Wikipedia Article on Korean Marriage – Includes small section on Arranged Marriages
Arranged marriage is popular in South Korea. Koreans usually refer to this type of marriage as Seon (선). Generally, parents arrange a meeting. The reason why this type of marriage is prevalent in Korea is that marriage in Korea is not just a matter of a bride and groom but a merging of two families. Because the potential spouses are pre-screened by the family, there is much less of a chance of family opposition to the marriage. It is extremely rare that a single Seon leads to a marriage; many succeed in finding a suitable spouse only after dozens of Seon meetings with different individuals. Following the initial meeting, the couple typically date for several months to a year before the actual marriage. The distinction between an arranged marriage and a "love" marriage is therefore often blurred, although in an arranged marriage the families tend to be more closely involved throughout.
Research & Ideas
Korea Times: Research Term: Broker
Int’l Marriage Brokers Pocket State Budget
8 Jun 2007 … However, most of the financial aid for international marriages for old bachelors was sent to the bank account of five marriage broker .
Brokers Caught for Arranging Sham Int’l Marriage
Taking advantage of the fact that such Nepalis could not send the money they made illegally here to their families back in Nepal, the brokers remitted the ..
Marriage vs. Trafficking
8 Apr 2008 … No doubt underground matchmaking businesses and marriage brokers have women trafficked and forced into marriage, tarnishing the image of
Untitled Document
… brides since young women do not see them as attractive marriage partners. … In most cases the marriages are arranged by brokers, who describe Korea as
Marriage Agencies Ordered to Correct Unfair Clauses
Marriage Agencies Ordered to Correct Unfair Clauses … for the purchase of products, but for foreign brides arranged by Korean matchmaking agencies.
http://www.korea.net/news/News/newsprint.asp?serial_no=20080103013
Love Clears Spouse of Fake Marriage Status
The Jilin resident met her Korean husband in February 2005 through the broker. The woman wanted to get Korean citizenship. In return for the fake marriage
Good Sub-Topic: International Marriage Through Brokers
Last article could be very good for Narrative Reasoning – because – it might be a powerful, descriptive example…
Illegal/Underground Brokers
Untitled Document 8 Apr 2008 … Critics pointed out that marriage brokers have made inroads into … No doubt underground matchmaking businesses and marriage brokers have …
Untitled Document 11 Oct 2009 … However, illegal marriage brokers continue to operate underground in the Philippines and victimize innocent Filipino women. …
General Topic Research
Matchmaking Business Up Amid Slump 9 Dec 2008 … Likewise, Sunoo, another marriage broker, saw a two-fold jump over a two-month period. Duo spokeswoman Kim Sun-ah said that when the future …
Traditional Wedding Because of this, marriage was arranged through a go-between. When the go-between succeeded in matching up a couple, the groom’s family would send a letter
Untitled Document
11 May 2008 … As the boy reached the age of 16, his father arranged his marriage to Ya?odhar?, a cousin of the same age. In time, she gave birth to a son
Above – Good for Narrative Reasoning
Korean Search Term: "중매결혼" (English Results Only)
http://www.transparent.com/korean/jungme-kyoron-%EC%A4%91%EB%A7%A4-%EA%B2%B0%ED%98%BC/
http://korean-girl-dating.blogspot.com/2009/09/korean-marriage-ritual-culture-customs.html
http://www.bookrags.com/essay-2006/5/24/123541/137
Good source
People should get married earlier in Korea.
Ideas:
Getting married earlier in the culture will put pressure on young people to get married out of pressure rather than out of love?
So what?
Marriages based on love are better.
Why?
