONAL OPTION:

I am also willing to give one-on-one IELTS Oral English Test Preparation. I have been a mock IELTS tester for nearly 2 years and have achieved some training. If you are interested in this please send me an email so we can arrange time.

IELTS Part 3

2007-02-21T20:38:00.000-08:00

IELTS Part 3: (Individual Long Turn Section)

Now this is one of the more difficult sections of the test, where most students tend to crash and burn. Here the tester will ask you to speak for 1-2 minutes on a given topic outlined on a card. You will be given only 1 minute to prepare and make notes (don’t worry, tester will give you a pen and paper so don’t need to bring anything). Once your time is your time is up you must now discuss, in detail, the topic given no more than two minutes. Afterwards he will ask you a series of follow-up questions pertaining to the topic and how that topic is linked to you.

For example: Describe a restaurant you enjoy eating in.
You answer:

--Where it is
--What kind of menu it has
--What other features it offers, and then explains why you like eating there.

This portion of the test is designed to give you the opportunity to show that you can speak at length without hesitation and show if you can organize your ideas coherently. Notice the word, without hesitation! Now let’s look at some ways you can prepare and pass:

How to pass Part 2:

• Read the topic card carefully.

• Use the preparation time wisely. Make sure you have understood what you need to talk about. Jot down a few points to answer the prompts on the topic card. Don’t waste time writing sentences.

• Don’t write on the topic card.

• Make sure you answer both parts of the topic card – description and explanation.

• Organize your talk by following the order on the card.

• Make your talk as interesting and as lively as possible.

• Refer to your notes as you talk, expanding each point you have.

• Make sure you use examples from your own life. It’s much easier to talk more fluently about your own experiences.

• Try to expand your sentences using linking words like ‘however’ and ‘although’. Don’t use words like ‘moreover’ and ‘thus’ which are normally used for writing.

• Don’t hesitate for too long. Talk about anything related to the question rather than nothing at all.

• Try to relax and enjoy talking about yourself!

• Don’t worry about the time. The examiner will stop you when your time is up.

• Also, don’t worry if the examiner stops you before you have finished. You will not be penalized for not concluding your talk.

Next time I will give you some pointers about to prepare for Part 2 of the IELTS exam, seeing as I don’t want this update to get too long!

On a side note there were a few things I wanted to say not about IELTS. I wish all of the readers of the site had a Happy Spring Festival and to my none Chinese readers, I wish you all had a very special…uh…Chinese New Year!!!

I have posted some new books recently and I will explain, in brief, who they are and why you should read them.

Stephen King: American author and probably one of the biggest names in modern fiction writing. He has been writing a long time and has sold more books than J. K. Rowling, famous for the Harry Potter books. King often writes about horror and suspense stories and they are easy to read. Hope you will check him out.

Kurt Vonnegut: He’s from my hometown and is famous for writing Sci-fi! He’s a great read as he mixes strange things with humor, which results in his books being a lot of fun.

I will post some other great novelist in the future!

Until next time, take care and good luck!
Jason

Tearing Down the Wall

2007-02-13T07:48:00.000-08:00

So far on this site I have yet to dive very much into my personal life. I suppose on one level I feel as if this site isn’t at all about me, but away for students learning English to communicate with each other or gain extra knowledge. Perhaps, every now and then, I should break with that way of thinking and allow you guys a chance to get to know me a little bit better. So today’s entry will not be at all about English, instead it will be about something smaller, myself.

Well, I’m sure that most of you reading this know who I am (to some extent), and then there are those who come wondering in from parts unknown throughout the world by either accident or random chance with little to no clue about the man behind the Corner. So allow me to pull back the curtain and give you the 411.

My name is Jason Guinn and I’m 29. I graduated from Ball State University with a Creative Writing degree. I loved my major, even though my major hasn’t really paid off in the long run (sadly enough), but that doesn’t mean I have stopped writing and pursuing the dream of becoming a published author. My current job is a Foreign Language teacher here in China, a job I absolutely love.

I’m married, got hitched about two years ago to one of the most fantastic women I have ever meet in my life. I consider myself extremely lucky to have her in my life and maybe, one day, I will share the love story with all of you English Corner faithful. If you are wondering if we have a baby or not, we don’t; the closest thing we have to one of those is our dog Toby—which is a three-year-old Golden Retriever.

