Language Day Is Almost Upon Us

What a headache...

Published on May 19, 2005 By chiprj In Blogging

Tomorrow is Language Day. It is an annual event here at DLI. Thousands of high school students and teachers, mostly from California, but some from across the nation, come to our post and get to see what life is like here. We put on teaching demonstrations that the students can sit through. We have cultural entertainment lined up on the main stage for the entire day. We also have cultural displays in various schools where the students can learn a little about the art, culture, and history of the languages we teach here. They also get little passports where they can get their name written in various languages.

Well, I'm the NCOIC for my school for Language Day. My school hosts cultural displays for Korean (obviously), Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Pashto, Uzbek, Dari, Hindi instructors. It's not a particularly hard job. In fact, it's pretty easy. I just tell the teachers which rooms they'll use, advise them of our "No holes in walls" policy, make sure their furniture requirements are met (within reason), and let them know when they can start setting up.

The hardest part of my job has been to convince the Korean instructors from the two separate schools that there was no need for two separate Korean cultural displays. Instead, they should work together and make one display between them in the two rooms allocated. That has pretty much gone out the window. The civilian point of contact for my school was more than happy with that idea. We sent emails and I spoke face to face with the NCOIC of the other Korean school, but even yesterday, I got an email from one of the department chairpersons in the other school asking which room would be hers and how would she be getting her stuff from her building (right across the parking lot) to our building. I went to the civilian in my school, a really nice man, and told him that it was his show to run and whatever decision he made, I'd support it 100%. We both think it's silly to have two displays, but the level of cooporation we're getting has made that a pain in the ass. He's frustrated to the point with the rudeness he's received that he's ready to give them what the they want - a room. And then wash his hands of them. I want to just disinvite them and run the displays with my instructors, but I'll go with what he wants. I mean, the other schools tasked our school with providing teachers to conduct teaching demonstrations and they are functioning under the authority of the other school. Why can't their instructors do the same over here? I don't know if the breakdown is because I didn't communicate my intent well enough, if the fact that short notice moves have made the other school change NCOIC three times affected communication, or if the instructors are just not willing to play well with each other, but next year, I will be more adamant early on and will just disinvite them if they act up again. There may be two Korean schools, but there is one culture going on display.

Well, that's enough venting!

I am looking forward to Language Day. It is a lot of fun to see the students come through and experience things they may never have gotten the oppurtunity to see otherwise. Some Korean students will be performing a traditional Korean Fan Dance. This year we were able to get them two performance times, too, which is really great. The Berlin Wall display will be dedicated and opened officially, too.

It's going to be a lot of fun.

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Comments

Ravenblack

on May 20, 2005

It does sound fun and interesting.

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