1. Love & Marriage
As we know, nowadays love is one thing and marriage is another. Matchmaking programs and paid middlemen help people find partners for marriage and are very …
Initial Research: (Titles of Articles Given)
Korea Times Search: Married
]
1. + Married Woman Graduates From Ewha for First Time
1. + Married Women Happier Than Singles
1. + Single Koreans Have Higher Suicide Rate Than Married Ones
1. - Marriage Structure Changing
13 May 2007 … Married couples are facing a major change not only inside the family … “I have been married for 27 years. I wouldn’t say marriage was a …
1. - Higher Education Hinders Women From Marriage
17 Mar 2008 … With an increasing number of women working in the business front, the marriage rates for women with more than a college education have been …
Costs
1. Marriage Costs 55 Million Won
13 Aug 2009 … Marriage Costs 55 Million Won. By Jane Han Staff Reporter A diligent saver and thrifty spender, 28-year-old Suh Jee-ai has put away at least …
? Marriage and Divorce
The proverb “It takes two to tango” is applicable in marriage. If one spouse forgives the other, a rift or conflict can be fixed, though of course such …
1. ? Dating Experiences Determine Attitude on Marriage
8 Dec 2009 … The belief about marriage is that the more partners a person dates, the higher the bar they set for their spouse-to-be, making it harder to …
1. ? Half of Single Women Don’t See Marriage as Necessary
26 Nov 2008 … About half of single women don’t consider marriage a necessary part of their lives, while only four in 10 children consider supporting their …
1. - 35% of Women Consider Marriage Optional
12 Jun 2007 … Thirty-five out of every hundred women living in Seoul consider marriage as an option rather than obligation. …
1. - Children Can Strain Marriage
Renowned marriage historian Stephanie Coontz recently wrote in a piece for the New York Times, “Till Children Do Us Part,” that baby not only makes three, …
IDEA: People often have children soon after getting married, and being married with children is more stressful for younger people than those who have more life-experience.
1. ? Camp for Singles Encourages Marriage
Social experts say that the spiking demand for professional marriage consulting is a natural result from people’s obsession over materialistic values. …
Broad Topic: Sending Children Abroad to Study English
Pros & Cons
P: Children learn languages much better at an early age.
So what?!
If you are going to spend money for language education, you should get the most for your money.
Need Research Proof – Easy to Find
http://www.psy.cmu.edu:16080/~siegler/423jhnsn-n89.pdf
C: Children should not be separated from their parents at an early age.
Why not?
What research can I find to support this statement?
Google Search Terms: Crime Parents Separated
Single-Parent Families and Crime Rate Article
Children of divorce: Crime statistics
Narrative Argumentation Strategy: I can find example narratives for both the positive and negative —- maybe???
[Student Corner] It’s Time to Stress Public Education
|
When one of my friends had to go abroad for his study, his family was separated from each other and ended up being a “wild goose family.” |
Narrative Argumentation Strategy: Find articles on crimes that have happened to people studying abroad – especially youth victims
Broad Research:
Korea Times Search: Study Abroad
Fewer Young Students Going Abroad to Study
Spending on Study Abroad Plunges 35%
Economic aspects
- Cost to average family –
- Difference between Rich and Poor Families
Untitled Document
|
17 Jul 2008 … These days, many ordinary families without sufficient funds are planning for their children to study abroad despite the huge cost |
Slump Forces Koreans to Rethink Going Abroad to Study
1 in 2 Workers Have Overseas Stint for Language Training
+ Global Competitiveness
Ideas for Teaching Debate/Discussion in Public School Classes
Debate Topic Database with Links to Resources Per Topic
Database for Middle School (Lower Level Learners)
US National School Debate Resources
5 Debate Topics for US National School Debate Competitions
These topics focus on the US government but could easily be modified to fit the Korean context.
5 More Debate Topics for US National Competitions
(US) National Forensic (Debate) League (NFL) Website
NFL Current Debate Topics for Policy, Lincoln-Douglas, and Public Forum Debate Formats
Public Speaking Topics – by the National Federation of State High School Associations
November’s Topics – Arranged by Difficulty
Team 1
We have prepared 5 reasons why we should… - Costs of private tutoring is… - Citing specific evidence - …struggle with the cost of private academies. – The KSAT divides the curriculum into test-taking classes and all the rest, and students only care about the pre-test subjects. – Students concentrate on taking as many tests as possible to prepare for the real thing. It wastes time.