I have lived in China for 5 years now and enjoy my time here. For those of you who have never been here (this part is for those stumbling on here from other parts of the world) is awesome. There is so much to see and experience here that you could nearly spend an entire lifetime here and barely scratch the surface. If you haven’t been here you have got to put it on your to do list and get on it as soon as you can. You won’t be disappointed.

Now I understand Spring Festival is just around the corner now and most of you reading this, if you are in China, are getting ready for the holiday. Well I wanted to wish all of you a happy holiday as well as wish good luck in the coming year in all that you plan and do!

As far as what I’m planning…I’m going to rest, plan some classes, and spend as much time as I can enjoying my days off with my lovely wife and her family! Well until next time, take care of each other and stay safe! I will try to have another article up as soon as I can.

Happy Spring Festival!
Jason

How to Download the Books

2007-02-09T06:53:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

I saw that nobody has downloaded anything from my storage box, so I've decided to explain how it works. First, don't worry about the size of the file, because it tends to work pretty quick! So follow these simple directions and you to can get free materials like PowerPoints, Articles, movies, and books from me.

Across from my article is a column where you can find all my sites features (chat room, pictures, forums, and other items). If you look at the one on the top of the page it says CLICK HERE in bright yellow. If you click it you will be taken to the free materials.

At first you won't see any files, but if you look towards the bottom of the page you will see the words: My Documents in large black letters. Below that you will see VIEW MODE. Next to that are a bunch of words written in blue. Click the word that says: DETAILS. After you do that, you will see 24 of 29 files on display. You can either pick one from there or click on NEXT to move to the other files.

Once you click what you want it will then ask you to OPEN, SAVE, or CANCEL. If you hit open, it will just open on your computer and you can view it. If you want to save it, that's fine, it will save on your computer and you can keep it forever and ever!

Hope that helps.

I will try and write a new article soon so keep an eye open for that. Please remember to make comments here and in the forums, because this is all for you.

Take care and I'll see you soon,

Jason Guinn

Passing IELTS Pt. 2

2007-02-06T04:02:00.000-08:00

Today I would like to break down the IELTS examination by explaining the three stages of the speaking test and a few hints about each one. Enjoy!

Section One: Introduction & Interview (4-5 minutes)
The examiner will introduce themselves and then confirm your identity. After which, they will ask you a few general questions about yourself in order to get you relaxed. You might be asked things like about your home, study, or things of general interest such as country, food, clothes, and holidays. Keep in mind the examiner is not using pre-determined questions, so it does not mean he will follow any of these questions up and may move freely from one to the next. Below are some typical questions:

--Where do you come from?
--What is your home like?
--Tell me about your family.
--Tell me about your job/studies.
--Is there anything you dislike about your job/studies?
--What type of transport do you use most?
--Do you like reading?
--What kind of television programs do you watch?
--Tell me about a film you have seen recently.
--Do you have a pet?
--What kind of food do you like?
--How often do you go shopping?
--What’s your favorite festival? Why?
--How do people celebrate this festival?

Section 2: Advice

1.) Listen to the questions carefully.

--If you do not understand it is all right to ask them to repeat it, nothing looks worse than answering the question wrong or avoiding it by talking about something else. Also try to answer it best as you can. For example:

If you are asked where you live a suitable answer would be ‘I live in the new territories – in a village just outside Sai Kung, called Pak Tam.’ NOT ‘I live in Sai Kung. It’s a really nice town with quite a large population and lots of seafood restaurants. It’s a lovely place to live as it’s in the countryside. I have lived there for ten years.’ as this sounds like a prepared answer and the examiner’s next question might be ‘What’s Sai Kung like?’.

2.) Do not memorize answers or use prepared answers you might find in a book.

--Testers will notice and will lower your score, because it shows you are not capable of communicating .

3.) Don’t give one or two word answers as the examiner can only rate you on what they hear.

4.) Make sure you relate your answers to what the examiner has asked for, for example:

Examiner: Do you like reading?
You: Yes, I do but I don’t get much time to read these days.

Section 3: Preparation
Try making a list of possible topics you could be interview on e.g.

--Your home
--Your country
--Your job
--Your interests
--Your school
--Your family
--Food
--Festivals
--Clothes
--Books
--Films
--Transport etc

YOU CAN: Write questions for each of your topics and get a family member or friend to ask you the questions or put them on an audio cassette and test yourself responding to them.

YOU CAN: Record yourself answering the questions and listen to see how you can improve your responses.

