Who are we, at this time?
Kim Soo-Bin
Kim Je-Kyung
Lee Jin-Kook
Lee Hae-Ni
Lee Jae-Won
Kwon Kyeong-Tae
Gim Gina
Good Ideas Submitted to Consideration of the March 2007 Issue
Future of E-Sports... by Choi Yoon-Seok
The Japan Self-Defense Force and Eastern Asia's peace.... by Sung Hi-Su
Kim-chistory... by Yoo Ye-Won
Regionalism in Korea... by Choi Seo-Hyun
Mammonism... by Jeon Ju-Hyun
Why Cheat Yourself?... by Lee Won-Suk
Understanding the Essence of the Israeli-Arab Conflict... by Ha Jung-Yeon
Digital Bracelets on Sex Offenders?... by Song Min-Ji
Poems: "2 Lips" and "Why Autumn Leaves Change"... by Lee Ju-Hwan
Poems: "Language Screens" and "Ginger Tea"... by Johnson (Teacher)
More Submissions Coming Soon....
On Being: "IMAGINICAL"
In class recently, we discussed the importance of "Mind-set"―particularly in relation to writing. As opposed to thinking of a TOEFL or SAT-1 exam as being a means to an end, what if the exam was an end, in and of itself?
On an SAT-1 exam in writing the essay response, for example, the highest score one can receive from an examiner is a six. That score is achieved through bettering an "effective" piece of writing―combining effective grammar and style together with the added advantage of "insight." Insightful writing is the higher goal. But how might we improve our chances of reaching that gold mine of deeper insight?
Story of the transformed exam reader...
"What," said I, "if you sat down to write the exam as if that day were your last day on this earth. What if, tomorrow, having attained spiritual enlightenment, you were heading off on a meta-physical journey to the Great Beyond?
"What if you receive any exam topic with that mind-set? Whatever your reply, this opportunity would be your very last... to leave a message to your children�s children, for all posterity�s sake―for 10,000 years, 10,000 generations! Regardless of the topic prompt; your adrenaline would be pumping, and you would use whatever topic at hand as a launching pad to bequeath your deepest heart.
"Imagine the exam reader who, having read hundreds of exams, suddenly falls into your essay. Imagine how your own 25-minute, 5-paragraph essay might capture her imagination, leaving her so enraptured that (upon giving you a perfect score of six) she tosses the rest of the papers in the air, runs out of the building with a new determination to become President! She becomes the first president to ever effectively end war as we know it, in the world; and, thereby, she ushers in an era of eternal peace!"
Wow! See what a difference *mind-set* can make!
One student, Miss Ha Jeong-Yeon, replied:
"But, Mr. Johnson, you're too... too... too... 'imaginical'!"
She caught me a little by surprise. I had never encountered such a word. But, what a word! Seizing upon the moment, I took the opportunity to return to the topic at hand, being: The value and importance of "etymology" (or the study of the deeper roots and inner meanings of words).
None of the students could readily see the significance of this freshly coined word, "imaginical"... Even Miss Ha Jeong-Yeon, herself, confessed that she did not see the deeper meaning, either. She felt that, because of her poor English skills she had simply mispronounced a word. But I pointed out to the students that the word contained two root-words interestingly juxtaposed to one another: �imagine� and �magical.�
From that point on, that word became the battle cry for our class! "Let's be IMAGINICAL!" What a word for Creative Minds! How appropriate that this whole experience came about in the midst of a mini-lesson on the value of playing with the deeper roots and inner meanings of words.
Dreams Come True
Middle School English Magazine Workshop Cafe
Home (Sky Blue Dream)
Inspiration--Some Striking Imagages on the World Wide Web:
What an Imaginical World... a photographic slide-show
(some favorites) from the world-wide web
Who Are "We" (I)... a new photographic slide-show
(newer favorites) from the world-wide web
"Uri/We" (II) ... a previous photographic slide-show
(older favorites) from the world-wide web
Some useful literary tools:
Hyperdictionary/Thesaurus ... Good for Poetry
A Korean/English/Korean Dictionary ... by dic.impact.pe.kr
Another Korean/English/Korean Dictionary ... by kr.dic.yahoo.com
A real D. O. double Gizzle Urban Dictionary ... slang and such
zhongwen.com ... Dictionary of Chinese Characters
Definite and Indefinite Articles ... by Purdue U. Writing Lab
Planning and Invention ... just don't know what to write?
Tagmemics ... a true bridge for meaningful change
HT News ... and other Homeostatic Truths (Reload for latest page)
Carlton Johnson (Cheong-Shim International Academy English Department)
Social Anthropology Major
Let's Do it!