I’ll add to what she said. – Test does not evaluate the student’s true ability. It is not holistic. – Each student is different. – They don’t get a chance to study what suits their abilities and personalities, because the test is universal. It is the same for each and every student. Students waste too much time preparing for the SAT going all the way back into middle school and these days even elementary school. – Imagine a specific student (narrative – example) – should=have to
Gives too much stress – Tests results depend too much on the luck of how well the test day goes for each student. – Narrative about a real-life protest against the KSAT – They argued it was too stressful. – leads to suicide – Banner promoting former students who went to an Ivy League college illustrates how the test is over-valued and causes too many problems. High level students can simply do poorly on the test because they have a bad day or are ill with a headache or stomachache or so on. – If we think about human rights,… - The stress it causes across the nation among students is too cruel and should be changed.
Team 2
Korea’s social circumstances – People care about entering the university. – What you pointed out is not a problem with the KSAT but with the society. – There is no problem-free alternative to it. – These days, universities are already altering how they weigh the SAT compared to other items, so we don’t have to abolish the SAT altogether to solve the problem of dealing with each student’s individual talents. – Use of specific personal examples – If they don’t care about the SAT, they don’t really have to given their other opportunities. – Any other alternative exam will also give them a lot of stress or headaches. – There will always be some kind of test used to weed out applicants. – Even if a student has a bad day due to traffic or illness, it is an issue each student should control him/herself. – You told us… You said that…. Your argument was… - There are a lot of other hakwons that parents send their children too, but that is totally unrelated to the KSAT. The KSAT isn’t the only reason Korean education tutoring costs are so high.
Topic Statement: The Korean government should get rid of the Korean SAT
Notes:
Team 1
Narration experience – big event – it should be abolished – A test controlled by the government is not good…
To have a chance to enter university, we hold a test…
The university should control the entrance process, not the government. It is not the government’s burden or responsibility.
I mean that —-
The original purpose was good.
The original idea was to test a student’s…
Many problems –
Inconsistencies
I’ll point out five things.
Using only 1 test to determine…
There is too much focus on just a tiny number of universities.
Unemployment – Unemployment has become a serious problem.
High cost of education – hakwon education – cram schools — The standard of living is high in Korea, but educational costs and housing costs are too high and people live in relative poverty.
Housing Costs – go up
Alternatives – university equalization – example France
The test determines everything.SKY – KSAT is key.
Make reflective of real world knowledge.
I’m not sure if we should get rid of…or….
It’s definitely something to think about.
Are draconian changes really a good way to change?
Post-test university life is like teenage life. – results
Team 2
Agree then counter point – many changes in the past – focused on change through education – best thing for the future was to go to a top university – giving control to universities (Unique), but in the past, universities had their own system, and there was much corruption. – The burden was higher back then. The government couldn’t control it under that system. – Any kind of change will not lessen the fierce passion by the parents. – No clear better alternatives. – Change will be continuous. – Just work on improving the present system first rather than abolishing it outright.
SKY – We need it. Without that, we couldn’t develop our society. Private education expense and housing – Personal (representative example) – So, private expenses are not mandatory. Housing – People can pick less expensive alternatives.
Narrative – recent changes/reforms – KSAT is not the source of Korea’s two biggest educational problems. – One of the biggest problems is the overwhelming focus on SKY. – Next, only emphasizing university entrance has caused a collapse in the educational system. The focus is only on that. We should reform the teaching system not just throw out one test. – Government should force universities to use more than just the SAT to determine admissions. – Hakwons (and expenses) are a result of poor educational in the schools – not just to make a good grade on the test. – No perfect educational system in the world.
Topic Statement: The Korean government should get rid of the Korean SAT.
Notes:
1 per year – if fail, have to wait a whole year for another test, result-too many hakwon hours – At that age, they have other useful things they can do in their lives. – waste of time –
1 type of test not effective in judging a student’s progress. Run fast – English – Math – different abilities – They can succeed in their own area – SAT only judges 4 areas (Korean, English, Math, Science, Society ?),
Educational fees skyrocket – it is better to take multiple tests in high school – using different scores (of the SAT) – but no standard – so government should set a national standard – modifying the SAT – but it isn’t really like that.
But having multiple tests makes it fundamentally different.