YOU CAN: Make sure you know all the vocabulary necessary to talk about these topics. Practice the pronunciation of any new vocabulary.

YOU CAN: Think about the language that will be useful e.g.

--Ways of expressing likes & dislikes
--Linkers like ‘even though’ and ‘unless’
--Tenses to talk about the past and present and your experiences

That's it for this one. Coming soon will be more IELTS information as well as some TOFEL advice. In the meantime, happy reading and I'll be in touch.

Passing IELTS Pt. 1

2007-02-02T06:48:00.000-08:00

Greetings everyone, today’s blog entry is going to be related to five simple letters and how to pass: IELTS.

This afternoon I spent a good two hours testing students on this blockage to greener pastures and came to a conclusion of a few things needed to pass it. Of course you need to be up to par with your writing, listening, reading, grammar knowledge, and a stellar vocabulary. But there is something else a student needs to be able to do and this seems to be one of the parts that can kill the most ambitious and hardworking students I have ever seen…speaking.

I mean, I have seen some great students come in and fail miserably in this section and it has nothing to do with having poor speaking abilities or lack of perpetration; it has to do with anxiety.

Fear.

That’s why I have decided to pass on some words of encouragement to all of you out there that may be taking this test in the future…do not give into your fear. Let me explain it like this:
Fear/nervous tension/anxiety will take the best English speaking student and reduce him to a mumbling buffoon. You see, students fail to realize that speaking English to a friend (foreign or Chinese) or being engaged at an English corner is nothing, absolutely nothing, like sitting down and taking a one-on-one language test with a foreign expert. Nothing!

You add all the additional pressure: the test, the foreigner, the little room, the weight of a bright future in another country, and you can forget everything you ever learned about speaking, vocabulary, and all those hours preparing.

Fear can damage your voice, tone, and rhythm. I’ve heard good speakers do nothing more than incoherently mumble on the test, which in turn of course killed their fluency.

Fear can make a very attractive student come off as a robot during the test. Any of you taking the IELTS remember this: SMILE!!! Relax and tell jokes, come off as warm and energetic and exciting, because you know what, a tester loves to see that. A tester sits in that little stupid room for hours with nothing serious…a smile and a good sense of humor goes a long damn way on these test, trust me, I know!

Body language is another one of those things that teachers and books don’t tell you guys to work on, but it’s also very important on the IELTS exam. Remember; look at the tester the whole time: this shows confidence and respect. Use your hands, nod your head, and sit professionally, because these are all factored into communication. You would be surprised how many times I think the person sitting across form me during these test isn’t human. They look human and I think there speaking like a human, but they sure don’t act like a human with their unblinking eyes focused on the floor and their hands firmly latched at their sides.

All of you who might be taking the test, don’t recite answers from books or things people tell you in calls either, because you know what, the tester knows! He might hear the same line or description a thousand times in one day and he won’t buy it for a single second. What he’s going to think if you do that is: this guy can’t even answer the question himself…so guess what, you’re not going abroad! Plan but don’t memorize.

Since this is getting long I will wrap this up with one last big of advice. This one is important and deals with my main point of fear…you have got to relax as much as you can on this test. The more worried and excited you get, the worse you do. Students who come in calm and collected always score higher on the spoken test.

Okay, I’m going to finish this now, but don’t worry, I will try to have another article up soon. I’m not sure about what, but it will be fantastic! Also, start downloading those materials I have for you on the site. I put them there for you, but nobody is taking them. It makes my little heart break.

Talk to you guys later,
Jason Guinn

Just a Note

2007-01-27T00:46:00.000-08:00

Greetings,

A new article is forthcoming so please keep an eye out for that. In the meantime, I wanted to inform all of you about one of the links on this page, which leads you to a site containing books, PowerPoint’s, and articles selected by me.

The articles and PowerPoint’s are mine, but you can download and enjoy them any time you want without ever having to pay me anything. Also in the same spot I have included some books I have downloaded, which I feel can help all of you improve your English or help you with tests or what not. I am in the process of gaining some GRE, TOEFL, IELTS, and other materials that could help you prepare for these difficult examinations. I have also included a fun grammar book and as well as a book to help you guys improve your chances at getting jobs (it includes information about communication, resume writing, etc.). There are some other goodies there as well.

