Alisa Lessons

  October 27, 2020 Differences in Manners   Do manners really matter?    They do.   They are a sign of politeness of not so politeness and depending where you are in the world; you might need to know the answer.   ·         In Singapore you could get arrested for chewing gum but in America it’s quite normal. ·         In China you might be very full at the end of dinner if you keep eating every bite. They will keep filling up your plate thinking you are very hungry. ·         In China, Taiwan, and the Far East it is considered a compliment to the chef to belch. It would be considered vulgar by my mother. ·         Germany and South America would be shocked to receive the ‘okay’ sign (thumb to fore finger to make a circle) it means the same as an American holding up the middle finger.   And yet in Amer...

  October 26, 2020 Cross Cultural students in the Classroom   America is a diverse country with many people immigrating. Our schools are full of students from different countries with different ideas of how to learn.   These classrooms would be called a Cross Cultural Classrooms.   Teachers need to be aware of the diverse ways a student learns but also their cultural behaviors to understand their students.   Here are a few examples of possible cross cultural students in an American classroom. Each day Bai, a student from China, comes into class and says, “Hello, teacher”.   She sits down quietly and avoids looking directly in the teacher’s eyes.   As class progress, she follows along nodding her head ‘yes’ and seems to be understanding in reality she feels lost and overwhelmed.   The teacher thinks she’s a good quiet student and must be understanding what is being taught.            ...

  Week 6 October 23, 2020 Response to Personal Space Differences    “If we get separated, get off at the next stop and I’ll come back to find you.”   On my first trip to Japan, my husband must have said this to me a dozen times. He was preparing me for the experience of riding a commuter train.   He had been to Japan before and had experienced rush hour with train conductors wearing white gloves literally shoving people on board an overly crowed train.   They do it very politely as they say ‘excuse me’, but still they are pushing people into a very tight space.   Fortunately, I never had to experience the shoving.   I tried to avoid getting on a train during the rush hours.   I did experience the close encounters on the trains. Even in the non-rush hours, people have to stand close to each other for everyone to fit.   Unspoken rules are followed to keep your personal space to a minimum and keep your eyes to yourself.   I’m alway...