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Intensive English Program (IEP) |
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Classroom and Educational Cultural Tips Your Responsibility As A Student Educational systems vary from one country to another. So do the teaching methods. What is acceptable in one culture may or may not be acceptable in another culture. Let me give you some hints on how to survive in the IE program. The basic rule to observe is 'DON'T BE LATE FOR CLASS'. If you are 10 minutes or less late, your teacher will mark a "late" in the attendance book by your name. Three lates equal one hour absence. If you are more than 10 minutes late, your teacher will mark you 1 hour absent. Remember, if you miss class more than 25 hours in the spring or fall semesters (20 in the summer semester), we must say "Good-bye" to you. So, watch your time. Also if you leave class early, you will be docked. That is, you will be marked either absent or late. If you leave class more than 10 minutes early, you will be marked 1 hour absent. If you leave early but it is less than 10 minutes, you will be marked late. Three lates equals 1 hour absence. Another way to survive in this program is to fulfill the ELI expectations of its students. The ELI expects you to do 3 things. FIRST, you must actively participate in class. You will find that the ELI instructors teach their classes very differently than what you are probably used to in your country. In our classes, students work in small groups, get up, walk around, and talk to each other. They also may help each other to correct their work in class. At first, you may be uncomfortable with this form of teaching. But you will find class is much more interesting in this way. Therefore, if you want to have a good class, it is very important that you participate in it. SECONDLY, you must only speak English in class. You have come a long way and spent a lot of money to improve your English. If you insist on speaking your language, the only person you will hurt is yourself. Your English won't improve. FINALLY, do your homework regularly and on time. Your homework is very important. It helps your English to improve. It also helps the teacher to know what you are having problems with and what you can do well. Doing your homework regularly and on time is what each American university professor expects from his students. Attendance Is Important In the American education system, it is the responsibility of the student to keep track of his number of absences. Every week, the ELI posts the absence sheet outside the computer lab. Each student should check this sheet to be sure that it is accurate. If it is inaccurate, the student needs to see the secretary immediately. When absent, it is also the responsibility of the student to talk to the teacher about what homework he needs to make up. The teacher will not approach the student. How Do I Call My Teacher?? When you are in another culture, many things are different. Behavior that you find uncommon in your culture, may be very ordinary in the new culture you are in. One of the biggest differences students first face in the American culture is that of addressing their teachers. In America, there is no set rule as to how you should address your teacher. In fact, each teacher makes that decision. On the first day of class, your teacher will tell you how he or she wants to be addressed. Some teachers prefer the formal method of using a title (Mr., Ms., Mrs., or Miss) with the last name, for example Mr. Lewis or Mrs. Check. Other teachers prefer the informal method of using their first names only, for example Terry, Susan, or Robert. Generally, American teachers don't like to be called "teacher". You may be uncomfortable at first with calling your teacher by his or her first name, that's OK. You will soon get used to it. How to Solve a Problem in Class Communicating accurately is extremely important, especially when the speakers' cultures are different. Misunderstandings occur when there is a lack of communication. It is important for there to be good communication between students and teachers. This is especially true in intensive English because there are many different cultures coming together. Each culture has certain customs. Sometimes these customs don't mix well. If you experience what you think is a problem in one of your classes, you need to talk to your teacher about it. Don't go to another teacher or to an administrator to complain about the problem. First, you need to talk to your teacher about the problem. Maybe, it really isn't a problem, just a cultural difference. If you don't feel any satisfaction after talking with your teacher and the problem continues, then it is time to talk to the associate director about it. I'm In The Wrong Level This is the first week of intensive English. You feel that the grammar level you are in is too low for you. What do you do? Scream at the teacher? Tell the teacher about all your English studies and high marks in your country? Go to the teacher teaching the next level? Go to the director? The answer: none of the above. If you feel you are in a level that is too low for you, approach your teacher and tell him or her about your concerns. Then, be patient. Your teacher will be testing and watching all the students in class to be sure that you are all in the correct level. For a teacher to move a student up, he or she must have proof that the student is able to do the work. &emdash; No Class Because Of A Teacher Meeting? It's a very common practice in the U.S. for teachers at all educational levels to attend faculty development workshops or meetings once or twice a semester during the hours they normally teach classes. The purpose of these meetings is to widen the teacher's knowledge about a certain aspect of his/her teaching field; therefore, the