In the coming weeks as my internet connection continues to improve, I will post more. When you click on the link, be sure to click next to my name (jthmaniac) the word DETAILS. When you click that it will show you all the articles you can select from. Click it then you can chose to download them or simply read them from the site. If you have any problems doing this, please let me know and I will try and fix it.

I hope everyone reading this has a great Spring Festival and I will see some of you again in class in the near future. The rest of my readers, keep a look out for more articles and free downloads.

Thanks so much, Jason Guinn

2007-01-18T06:35:00.000-08:00

Defining the Differences Pt. 1:

Culture Diversity between Americans and Chinese

This has been something I have wanted to tackle since I started this blog. I hope you, my dear readers, will join me as we prepare to tackle all the cultural distinctions there are between America and China. Before we do that, however, I wanted to mention something real quick about Confidence Building and Job Interviews. Both of those will have future articles, but for now, I need a break from both of those. Instead, I have opted to tackle this topic for this particular blog entry. What the next one will be…I’m not sure. You’ll just have to wait and see. Okay, let’s get started!

Part One: Conception of Self

First, let us see how many of you out there know which one belongs to which country. Below are the two basic concepts of self that both America and China share, but before I tell you the answer, I want you to read them and try to figure it out.

Collectivist: Higher value placed on group cooperation and individual modesty.

Individualist: Higher value placed on self-reliance. Self-promotion is more accepted. High value placed on "freedom" from externally imposed constraints.

Have you guessed?

If not, guess now before I reveal the answer.

Okay, if you’ve gone this far, I would have hoped you have tried to figure it before skipping down to his paragraph. The correct answer is that Chinese are collectivist and Americans are individualist. Well let’s take a look at both of this in detail.

Collectivist Culture vs. Individualist:

Lots of foreign teachers when they come to China get frustrated in Oral English classes, because students don’t talk. They don’t ask questions, respond to questions, or even acknowledge they understand with simple body language. They just sit there, as passive and quiet as stone statues.

To be honest, this is something I have dealt with in previous classrooms and after five years of teaching, I still don’t like it. However, this is something everyone coming to China must get used to because it is part of Chinese culture. Chinese students have been taught, from a very early age the following ideologies: show respect by listening attentively in class, silence is a golden character trait, and to be modest.

Well for any of you reading this thinking about going abroad to study, all of those things previously listed need to be changed. Sitting in class passively and quietly means you’re under prepared, silence means ignorance, and modesty is just damn annoying (but more on that later)

In a Western classroom, teachers expect to hear your voice and encourage it by starting debates, asking students lots of questions, and encouraging students to ask their own questions during class. The pressure for silence in these Western classrooms are often discouraged and frowned upon by teachers. So those English majors out there, who have foreign teachers, talk in their classes if you want to make them happy.

For any foreigners out there that might be reading this and are teaching English in China, keep in mind a silent classroom shows the students are paying attention to you and, hopefully, enjoying your class. Don’t be offended!

Now also dealing with collectivist vs. individualist, Chinese students often try to work side by side with their classmates by trying to keep relationships strong, helping each other with homework or studying (even preparing cheat sheets), and giving aid when and where they can. One part of this comes from the very Chinese trait of “Face,” a concept that is completely alien in most Western countries.

This is the complete opposite for Western people. Western people will do whatever they can to establish themselves as unique by the way they act and the fashions they chose to wear. That’s not to say Chinese don’t do that, but Chinese do not do as far as Westerners do. For example, most Chinese in their attempt to be individuals will listen to foreign music, dress in hip hop clothes, or act in a ‘modern’ western style—but only if others are doing it too. You will rarely see a Chinese person starting their own fashion trend or lashing out in defiance so much that they stand out in a crowd. The reason why they don’t is because of cultural restraints—society as trained Chinese not to draw any unwanted attention on themselves and they don’t.

Americans like to establish ourselves as being unique; in fact, the more unique you are the better. Nobody in foreign countries wants to be like anyone else and sometimes will go to extremes to do this. When I was a young man I used to dress in black jeans, t-shirts with monsters on them, biker boots, a long black trench coat, and had long blue hair! Yeah, I was alone a lot of the time and never got many dates, but I was unique!!! If you want to see how far they will go try looking up American sub-cultures on Google and see what you can find. Now Americans don’t care because we don’t worry about what other people thing about us, which is something Chinese are very concerned about. In fact, we have a saying in my country that goes like this: IF YOU DON’T LIKE ME, BITE ME.