Round 2
Advantages – first background definitions – goal – maintain fairness and uniformity/normalization of education across the nation. – it has some problems but it is good at reaching its goals – advantages – wide reading and critical thinking, good competition, college selection is elitist but the KSAT helps fight it
More students from different backgrounds can enter college thanks to the KSAT – If no 1 test, it will cause confusion in individual selection based on college’s own system – it can create greater youth problems rather than concentrate on the national test -
Team 1 Closing
Deeply – rebuttal – test taking strategies not really academic thinking – memorize rather than deep thinking
Standardization – using multiple tests multiple times will normalize better – and getting rid of it helps them concentrate on grades – ??
Equal Opportunity – can be accomplished differently by using other types of tests – having only 1 tests is more unfair – the over-importance of it causes too many problems – test cramming not studying
Deliquency – nothing to do with the problem – hypothetical if we got rid of it, then still there.
Topic Statement: The Korean government should get rid of the Korean SAT.
Notes:
Team 1
…gotten rid of.
History – only tested memorization skills – 1. problems – 2. solutions - …should be gotten rid of.
Highly competitive – Students are overloaded with studying for the test 7 days a week. – Standardized tests only use multiple choices – This reduces educational aims away from critical areas of educational development. – Students lose the sense of achievement. Teachers focus on narrow test-able topics. Teaching to the Test - Teach only test taking skills. – Students who do poorly on the tests lose their sense of self-esteem. – Suicides – Hakwon expenses – Specific evidence – Because of this… - Next, one of our team members will talk about…
Review – Solutions – 6 subjects but students learn over 12 subjects. – If not tested, students don’t care about their classes. High school graduation test – Outline of format – It will cause students to concentrate on their courses. – Universities should be given control of the entrance process – not the government. – Universities should develop tests of their own based on their own tastes.
Team 2
need to reform… - He admitted there is a need for testing. – Reforming not abolishing – Other country example (US) – Obama said – He liked the competitiveness of the Korean system. – In fact,…. – History of development – Use of human resources – Studying hard is good, and it is motivated by the KSAT. – Indifferent to studying… - Students won’t care. – The drop out rate will rise. – I admit some reform is needed, but we should reform, not abolish.
Today, the questions are developed in a way to test critical thinking skills even if it is still multiple choice. – History / reforms now make it better – Adult life in Korean society is highly competitive. The KSAT process prepares them for that. – Small Amount – Attack the specific evidence on suicides / not representative – Hakwon expenses - ? – The test promotes students gaining diverse knowledge. – National standards promote efficiency in picking schools. Adjust how the test scores is weighed against other criteria rather than just abolishing it outright. – This will also help reduce the drive of parents to send students to private academies. – Adding test dates each year will greatly reduce the stress of taking the test.
Team 1
The need for reform shows the test has big problems. – So, we need to replace the current SAT with a better system/test. – Obama was mainly talking about how Korean people work and study hard, that’s all. – Multiple testing is a good idea, but… - Obama doesn’t know that much about the Korean situation/system. – The number of suicides is significant enough to merit severe reform. – Society can become more humane by starting with changing the KSAT. – Critical thinking requires creativity, but solving multiple choice questions doesn’t require creativity. – The root cause of the suicides is important enough to warrant our attention. – Students also commit crimes and do other harmful things due to the same stress that causes the suicides.
Week Three’s Debate Statement:
The Korean government should send English teachers abroad to improve their English.
National Federation of State High School Associations Speech and Debate Area The page has links to many resources.
The ACT is a standardized test for high school achievement and college admissions in the United States produced by ACT, Inc. It was first administered in fall 1959 by Everett Franklin Lindquist as a competitor to the College Board’s Scholastic Aptitude Test, now the SAT Reasoning Test. Some students who perform poorly on the SAT find that they perform better on the ACT and vice versa. The ACT test has historically consisted of four tests: English, Math, Reading, and Science reasoning. In February 2005, an optional writing test was added to the ACT, mirroring changes to the SAT that took place later in March of the same year. All four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. accept the ACT, but different institutions place different emphases on standardized tests such as the ACT, compared to other factors of evaluation such as class rank, G.P.A., and extracurricular activities.