students profit directly by this further teacher education, even though they miss classes on the particular day of the workshop. Journal Writing Journal writing is something that is "new" to most new international students. Students expect everything wrong on their papers to be marked and/or graded when it is returned. As a result when a student in the ELI receives his journal back with few marks, no grammar errors obviously corrected, the student may believe that the teacher didn't even look at the paper. This couldn't be farther from the truth. The current ESL writing philosophy is that journals are not graded. Journals are an opportunity for students to write without being worried about a grade. Journals at the ELI are graded for length and content, not for grammar, etc. They are a way to help the student get their ideas down on paper. Journals are also confidential. No one other than the teacher will see what the student writes. Topics for journals vary as much as the teachers' teaching styles vary. Some teachers have no limits on what topics can be written while others provide a set of guidelines for journal writing. Teachers always try to respond to student journals. There are various methods in responding to a journal entry. First, since many teachers feel that a student may want to keep his/her journal as a type of memento, a type of diary, of his/her stay in the USA, they use yellow stickies to write their comments on instead of directly writing on the journal page itself. Secondly, the length of the response varies depending on the content of the journal. Teachers usually try to write a sentence-long or some even paragraph-long comments for each journal entry. Sometimes, though, a teacher will just put a check mark because he/she doesn't know what to say in response. A check mark occurs on only a few entries. Although grammar correction is not a focus of journal writing, teachers when a teacher sees that a student has a serious grammar error, he/she will most likely give the student the correct grammar form by modeling the correct form in a response. So, it is very important that you read your teacher's comments carefully. Journals may vary in form too. Most teachers have students write on paper, but there are some who ask students to write e-mail journals. It is easy then to answer them and there's no journal papers piling up around the desk. Teachers may take the journals home and read them, read them in their offices or read them during computer lab time while students are working on their other g/w assignments. Therefore, please be assured that your journals are being read. Tips For Living On Campus Parking On Campus Do's And Don'ts If you have a car and plan to park on campus, you need to get the following: 1. A Parking Decal. You live in off-campus housing: get your decal from the ELI office (402). Along with the decal, you should receive a booklet explaining UTA rules for parking. You live in on campus housing: you can not get a decal from the ELI. You must buy one from the UTA police. NOTE: You cannot have 2 UTA parking decals. Also, you must display your decal in the proper way. If you don't know how, ask the person who gives you the decal. 2. How to Park Your Car. You must park your car with the front towards the enclosed end in the parking space. Do NOT back in or drive your car through one parking space to get to another. Finally, parking spaces are labeled. Your decal allows you to park in certain parking lots, but not others. Learn which ones you can park in by using the map inside the booklet containing the rules of the UTA police. The UTA Police Although notorious for giving parking tickets, the UTA Police are really the good guys on campus. You need to report any crime that happens on campus to them. If you accidentally lock your keys in your car, they will help you open your car. (If it is your friend's car you are driving, your friend will have to be with the car for the police to open it.) If your car needs to be jumped (the battery is low), the police will also help you with this. If you are on campus late at night and are afraid to walk to your car, call the UTA police and they will escort you. The Police are here to help you. Don't be afraid to call on them. It is their job. You do not pay them for their services.&emdash; Culture Tips For Living In The Community
Culture Shock by Terry Ceballos
Just after I had finished my MA degree in Teaching English as a Second Language, I had the opportunity to live and teach in Colombia. I remember how excited I was when I first went down there. This excitement lasted for the first several months. I remember I was fascinated by everything, especially those things that were different than in my own American culture. I enjoyed going to the small shops or tiendas in my neighborhood to buy such things as eggs. I enjoyed buying fresh bread (oh the smell was wonderful) from the bread stores. I struggled over mentally converting pesos into dollars when I was buying something. You see, I knew the value of a dollar, but I had no sense of the value of a peso in the beginning. My biggest fascination was with the open-air market. I enjoyed getting up at 6 on a Saturday morning and going with my friend, Andrea, to the market. It was fun to buy my fruits and vegetables directly from the people themselves. I was also adventurous. Since I didn't have a car, I either had to walk or ride the bus. So, I would spend my free time discovering my neighborhood by walking and walking and walking. Once I walked from one end of the city to the other, 44 blocks! I learned the bus system by boarding a bus and not getting off until it ended its route. Then I would ride it back. I know the driver thought I was touched, but I didn't care. I was learning how to survive in a strange culture. Then, there came a period of time for me