What that means is simple: if you don’t like me, leave me alone. I’m not going to change for you anymore than I want you to change for me. I think Chinese could benefit from this, because sometimes I feel as if Chinese care way too much for what random strangers think about them, and so will often keep silent when they should speak out, or afraid to stand up when everyone else is still sitting down.

Americans enjoy and celebrate their individual freedoms of self expression, a character trait Chinese don’t have—though things are changing. Chinese have embraced Western culture so much that a lot of young Chinese are transforming overnight from traditional Chinese to hip hop skater kids. Go out on a Saturday night to the dance clubs and disco’s around Wuhan, where I live, and you will see all these young Chinese trying to be revolutionary in a completely conformist kind of way, but its still great to see!

Now I’m not trying to say in these articles as we examine Chinese and American culture that one is right and the other is wrong. Actually I believe if we are going to improve our relationships it will pay to know and understand why it is we do what we do. Understanding is the best way to make positive change.

This is getting long and I’ve only just touched upon this topic. In the future there will be more articles about this engrossing topic.

Confidence Building Pt. 3

2007-01-12T05:15:00.000-08:00

Confidence Building Part 3: Developing Fear into Courage.

Imagine:

Bus station, rush hour traffic, and there you are…bored out of your mind waiting for the bus. All around you are people, who are so various that you have a buffet of body types present and accounted for: chubby, tall, slender, petite, hideous, and gorgeous. You see girls and women, men and boys. Some people are smoking or chatting busily on their mobile phones. Buses zip by, kicking up dust and exhaust, gagging you and everyone there. Then you see something, sticking out like a fly in a cup of soup: a foreigner. This is your chance, the opportunity you’ve been waiting for ever since you started learning English; a chance to communicate freely with a native English speaker.

What do you do?

Being a foreigner living in China, I know what most of you are going to do. Some of you ignore me completely after a quick glance. Others will openly stare and discuss me as if I’m some kind of extraterrestrial from planet THX-1138. There will be some of you, a very few to be more exact, that might actually say something to me.

You say: Hello.
I say: Hello.

That’s it.

The rest of you won’t do a single thing. You get on your bus and I get on mine, never to see each other again. Is that what you want to do when given a chance to speak to a native speaker? Of course not—every single one of you reading this want to be have the strength and courage to walk right up to me and any other foreigner out there and communicate, but you don’t. Chances are you never will, that is unless you make one major change: become more confident.

Here are a few things you can do to be more confident with English and thus improve things such as communication, vocabulary, listening, and pronunciation.

1.) TALK TO PEOPLE

Lots of students like to practice English alone and from books or by listening to tapes; you’ve seen these students—standing outside in the morning with their English books, reciting loudly to themselves. Doing things like this will help you with things like pronunciation and even vocabulary, but does it help your communication or listening skills? No. Good communication skills can not be learned from a book and especially not alone. You have got to go out there and talk to someone. Use what you know and learn how to string those vocabulary words together to help improve your ability to express yourself. You wouldn’t believe how many students complain to me that they don’t know how to express themselves in English—no kidding, I wouldn’t either if I never did it!

Now before you tell me you have nobody to talk to, stop. Close your mouth and listen to a fact: there are over 300,000,000 million English speakers in China today, which means, you can find someone if you want to. YOU DON’T NEED TO HAVE A FOREIGNER TO SPEAK WITH TO IMPROVE ENGLISH. If you can get one, wonderful, if not then you got to find someone to talk to: hence Chinese English speakers!

2.) USE YOUR ENGLISH EVERYDAY

If you want to improve anything you first must use it regularly. For example if you want to become a lean, mean, sexy machine, you can’t do that watching television all day and drinking lots of Coca-cola. You have to get out there, hit the free weights, do some running, and play some sports! If you do that you will become what you want to be, more attractive. If you want to be better and more confident with your English, you got to use it every single day. How much you study is up to you, but the bare minimum should be between 15-30 minutes. If you can do it more, wonderful, but if not, try to aim for that smaller number. The more you use the language the more confident you feel using it.

3.) FACE YOUR FEAR

By this I mean…talk to a foreigner. Any time you see one, try to approach him/her and have a conversation. Start small, keep it simple. Once you feel a bit more confident about communicating with the so-called experts have a longer more drawn out conversation. Talking to a foreigner shouldn’t be such a difficult experience, but I can understand why it can be. However in light of your fear, just remember this very small fact; a foreigner is just like you…a person. We might look different or come from different cultural backgrounds, but that’s about it. The only reason there is fear there is because you put it there. If you take that away and remember that sitting across from you just another human being, that fear is gone. In its place will be that wonderful confidence you need.

