Reading about international and national events every day can sometimes cause us to be discouraged by the violence and senseless acts of cruelty to one another. This week we witnessed the deranged actions of one young man that ended in the death of 6 innocent people, including a federal judge and a 9 year old girl, and the wounding of 13 others, among them Representative Gabrielle Giffords. President Obama in a moving address to the nation called for a “new era of civility” in our political discussions. We must always be mindful of how our words can affect others. It seems fitting that after such a tragic event, we pause on Monday to remember a great American, Dr. Martin Luther King, who called for peaceful protest to move government in a direction that better serves all the people. We would all do well to take a moment this weekend and remember the powerful words and nonviolent strategy of Dr. King.
On the international front, there could be trouble brewing in Lebanon with the resignations of key members of the cabinet that threaten the coalition government. Will Lebanon turn towards Hezbollah or will it try to remain a stable, moderate force among the countries of South West Asia? Another country on the Mediterranean littoral, Tunisia, also experienced turmoil this week. Its President fled his country on Friday as protesters took to the streets in opposition to the past 23 years of authoritarian rule.
On January 19 the President of China, Hu Jintao will be visiting Washington DC to meet with President Obama on a variety of issues, but the top item on the agenda will be the economy. To understand the intensity of the economic competition between China and the US, you should read “A Better Offer from China,” an article in The New York Times that tells the story of a solar panel plant in Massachusetts that received over $43 million in government assistance but still decided to move its operation to central China, laying off 800 workers. The company, Evergreen Solar, said the Chinese government was offering even higher government support.
While reading about Hu Jintao’s upcoming visit, I came across an article about a Chinese artist whose new studio had been torn down by the government in retaliation for his political protests. As a great supporter of the arts, I was appalled by this news. What type of government tears down an artist’s studio as a way to quiet dissent? The article demonstrates that while China continues to advance economically, it remains far from embarking on the path toward democracy.
East Asia Unit
Even though we had a snow day on Wednesday, we continued working off our syllabus and completing activities focused on getting to know East Asia. Your current event was due this week. Many of you did a great job summarizing and commenting on a wide variety of events in this region. The good news is that many of you are exceeding the standard on this assignment. The discouraging news is that only about 55% of students are handing in the work. You have one week to do the assignment so time should not be a factor.
This week we continued to look at the economy of China. You had several handouts that gave you information about challenges, opportunities, strengths and weaknesses of China. We also looked at other countries in the region and tried to decide which countries were developed and which countries were still in the process of developing. You could quickly see that even though China has a fast growing economy, they still have several challenges ahead of them as they try to spread the wealth to all regions of the country. In the computer lab, you worked with a partner on the comparison sheet of the US and Chinese economies by using a variety of web sites that contained economic data. You used these sheets to write generalizations and comparisons. Stepping back and looking at the big picture is a skill you will use time and again. We also watched a short clip from News Hour that described China’s fast growing economy.
You also had the opportunity to read Nicholas Kristof’s latest Sunday opinion piece “China Rises, and Checkmates.” This column tells the story of a 16 year old Chinese girl who recently won a world chess championship. Your assignment was to markup the text, do a 3-2-1 (3 big ideas, 2 connections, and 1 question) and then locate vocabulary you were not familiar with and look up the meanings. Time and time again, teachers are told that increasing students’ vocabulary skills is the number one way to improve their thinking and writing. So look up those words and add them to your vocabulary!
We also started reading an UpFront article on “China, the Next Generation.” You have a worksheet with guiding questions. You should complete this assignment for homework.
Finally, we heard a video from Dr. Andrew Erickson, a professor at the Naval War College who answered the question: why do high school students need to know about China? After completing this unit that would be an interesting question for a mid-term exam (hint-hint).
After School Library Hours
Starting next week, the MHS library is going to be open on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons until 3:15. This is especially good news for students who need access to computers, the internet and printers. So take advantage of some quiet study time and access to technology.
Congratulations
Great job to all of our athletes who have had so many great accomplishments the past few weeks. I have had the pleasure of reading about gymnasts, swimmers, basketball players and wrestlers. It is rewarding to see your hard work and dedication to your team paying off.
We have lost a hero
This week we lost one of our true World War II American heroes, Major Dick Winters. Major Winter’s courage and leadership became widely known through the book and mini-series “Band of Brothers,” which followed the experiences of Easy Company from boot camp through the D-Day invasion and the final months of fighting that led to Germany’s surrender in 1945. He was a modest man who remained devoted to his wartime comrades until his death at 92.
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