when I wasn't so happy living there. Oh, I didn't go around with a frowning face, but I remember having a lot of anxiety and very negative thoughts about the new culture, especially those things that were different than my own. I remember thinking that life in the States was so much better. At least in the states, I didn't have to boil my drinking water all the time. In the states, I had a washing machine. In the states, I had hot water to shower with. I never saw buses in the states that were so crowded that if you were the last person on that you were having to stand and hold on the bars at the door to stay on and get a ride. People at least in the states knew to keep their distance, I thought. Once I was at a small restaurant eating a snack. The restaurant was nearly empty. I was affronted when a person came to my table and sat down. Running through my mind was the question, "Why did this person sit here when there are numerous other tables to sit at?" I don't remember how long this period lasted, but while I was going through it, something else was happening to me. My very poor Spanish was improving. Mind you, it was still very poor, but I was able to communicate more with the Colombians. Life got better though. Or should I say that my attitude got better. By being able to communicate more, I felt more freedom and independence. I rented my very own apartment. I made lots of friends who helped me that were not connected with the American community. I was able to defend myself. Once my mother sent me a package through the mail. By the time it got to me, half the items were missing. I was furious. Down at the post office, I made such a scene at the window. The clerk didn't want to deal with me so I started shouting at him that there was a thief working there. Finally, the postmaster came out and took me into his office to discuss the matter. I ranted and raved for close to an hour&emdash;in my broken Spanish. I knew that I would never see my stolen items again, but I felt the satisfaction of letting them know how I felt. I remember having a lot of fun laughing at mistakes I made and things that happened. Most of my mistakes had to do with my poor vocabulary. I would mix up verbs. For instance, when I wanted to say that it was raining, I would end up saying it was crying. My friend always would ask me, "Is God sad?" By that I knew I confused the Spanish verbs llover" and llorar" . The first one means to rain, the second one means to cry. I was also able to accept things that happened to me and not develop a negative attitude. This was the way things worked here. Once while I was teaching a university class, a group of communists marched on campus and in effect shut it down. They came to the classroom and told the students to leave. I remember buying a watch. Instead of me dickering with the salesman, my landlady did it for me. Forty-five minutes later, she had bought my watch at a much lower price than I could have gotten it. When I was getting ready to leave Colombia, I needed to get a tax paper ASAP. When I went to the office, the man told me that it would take one month. I didn't have month. So, I again went to my landlady, gave her some money, and asked her if she could get my papers. Any money left, she could keep. Did you know that she came back a couple of hours later with the tax paper I needed. During my last year in Colombia, I was really comfortable living in that culture. Yes, I still had language problems&emdash;lots of them. But, the cultural differences that were so pronounced at the beginning of my stay, were just normal for me. I had learned to not only survive but also accept the culture. When I left Colombia, I took a lot of memorabilia with me. I had a banana hat my friend had given me, lots of little souvenirs I picked up at stores, a couple of cowhides, some ethnic clothing, and last, but not least, I had 6 one-pound bags of coffee stuffed into my suitcases. Even today, 16 years later, I still long to see Raquel, my landlady, and her children, and to eat fruit salad from a little restaurant I always went to. What I went through in Colombia is what those internationals living in America live through. It's CULTURE SHOCK. It occurs because you are in a culture you are not accustomed to. Everything&emdash;language, food, behavior, etc.&emdash;is all different. Culture Shock happens to everyone who lives in another culture longer than 3 months. For some, it is very mild, while others find it severe. Culture shock usually occurs in 4 stages: Stage One-Honeymoon You are fascinated by the new. This lasts from a few days or weeks to 6 months. Stage Two-Crisis. You have a hostile and aggressive attitude toward the new country. This develops out the difficulties you are experiencing in adjustment to the new culture. Many people band together with others from their country and criticize the host country, its ways, and its people. For you, home becomes wonderful. If you come out of this stage, you usually stay in the new country. If not, you leave. Stage Three-Recovery. You still have difficulties, but you accept them. Your humor comes out. Instead of criticizing, you joke about the people and even about your own difficulties. Stage Four-Adjustment. You accept the customs of the country as just another way of living. Little if no anxiety. You accept and enjoy the food, drinks, customs, habits, When you leave for your country, you make take things with you. If you leave for good, you generally miss the country and your friends. A few other symptoms of culture shock are homesickness, irritability, excessive amount of sleep, compulsive eating and/or drinking, depression, loneliness, more easily upset, etc. Several things helped me survive culture shock. First, by knowing what culture shock is I was able to understand what was happening to me emotionally. I also worked on accepting the inevitable changes that were occurring in me. When you leave your new culture, you will not be the exact same person that entered that culture. For example, since leaving Colombia my writing changed. Before I would write the number 7 without putting a line through the middle. This caused so much problem in Colombia, that I started putting a line through the 7. I still do it today, 16 years later. Another way I helped myself was to find Americans who had lived in Colombia for a longer period of time and who knew the system. I also found some Colombian friends who were able to help me. The final thing I did was to be kind to myself and not push issues that were bothering me. Time took care of a lot. All of you will experience culture shock. Some will have a light case of it, while others will have a serious one. Just remember that this is normal.