4.) BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

We are all unique.
We all have strengths and weaknesses.

Remember that.
It’s okay to be confident in yourself. Now I’ll be honest, I don’t think I’m that special in everything I do. I’m a little slow in the mornings and in the afternoons after lunch and even in the evening. I can’t spell very well and I’m loosing my hair. Does that make me a failure? No. It makes me human. Even though I have some negative traits, I also have some positive ones: I’m good at writing, teaching, and writing blogs! Seriously though, if you believe in yourself and your own abilities…then nobody can stop you from finding success in whatever you do. Trust me!

Okay, that’s it for this article. The next one will be a break from this topic as we move on into job interviews and resume writing. I have had some students request more information about that and so I will try to give some advice about those things. In the coming weeks there will be more confidence articles and other article about various other topics, so keep an eye out for them.

If you go to my download site, I have posted Confidence Building Pt. 1 and Pt. 2 for download as well as my PowerPoint: HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR LISTENING. So enjoy that.
Also, please feel free to comment below. Don’t be afraid.

Okay, until next time…
Jason Guinn

Confidence Building Part 2

2007-01-10T05:49:00.000-08:00

Confidence Building Pt. 2: Why is it Important?

Before we get into the article, I just wanted to point out that I have a link to a file sharing website, which allows you to download items from me. And guess what, it’s absolutely FREE! Right now I have four articles (IELTS questions/answers, information about Americans and their pets, restaurant vocabulary and sentences, two ghost videos, and the job interview). First you must join the site, I know that’s a hassle, but to get free materials, I think it’s worth it. Once you do that, long in and click my files. To download them you must then click on view files and then on details to download them. In the future I will post more items, so enjoy them. Now let’s get started…

We are going to continue our talk about a fundamental part of language learning and that is about confidence. As I told you previously, lack of confidence can result in all sorts of communication and relationship problems, so in this article we are going to progress a little bit further.

To do that, we need to examine something related to confidence, self-esteem. What is self-esteem? Well the dictionary describes it as this: feelings of self-worth stemming from the individual's positive or negative beliefs about being valuable and capable.

How do you see yourself and your skills in English? Now having read the comments following my last article (all one of them), it seems only one person reading this is confident—at least confident enough to respond openly on the boards. It is very important to question your own values when it comes to your English learning abilities—because it lets you know where you stand. Are you positive (confident) or negative (skeptical) about your own English proficiency.

Having confidence and high self-esteem isn’t just important for language learning, it’s also important for the following things:

*Relationships
*Work
*Parenting
*Life skills - decision making, achieving, improving situations or circumstances you don't like
*Expressing yourself
*Taking up new challenges
*Being open to change
*Self improvement
*Learning a foreign language

As we can see, confidence and self-esteem, is not only important for language learning it is also important in nearly every aspect of our lives. For example, did you know that most companies out there will often fire shy and quiet workers before ever letting go the more outgoing types? It’s a sad but brutal fact in life that the more gregarious you are the better. Of course that doesn’t mean be too overly confident, because those types of people are shunned just as much as the recluse.

The fact is that we got to believe in ourselves in order to find success in our lives. So where does this confidence and self-esteem come from? Well, it comes from several sources:

*From within yourself!
*From others!
*From personal achievements!

Some people around you may appear naturally confident, but guess what, so can you! But what I’m going to try to do in the next article is try to show you how to BE confident.

Confidence Building Part 1

2007-01-05T07:50:00.001-08:00

My first articles to help you guys improve English is going to cover something very basic, yet essential for language learning: confidence.

Do you know what confidence is? If not, allow me to check my dictionary. Give me a second, flipping pages…oh wait, here it is. Okay, a dictionary explains it as being: assurance; freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities.

The first thing I would like to ask my readers is this: is that you? Are you assured when it comes to your English skills in any of its complicated forms? From my experience as a foreign language teacher here in China (over fives years of experience thus far), my guess is it depends.

It depends on what part of English you’re actually using: speaking, listening, reading, writing, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, etc. In one or more of those you probably feel, to some extent, some confidence. However, I’d also like to go out on a limb to suggest that most of you would have to admit a wee bit of discomfort when using other aspects of English listed above. For example one student might feel right at home reading, but terrified having to speak; another student might feel confident in speaking, but scared stiff to do writing. Don’t you see—confidence is there one second and then the next…poof, gone in a cloud of green smoke.

