[Vnbiz] Taking care of our students

[Hong-Phong_Pho at ita.doc.gov]

Thu Huong,
I don't see the two different ideas are all that different after all in 
terms of vision; they are but tactical vs. strategic approach to the same 
end.  You will need both.  I will elaborate if you need more on this.
I didn't know that you are working across 4 different institutions.  This 
situtation presents different challenges and opportunities.
It may be easier to succeed at one institution before spreading it to the 
next instead of trying to succeed at all four.  On the other hand, 4 
institutions is like having 4 lottery ticket instead of one, and you have 
the choice of focussing on the one you are most likely to succeed.
One question, please.  You have expressed frustration with the current 
English Clubs at your school.  Why?  Is it possible to take over these 
existing structures and turn them into something different by introducing 
new activities?  Then ultimately encompass them under your own 
intercollegial club.  This approach may help lessen competition with the 
existing clubs, and suspicion from the authorities.
The red-shoe picture held the most interest for me.  It reminds me of the 
ruby slippers of one Dorothy in an American classic, the Wizard of Oz.  By 
clicking the heels of these magical shoes, Dorothy can make her wishes 
come true.  The book is by L. Frank Baum (where the slippers were silver). 
 But it was the Hollywood 1939 movie starring Judy Garland that really 
polularize this wonderful fairy tale the World over.  One of my all time 
favorite song came from this movie.  All the characters are wonderful.  I 
think you will find the Wizard himself, or who he turned out to be, an 
important message about how much of what we think are products of our 
imagination and fears.
It would be wonderful and fitting to include this book and movie as a 
first club project, and ask the Public Affairs office of the consulate in 
HCM City to send the English language (Fulbright fellow) to come discuss 
it with your club.
Let me know if you need help there.
Best,  HPP
 



"huong dang thu" <hdangthu at gmail.com> 
Sent by: vnbiz-bounces at mail.saigon.com
01/28/2007 11:22 AM
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Re: [Vnbiz] Taking care of our students






[ Vietnam Business Forum ]

Hi my bro and sis,
Today, I have a working day with my core group.
My core group includes 4 girls (no guys--> hic!). And we are from 4 
different colleges in HCMC. I think that 4 members from 4 colleges may 
disparate our strength and focus. But for the core group, as bro Hoanh 
mentioned  before, the element "really want to do it" is very important. 
And I couldn't find members for core group in my university only (Law 
university doesn't like English much :(
The 4 group members are from 
HCMC Law university (me-sis Thu Huong)
HCMC Social and Humanitarian university (Thuy Lien)
HCMC Opened university (Kim Long)
HCMC Teacher university (Bao Chau)
Actually, core group members are my old friends in Le Hong Phong high 
school. They are all enthusiastic, potential and energetic, I believe. 
 It was a day for talking about ourselves only. Then we find out many same 
interests and passions about English. We all agree that English is a very 
important tool for a successful person in this era. We also agree that we 
love English and all want to run some things with English. We also share 
the problem that the current English club in our university usually works 
inefficiently so we should run something more efficient by ourselves and 
for ourselves. 
I gave my friends some blank papers and asked them to draw something about 
English that makes they seriously think about. 
I attach our pictures below. And here are our thinking 
Long: she says that she can't draw. Then she wrote down every expectation 
for her English club, which includes speaking contest, camping trip, 
movie/music show, volunteers, seminar... Long shares that she has 
experience with many kinds of such these activities. And she realizes that 
they are so exciting that she wishes she can run them in the English club 
too. 
Huong: She believes that everyone chooses for himself or herself a best 
"outside" that makes he/she feels most comfortable. This outside is 
usually very different from guys to guys. But sometime, people may treat 
each other with the "outside" only. She feels sometime she is too. But she 
believes in the "inside" one. And, while the "outside" may be so different 
from guys to guys, the "inside" of everyone is all the same-which is the 
"love", she believes. And she believes that if we care enough for each 
others, we can feel the others' words. It becomes a reason for that she 
interests in English. In many cases, English helps to heal the 
misunderstanding between cultures and opinions. 
Lien: if you look carefully enough, you will find out that people in her 
picture are blue. It's only their shoes are red. She said that with her, 
English is just her shoes. With her shoes, she will travel, she will learn 
more about life, she will express herself before a crow (seminar in her 
picture). And, with her shoes, she will say "I love you" to someone she 
loves :). Thus, with her, English is just a tool, not a goal. So she want 
to study English but more importantly, to study about herself, about the 
others and about life. 
:)
Sharing ideas is usually a good thing to do, I think. I feel so interested 
in my friends' thinking. 
Then, we start to talk about our brand name, long-term vision and our 
goals.
About brand name: we decided to have 2 more days for members to think 
about it. 
About the long-term vision: this is what makes us seriously argued :) 
There are 2 different ideas about the club's long-term vision:
The first one: to provide a playground for students to study English 
beneficially and efficiently. Then make English become a nice tool to use 
in student's studying and working. 
The second one: improving English is not the only and primary goal. So, 
don't focus on learning English only, but focus on what kinds of 
knowledge, skills, information we will get through learning English. In 
brief, we don't study English, we study knowledge, skill (but in English). 

I also added to my friends' idea that our English club should be useful 
for us in our future jobs. So, it also needs to focus on English for 
student's job. They agreed with me. 
I myself support the second idea. I like the idea that English is not a 
goal, but simply a tool. I myself think students should think it that way 
so we won't depend on English, but we depends on our interests and 
feelings in our later movement. 
The reason the first idea thinkers disagree with the second is that the 
second goal seem so far from learning English. And the second idea should 
be the "bonus" goal only, but not the primary one. 
Dear my bro and sis, which one do you support? I hope you will agree with 
me on the second one. 
At last, I recommend my friends that we won't make the final decision 
until we give ourselves a while to learn more about English and ourselves, 
to know exactly what we really want to do with our English club. 
 In my opinion, we can think further than the ordinary English clubs. But 
because all of us all live so long with the old kind of English club. So 
the ideas come to our minds usually limited to these old ones. I recommend 
my friends that we will take time for learning more about some new English 
activities. I promise that I will invite someone interest in us and want 
to share with us about their work in English. Actually, I think about 
HI-Handicapped International or WAR-Wild life At Risk, and our 
family-VNbiz :) . I believe someone can meet us and show us about the 
larger world than we can traditionally think about. I hope through some 
activities among us, we will soon come to a final decision on the primary 
goals of the English club. 
Anyway, it's just my thought. I think there's some better thought that I 
should submit from my bro and sis here. :) 
Once again, thank you bro Hoanh, sis Tram, bro Phong, bro Craig, bro 
Shane, and my bro and sis out there for your frequent suggestions, 
supports and advices. I know that if I keep saying thank you, I will never 
stop this job (because I learn many from you everyday). But, it should be 
many thanks again, my bro and sis! @ ---:---
Wish my bro and sis love,
HeO
 [attachment "hinh long.jpg" deleted by Hong-Phong Pho/MAC/ITA/USDOC] 
[attachment "huong.jpg" deleted by Hong-Phong Pho/MAC/ITA/USDOC] 
[attachment "lien.jpg" deleted by Hong-Phong Pho/MAC/ITA/USDOC] 
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