From Wikipedia
Children learn like a computer. They soak in all kinds of information. One reason for this is — they are always asking Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?
This is a useful method to gain understanding which I remind my teenage students about in the US.
Even if you think you know a topic well, you should always question it in order to know it better. This is important in debate preparation.
The two things we should be saying to ourselves whenever we are preparing for a debate/argument are — Why? So What?
For example, water pollution:
Don’t take it for granted that you can just say “Water pollution is bad. So the government should regulate against it,” and win an argument. You have to explain why water pollution is bad and why the audience should care.
When I give assignments to my students in public school in the US, if possible, I try to do the same or similar work. — This was a “preferred teaching method” I learned in teacher-training.
For the first class of Debate this third term, I did some “brainstorming” and initial research into the topics the trainees are doing as a team.
Below, I’ll describe my initial thinking going into the project then cut&paste the results of my use of computer time during the lab work section of today’s class:
I don’t have time to do a lot of research since the debate is later this week — So, I’m going to look just for 2 or 3 key points I can find information on quickly and build into an adequate debate.
I am keeping in mind the idea that I’ll spend about 5 minutes or less on each point while including an overall introduction and summary – just as the trainees will as a team….
Pro-Environmental Regulation Brain Storming
-
Global Warming threatens all our lives.
Counter-Argument people say GW is a lie – It is not. It has scientific evidence supporting it.
Research Area: News media talking about this hot debate in contemporary society.
Problem Area: This might take up too much time in the debate and research.
What happens if I don’t bring it up but the other team in the debate does? Can I get by with just saying that there is much scientific research supporting the idea Global Warming is real? — Maybe…..????
-
Air pollution is getting worse and worse decade to decade:
Evidence?
Research Area: Scientific studies – academic
-
Water pollution is getting worse
Same as with air pollution – This could be combined with Air Pollution.
Population growth is also shrinking our water supply – which makes water pollution an even bigger problem.
Research Area – Population growth stats and predictions (especially about water supply issues).
-
Over-Consumerism is shrinking our global resources
Tie In – This works with population growth too.
My Key Areas of Focus
- Air and Water Pollution
- Over Consumerism
- Growing Global Population
I like this, because they are inter-connected. That will make my debate position stronger. Over-population is probably my key connecting point, so I’ll start the research with it…
Over-Population
I’ll start with Wiki – because it has a lot of information and links to more information (in multiple languages).
Google search terms – overpopulation wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overpopulation
Overpopulation does not depend only on the size or density of the population, but on the ratio of population to available sustainable resources. It also depends on the means of resources used and distributed throughout the population. If a given environment has a population of 10 individuals, but there is food or drinking water enough for only 9, then in a closed system where no trade is possible, that environment is overpopulated
Good – I can use this — “Overpopulation is the ratio of people to available sustainable resources. If you have 10 people in an environment, but you can provide sustainable resources for only 9 of them, you have a problem. The earth today is facing a future problem of overpopulation.”
The resources to be considered when evaluating whether an ecological niche is overpopulated include clean water, clean air, food, shelter, warmth, and other resources necessary to sustain life.
“I only have time in today’s debate to cover clean air and clean water. I’ll also talk about how super-consumerism in today’s global world is damaging our natural resources at a faster rate.”
Note: I’ll have to prove that with statistics or some other means if I say it in my introduction.
For example, humans are destroying topsoil and consuming fossil fuels much faster than the planet can renew them and those resources are currently required to produce and distribute the necessary quantity of food to feed the population, and therefore humans are overpopulated on Earth.
Note: Wikipedia is not a good enough source to provide great credibility in a debate. I’ll need to find supporting quotes to back up this Wikipedia quote.
World population is currently growing by approximately 74 million people per year. If current fertility rates continued, in 2050 the total world population would be 11 billion, with 169 million people added each year. However, global fertility rates have been falling for decades, and the updated United Nations figures project that the world population will reach 9.2 billion around 2050.[7][8]
-
Fresh water
Further information: Water crisis
Note: Water Crisis looks more fruitful – so I am going to look at it now:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_crisis
Water crisis is a term that has been used by some to refer to the world’s water resources relative to human demand. The term has been applied to the worldwide water situation by the United Nations and other world organizations.[1][2]
Note: Good. These are credible sources and strong ones to use. I can use this whole quote when talking about water.