One of my students told me the following story, which I would like to share with all of you as a primary example of what I’m talking about—I hope they don’t mind. This particular student was very excited, because that night after class they were going to go out and talk to some actual real life foreigners! They couldn’t wait to practice their English and make some new friends; however, when it came time to start that bonding session, the student didn’t say a single word. For two solid hours, the student just sat there trapped, like a deer in headlights, listening. Every once in a while the student would smile at the foreigners or nod their heads in approval with something they had said, but not once during the duration of the meeting did they contribute anything.

Why?

That was the question the student asked me the next day in class, because they were dumbfounded by what had taken place. I was also a bit confused, because the student always spoke at length with me in class…so why couldn’t they do it outside of class?

Well that question is actually easy: they lacked confidence!

In a classroom, working in a safe and well-known environment (situations and people they know) they feel more poised. Once you take the person out of that familiar environment to fend for themselves, in this case communicating in English with some unknown foreigners, they crumble like a house of cards in a wind storm. It’s a sad, yet horrible truth of language learning.

You wouldn’t be surprised to learn how often I hear students complaining about not having any opportunities to practice their English. For example everyone around them is either A.) Lower English User or B.) Chinese. These students, however, are the same ones who instantly freeze up when confronted with a foreigner or fail to utilize opportunities to use their English in classroom activities.

As a foreign language teacher this is probably one of the most frustrating things I have to deal with in many of my classes (especially in most, not all, my pronunciation classes). Students beg for chances to practice their English and when I give it to them, they sit there like mutes or read their newspapers.

Again the reason for that is simple: lack of confidence!

But there is hope for all of you! In my Confidence Building articles we are going to look at ways to improve your confidence and give you that much needed reassurance needed to become an effective English speaker.

That will be next time!

Please feel free to post comments, questions, or general feedback below. Perhaps in the next issue of the Confidence Builder I will address them.

Until next time, take care!
Jason Guinn

2007-01-02T22:35:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Sorry this comes a bit late, but this is the first time that my website has actually opened long enough for me to write something. As you know an earthquake damaged the internet cables under the ocean, which resulted in poor connections and difficult load times for everything in Asia. Things are starting to work better, but they are far from approved. I still can’t get access to the forums page, but once I do, I will start posting again.

Anyway, let us begin by talking about our New Year Resolutions. Now this might not be a Chinese custom, but in most Western countries the New Year celebration brings with it the annual resolutions, in other words, our goals for the upcoming year. Americans, for example, make these promises but in many cases fail to live up to them. This year I have decided to share my goals with all of you. Here they are: loose weight, get my novel published, and become a better teacher. That’s it. If you wish to share your goals, please post them in the comment section!

My New Years was fun. I went out with friends and family to the Blue Sky. We had a few drinks and than danced the night away. It was a real hoot. The place was packed with both foreigners and Chinese, smoke, and the steady beats of western music. To be honest, it was the best New Years for me in recent memory. I hope all of you had a great one too, but I doubt it. I know a lot of you guys who come here are exhausted with school work and extra language studies, but I also know you guys will more than make up for this loss by enjoying the wonderful Spring Festival which is just around the corner. I am going to start posting some articles about English here soon. I plan on posting articles about the differences between east and west, how to improve your pronunciation, confidence building, and so on. I am also going to post some books and things like that once I figure out how to—remember I’m still learning how to use this website. So please keep checking back for that.

In the meantime, I’m going to post some information about my first online English Corner! If the internet is working well enough, this Thursday night from 7pm until 9pm, I will be using the English Corner chat room to talk with students. If you are free and would like to chat with me and other English Learners from around China, please stop by! Let us all hope the web is working, if not, I will reschedule it for another night.

Until then, take care!
Jason Guinn

Mental Health

2006-12-26T04:45:00.000-08:00

A death occurred at my school today, which will remain nameless in order to protect the integrity of the institution. If you know the school, I beg you to refrain from mentioning it in the comment section. The reason I have decided to bring it up is because I know this is a common situation plaguing the education system in every single country around the world. Students everywhere maxed out on stress, suffering from broken hearts, and ravaged by poverty are taking the so-called ‘easy’ way out of their dilemmas. Well I’m here to tell you all that suicide is not, under any circumstances, a smart choice.