Social Security Card
The rules for F-1 students getting a social security number has changed. Now, in order for an F-1 student to get a social security number, he must get a letter from the International Office. This letter verifies that the student named on the letter is eligible to work. After receiving the letter, the student takes it, his passport, his I-94, his I-20, and a completed application form to the Social Security office Arlington. Once the application is taken, it takes about two weeks to receive the actual social security card. Tip: When filling out the social security application, there is a space for your father's name and your mother's maiden name. It is very important that you remember how you wrote your parents names on the social security application. In case you do not receive your social security card, you will have to call the main social security office. For security, they will ask you your mother's maiden name and how you spelled it. If you can give them the information, there is no problem. If not, the social security representative can give you no information on the status of your application. More SS information: You do not need a social security number to open a bank account. You can use your passport number. The banks near UTA are accustomed to working with students. You also do not need a social security number for getting your driver's license, but you will need a letter from the social security office denying you a social security number before you can get a driver's license. Any questions? Ask Terry in Hammond Hall 325.
Credit Cards and Credit History
One of the most often asked questions at the beginning of each semester is "How do I get a credit card?" Many credit card companies do have special student credit cards. Usually, when these companies use the word "student", they are referring to students accepted in a university and taking credit courses. As an intensive English student, you are not a university student nor are you taking credit courses. Therefore, you do not qualify as a student in the sense that the credit card companies are referring to. Another requirement credit card companies have is that you have a credit history. Since you have just come to the U.S. you do not have a credit history at least here in the United States. One of the best ways to develop a credit history in America is through your bank. Some banks offer students a secured credit card. To do this, you deposit a specified amount into a special account (usually CDs). Then the bank can give you that much credit. You charge something every month, even if only $5, and pay the balance off. This way you start building your credit. You need to check with your bank on specifics. Survival Tidbits from Terry SAFETY TIP: Don't carry a lot of money with you. If you are planning to make a large purchase, such as a new car, use a cashier's check instead of taking out a lot of cash. The bank where you have your account can issue one. TEXAS LAW: You must use your seat belt when you are driving. Passengers must use them also. USING THE AMBULANCE: The use of an ambulance in America is not free. If you use one, you will receive a bill. Usually it takes the bill around a month to arrive. The bill is usually several hundred dollars, depending on what the paramedics do to you and the distance driven. BILL DUE DATES: is the date that the company wants to have your money in their hands. The due date is NOT the date you write your check and mail it. A record of late payments may harm you in the future if you need to use that company as a credit reference. RUBBER or HOT CHECKS: This is a check that you write, but you don't have money in the bank to cover it (it bounces). Writing a rubber check is a crime. The person or company that the check is written to can take you to court. If this happens, immigration can deport you since you have committed a crime in this country. POLICE TICKETS: If you receive a ticket from the police, don't ignore it. Usually, you have 10 days to make some kind of response. If you do nothing, then after the specified time on the ticket, a warrant will be issued for your arrest. The next time you are stopped by the cops, you get a trip to jail. THE NEED FOR ID TO BUY BEER OR CIGARETTES OR TO ENTER THE BARS: Texas has very strict laws governing minors. In Texas 21 is the legal age to buy beer and 18 is the legal age for buying cigarettes. If businesses sell beer or cigarettes to minor, the business can get into trouble with the law and lose its license to sell liquor. Therefore, your ID is the best way for businesses to protect themselves. The business can see from your ID your actual age. Just remember, there are some people who look much older than they really are and there are others who look much younger. You also need to know that it is illegal for a person 21 or older to buy liquor and then give it to a minor (a person under 21.) It is also illegal to drive with open liquor containers in your car.