- Air and Water Pollution
Argumentation theory, or argumentation, is the study of how humans can, do, and should reach conclusions through logical reasoning, that is, claims based on premises. It includes the arts and sciences of civil debate, dialogue, conversation, and persuasion. It studies rules of inference, logic, and procedural rules in both artificial and real world settings.
[Trainer's reading notes are indented]
The best college course I took my freshman year was Deductive Logic. It helped me understand how I was expected to think in a college class – how to make good, strong arguments and think logically.
What is “inference”???
the reasoning involved in drawing a conclusion or making a logical judgment on the basis of circumstantial evidence and prior conclusions rather rather than on the basis of direct observation) wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
Argumentation includes debate and negotiation which are concerned with reaching mutually acceptable conclusions.
I’m not sure about that! I think in most debates, the opposing sides never reach a mutually acceptable position…
Key components of argumentation
-
Understanding and identifying arguments, either explicit or implied, and the goals of the participants in the different types of dialogue.
I’d think being able to see the implied ideas/positions is the strongest tool for a debater.
- Identifying the premises from which conclusions are derived
-
Establishing the “burden of proof” — determining who made the initial claim and is thus responsible for providing evidence why his/her position merits acceptance
In real life, I’m not sure this is all that vital. Even if the person you are talking to is an idiot, you still have to make your own argument as strong as you can – no matter what he says first or how he says it.
-
For the one carrying the “burden of proof”, the advocate, to marshal evidence for his/her position in order to convince or force the opponent’s acceptance. The method by which this is accomplished is producing valid, sound, and cogent arguments, devoid of weaknesses, and not easily attacked.
In my Deductive Logic class, we learned how to test whether an argument is valid or invalid. We’d change each sentence into symbols then apply mathematical-like formulas to test the premises and conclusion.
-
In a debate, fulfillment of the burden of proof creates a burden of rejoinder. One must try to identify faulty reasoning in the opponent’s argument, to attack the reasons/premises of the argument, to provide counterexamples if possible, to identify any logical fallacies, and to show why a valid conclusion cannot be derived from the reasons provided for his/her argument.
These are all important life skills I try to teach my teenage students who will soon be going out into the real world. Whether it is on a job, at a bank, or buying a house, being able to analyze what people are saying and adjust your message to that to reach a goal is very important.
Pragma-dialectics
Main article: Pragma-dialectics
One rigorous modern version of dialectic has been pioneered by scholars at the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, under the name pragma-dialectics. The intuitive idea is to formulate clearcut rules that, if followed, will yield rational discussion and sound conclusions. Frans van Eemeren, the late Rob Grootendorst, and many of their students have produced a large body of work expounding this idea.
The dialectical conception of reasonableness is given by ten rules for critical discussion, all being instrumental for achieving a resolution of the difference of opinion (from Van Eemeren, Grootendorst, & Snoeck Henkemans, 2002, p. 182-183):
-
Freedom rule: parties must not prevent each other from advancing standpoints or from casting doubt on standpoints.
I guess this rules out telling them to shut up….. J
- Burden of proof rule: a party that advances a standpoint is obliged to defend it if asked by the other party to do so.
- Standpoint rule: a party’s attack on a standpoint
must relate to the standpoint that has indeed been advanced by the other party. - Relevance rule: a party may defend a standpoint only by advancing argumentation relating to that standpoint.
- Unexpressed premise rule: a party may not disown a premise that has been left implicit by that party, or falsely present something as a premise that has been left unexpressed by the other party.
- Starting point rule: a party may not falsely present a premise as an accepted starting point nor deny a premise representing an accepted starting point.
- Argument scheme rule: a party may not regard a standpoint as conclusively defended if the defense does not take place by means of an appropriate argumentation scheme that is correctly applied.
- Validity rule: a party may only use arguments in its argumentation that are logically valid or capable of being validated by making explicit one or more unexpressed premises
- Closure rule: a failed defense of a standpoint must result in the party that put forward the standpoint retracting it and a conclusive defense of the standpoint must result in the other party retracting its doubt about the standpoint.
