Finished!

Sadly this blog became defunct as I packed my bags and left Japan in 2007 to travel and then finish my MA studies on campus at the University of Birmingham from January-April of 2008. After completing the second half of my coursework on campus I returned to Portland, OR, my hometown to write my dissertation. I submitted my dissertation entitled "Identifying the Socio-Linguistic Gap: A Comparative Analysis of Young Learner English Textbooks from Tamil Nadu, India" at the end of August. One week later I was on a plane to Delhi as an AIF Service Corps Fellow placed to work with the English Action Research Team of Eureka Child an AID India education initiative in the state of Tamil Nadu.

I've been living and working in Chennai since September of 2008 and after an exciting turn of events I'll be staying until March of 2010. There is more to the story....stay tuned.

Module 3

Well, it's official. Paper #3 has been submitted; mistakes, typos, and all! Well, hopefully there aren't too many of those, but I'm sure I missed something. But I think it's my best paper yet! Let's see what 'the grader' thinks!

The good news: I'm officially on academic hiatus until January! I'll continue the MA course on campus. Being a distance student has been interesting and challenging, the best part--the people I've met! Thanks guys! I couldn't have made it this far without you!!

Now...time to clean the apartment and start packing!

Birmingham, here I come!! Are you ready??

Let's Get Going

I considered starting this blog when I started the first module last April, but being the shy, timid, independent, feminist woman that I am...I was hesitant. But a colleague of mine has started a similiar blog, Japan Action Research, and has inspired me to get my butt into gear and start reflecting more on what it is that I'm studying and hopefully learning--how to teach english!

Thankfully, I'm not doing the distance study course alone. I have 3.5 fabulous cohorts that meet up every Monday night on Skype to discuss the readings, upcoming essay assignments, and reflect on what it is that we're trying to accomplish. It's been a lifesaver to have this little group to chat with every week. Especially because they are all much more experienced than myself and I'm learning a lot just from talking to them about their teaching experiences and how they intrepret and interact with the materials we are reading.

Actually, I'm a bit surprised I was even accepted to the program. I technically didn't have the two year teaching requirement (short 4 months) and everyone else is a non-JET. In the academic EFL/ESL world, JETs are slim scum, the bottom of the barrel, the slackers that can't teach and are just in Japan to read manga and pay off their student loans. Okay...well, I know that's not really the case, but admitting that I'm a JET to fellow Bham students is a bit embarrassing!

But I'm trying to make the most of my last JET contract year by devoting my off periods (I do in fact work) to studying. I didn't want to stay three years and have nothing to add to my resume except that extra year. I wanted to start making progress toward something else. That and my next destination is the middle east...so that's another reason why I'm doing the MA. I want to be qualified to get a job there! And after that, I want to get another MA in International & Comparative Education. This is all part of a bigger plan and future life goals. I don't plan on teaching forever. But while I'm teaching, I want to be the best I can be! Studying and doing the MA has helped me actively work towards that! I rarely use old lessons because I know there is something better I can and should be doing! Trying new things, learning new approaches, and testing new ideas is one of the greatest benefits of the MA course so far.

So, I better get going....one more unit and I can be "done" with the Module 3 coursebooks. It's time to get going on that next paper. Oh my!