Speaking from my own personal experience, someone who has walked down his own fair share of dark streets comprised of melancholy and despair, that this choice is never the right choice. In life, we can’t select and chose are spots…we take them as they come. One of those things that help make us stronger is the ability to get knocked down and rise again, like a phoenix out of the ashes. You see, we dust ourselves off, reevaluate our predicament, and then figure a way out, because let me tell all of you…there is always a way out. It might not be easy, especially when compared with the alternate choice, but at least it’s a choice one can literally live with.

Think about it…suicide is never painless. It might be for you, but what about all those people affected by it: parents, friends, teachers, and classmates. The whole world dies a bit, draws a little colder, when someone takes their own life. I don’t understand why they did it, what in this world could make someone think there’s no other way out except through death? My heart goes out to his family and friends, who now have to walk that long difficult path which was once filled with the love and laughter this unfortunate soul once filled.

To my readers…just remember this—things will change. Difficult times come and go just like the seasons. It happens to all of us. I have been through my own dark days, but have come through them smarter and stronger and so will you. If any of you need an ear, I have two of them and they are always open.

On a side note:

I am planning to run English Corners on line with my really bad chat room. I will post a day and time when that will happen so you can all take part in it.

Also, I will be posting some English related articles soon so keep your eyes open for that. This site is just starting, but I already have big plans for it.

Thanks for reading!
Jason Guinn

Happy Holidays!

2006-12-25T05:52:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to say: Merry Christmas!

I’m not sure how all of you will be spending the holiday, my guess is shopping, but I hope you all have a great time. Please remember to stay safe…I know a lot of people want to go shopping at the plazas or some of the little shops that are found on every street through out Wuhan, but please be careful.

My holiday, if you were wondering, was spent with close friends. We enjoyed a nice meal and did a little shopping of our own. The streets, while I was out, weren’t too busy thankfully. Having lived in Wuhan for about five years, I have seen these streets so crowded that you can’t get on a bus or hail a taxi. This year, however, wasn’t nearly as bad as previous years.

It’s kind of sad really, once you stop and think about it, but after this…there aren’t many holidays left. In America we have Halloween, then Thanksgiving, and then the granddaddy for all traditions, Christmas. But what’s after that? Nothing, just a bunch of small holidays that lack magic or any charm.

Oh wait, that’s not true! We still have New Years! That’s always fun, right? Nothing is funnier, counting down the near year at midnight with friends while we all get a little rambunctious from a bit too much drinking. At least that’s what American’s and most westerners do…drink. Drink and kiss. Do Chinese do that I wonder? At midnight, running up to the first woman/man they see and planting a big wet kiss on them? My guess is no. If you guys go abroad, be ready for a stranger to kiss you suddenly and unexpectedly.

In China, we still have Spring Festival coming up in a month, which is great! I love Spring Festival, because I get to do two things that I love—eat and sleep. I plan to do a little traveling maybe during the holiday, but I’m not sure yet. Nothing is planned. What will you guys do? Let me know by posting a comment below!
In the meantime, happy holidays and I will be in touch.

Jason

Just an Update

2006-12-23T06:38:00.000-08:00

Hello friends and fellow English Learners...

Just wanted to let you know that the forum page has been created and is ready for use. Please feel free to join and start posting on it. Keep in mind that I don't want anyone to spam or flame other users. If you do this, I will ban you. As of now, there isn't a direct link to the forum page, but that's because I have yet to figure out how to do that. If you want to go there, just paste the address above and it should take you there directly. I will try to get this problem fixed in the future!

The forum is a place for all of you to gather information as well as find the support needed as you study your English. I will comment on topics started by students, but also hope students will leave their own opinons and personal experiences. Let us all work together to make the online English Corner something special, a community for all of us to learn from.

Watch for more updates, articles, and what not in the near future! Thanks for coming and please, let your friends know.

Jason

Future Is Coming

2006-12-20T21:42:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that this English Corner will be up and running soon. Being extremely busy recently has prevented me from getting to work on this site as much as I was hoping to.

My goal is to make this a great place for English learners to go to gain information about English learning, testing, and what not. But not just that, I'm hoping to make this place a community for English learners to asked questions to a teacher and also be able to make friends and maybe, one day, even a husband or wife.

Anyway, be patient, and this will be a living/breathing entity soon!

Jason