Culture: Getting Stopped By A Policeman
You're driving down the highway, over the speed limit some, and you see no policemen. You think, "It's not important how fast I'm going" until you look in you rearview mirror and see a flashing red light following you. A big lump develops in your throat. What should you do? First, you should try to pull over to a safe place. On the highway, you will have to pull over on the shoulder (the side) of the road. If you are in town, you can pull into a parking lot. That will get you off the road and out of danger of getting hit by oncoming traffic. Secondly, wait for the policeman to come to your car. Remember to keep your hands on the steering wheel so he can see where they are. Policemen have to be careful in making even a routine stop. They don't know who they are stopping, the history, the temperament, etc. about the person. The policeman will ask you for your driver's license and proof of insurance. If you have it in the glove compartment or in a bag in the back of your car, tell the policeman where it is so he knows that you aren't going for a weapon. Give him (or her, if it be the case) your papers remembering to keep your hands to where he can see them. Throughout the process, always be polite and do NOT argue with the policeman. This will get you only into more trouble. Also, obey the policeman. Disobeying the policeman can get you another ticket. The policeman may give you a warning or he may give you a ticket. Most likely, it will be a ticket. He will ask you to sign the ticket. This is normal. He will give your license and insurance card back and that is it. You will have usually ten days to pay the ticket or if you wish to go to court and fight the ticket, you need to make these arrangements within the allotted time. If you ignore the ticket, after the allotted time, there will be a warrant out for your arrest. If your ticket is because of speeding, you can ask in many place for what is called deferred adjudication. It is when you are on probation for one month. If you have no other citations during that month, the ticket won't appear on your record. Sometimes students have insurance but they don't have the proof of insurance with them. If this happens, the policeman will still give you a ticket. Then, you go to the court or police station (you need to find this out from the policeman), show them your proof of insurance and the ticket is erased. (Once that happened to me in Dallas. The ticket was dismissed, but I still had to pay ten dollars.) In many cultures, it is common to give the policeman a bribe. A bribe is to offer the policeman something in return for not giving you a ticket. Usually a bribe is money, but other things have been offered too. In the United States, it is a big NO NO. Do NOT try to bribe a policeman. You will only get yourself into more hot water (trouble).&emdash;-
Can I Get A Job ?
According to Joanna McClellan, immigration advisor in the International Office, intensive English students with F-1 visas can work. There are two steps in the process. First, be assured of an on-campus job. Secondly, after being assured of an on-campus job, go to the international office to begin the process. On campus there are 2 different categories of student work available. One is non-work study and the other is work study. IE students are eligible only for the non-work study jobs. F-1 students can work off campus, but only if they can prove that they have an unforeseen financial need. In order to do this, a student must be in f-1 status at this school at least 2 semesters (9 months) before they are eligible to apply for the work permit based on unforeseen need. The application to work off-campus must be sent to immigration service. Neither on campus nor off campus employment can be for more than 20 hours a week during school, but may be full time in the summer as long as the student returns to school in the fall. How do I get the application? There are various ways to find out about job opportunities at UTA. One is to go to the Office of Human Resources and look at their Employment Opportunity Bulletin. If you can't go, you can call 272-3455 to hear job listings Or, you can do a search on the worldwide web at <www.uta.edu/human_resource/emply.html> The final way is just to go to the various departments and ask if there are any job openings.
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