This semester will continue with further focus on crossing the Iron Wall of China with regards to how education is viewed and reformed in the country. The rest of the developed world is trying to tell China what to do and how to do it ~ "our education system is the right one, so you should do it our way." This is fairly typical of most countries (even China does this for many things such as how to teach Chinese to students whose second or later language is not Chinese. This is not necessarily wrong ~ it's simply that there must be a better way to disseminate information and education to other peoples around the world without -telling- them how to do it. So that is part of my approach - how do I do this? How do I offer a new form of education to a country so resistant to being told (justifiably so) how to do things? When Canada and the USA have installed schools in China they did so with the idea that those schools would be taught in a parallel format to the country of origin. "Teach our way in these schools."

Understandably, there's a great deal of resistance. Crossing this wall is easier than it sounds, even in spite of popular myth that the Chinese will not listen to anyone else. For example, can you imagine the USA, for example, accepting the UK telling them how to run their schools? As I approach this project, I already have an answer in mind that I'm hoping will give not just China, but the entire planet, a way to utilize a system of education that will benefit each nation or culture on a personal and independent level, bereft of 'orders.'

Given the nature of this project, I am remaining relatively secretive about how much information I'm letting out at this time. However, once I've concreted the foundation for it ~ the intent is that this entire educational system will be set in motion on a global scale, and provided to the world for FREE. Please be patient with me in this.

Thesis Update

Perhaps there's something to be said for being mentally exhausted and needing to 'turn-off' for a solid length of time to recharge. My project has evolved further into what I've affectionately dubbed the G.A.E.M.3 model. As it stands I have to choose for my graduating project just how I plan to approach the finalization of the project itself - either it will involve programming (and lots of it) which will mean that I must re-learn to program all over again, or it will involve writing a 60 page dissertation that details the layout of the model.

I've been looking towards finding universities that would take up a cross-disciplinary project which I've discovered to not be an easy task. I have also come to realize that while I do want to take this to the world stage - I don't want to take up the reigns once it has reached fruition. I just want to get my degree - give something to the world, then disappear into the annuls of time and find some way to escape.

Last week I was assigned 620 pages of reading all due this week, along with a written project (very simple), a presentation (not terribly difficult by any means), and this is understating the amount of work and reading I was given. A complaint? No. I knew this is what I was getting myself into. I have 5 upper level (third/fourth-year) classes, as well as two tutorial classes. I will finish my bachelor degree this December (2012). In spring I will either attend Senshu University in Japan, or I will take a TESL 2 course. Else I will take the TESL classes in spring then move to Japan following that.

My goal is to work for a while and continue to work quietly on my thesis and project, to try to fund-raise for its creation and development, and hopefully pay down my rather sizable student loans. Anyone who says that education is cheap in Canada is incorrect. This, of course, is my own beef with a system that needs a serious overhaul. Almost done though!

I'll post again when I have more to say - by the end of summer, I should have produced a body of work that I can then discuss online and more coherently.