- Usage rule: a party must not use formulations that are insufficiently clear or confusingly ambiguous and a party must interpret the other party’s formulations as carefully and accurately as possible.
The theory postulates this as an ideal model, and not something one expects to find as an empirical fact. It can however serve as an important heuristic and critical tool for testing how reality approximates this ideal and point to where discourse goes wrong, that is, when the rules are violated. Any such violation will constitute a fallacy. Albeit not primarily focused on fallacies, pragma-dialectics provides a systematic approach to deal with them in a coherent way.
To get it off your chest – to release tension concerning a problem.
My co-worker really bothers me a lot. But until yesterday, I never complained. But he bothered so much yesterday, I just had to get it off my chest.
An arrogant person likes to rub it in when they win a game.
To Rub Wrong Way = Get on my nerves = he bothers me
When my students cheat on a test, I never let it slide. I throw the book at them. I give them an F.
Search me = I have no idea = I have no clue. — Q: How do you build a rocket ship? A: Search me!! How should I know? I’m not a scientist.
Cramming vocabulary is too boring. How can you liven it up? (…make it more entertaining?)
I got angry at my department head. He changed the textbook for our classes, but he didn’t give the teachers a say in the decision. (We had no say in the decision.)
Q: Does that guy rub you the wrong way? He drives me crazy…(..drives me up the wall.)
A: No. I get along with him just fine.
Lesson 35
To rub it in
to rub the wrong way
to get a rise out of
to let (it) slide
search me
To get off your chest
to live it up
to liven up
To have a say in
Lesson 34
To trade in – exchange it
To get with it
To fall for
It figures.
To cover for – to make excuses for; do other person’s job
To give him a break ~ go easy on him
To bow out – to back out
To stick it out – to continue/endure/not give up
Lesson 33
To kick it around – I’m kicking around a few ideas
On the ball – I like that student. He’s on the ball.
To make up
To pull together – (A team pulls together when it begins to work well together.)
To be looking up
To kick the habit
to drop off
to turn over (control)
to go through channels
the last straw
Lesson 32
To step in
To step down
To step on it
To play up to
To screw up
To goof up
To go off the deep end
To lose your touch
Under control
To drag your feet
Lesson 31
To go through
to keep your head
to lose your head
narrow-minded
on edge
to waste your breath
to cut short
Lesson 30
To dry up
To be up to something
To beat around the bush
To put an end to
To get even with
To fool around
To stir up
The students stole the classroom camera behind the teacher’s back. (behind –your- back = without your knowledge)
To talk back to – My son broke the window. When I got onto him, he started to talk back to me. I was shocked.
To be in – Sonyoshidae is in right now among teenagers.
To draw the line at – My teenage daughter likes to go out with her female friends. That’s fine with me, but I draw the line at including boys.
To get out of line – I had to get onto my daughter, because she got out of line. I told her not to steal again, but she stole a Hello Kitty key chain from Family Mart.
Dry Run – Good actors have to have a dry run before they begin filming a difficult scene.
To play by ear – When I go to France this summer, I don’t know what hotel I’ll stay in or what I’ll do. I’ll just play it by ear.
Spur of the moment — at the exact moment
On the spur of the moment, Unique’s mother had to go to the airport to fly to meet her grandson.
To keep after – I keep after my students to try to speak only in English.
To fix up – Q: How did you meet your wife?
A: My best friend fixed us up in college.
To be had – to be victimized/cheated
Conman – Don’t trust somebody if they try to sell you the Brooklyn Bridge.
Scam – Conmen scam people.
If you buy the Brooklyn Bridge, you’ve been scammed = You’ve been had.
To Land on your feet –
The good student was very worried about taking the Korean SAT, but I told him not to worry. Because he always works hard at everything, I said, “You will always land on your feet no matter what happens in life.”
To dish out – criticize others or insult others too much
A bully dishes out a lot of insults.
To pick on – to bully – The bully was picking on the other students by calling them fat and ugly.
To get through to –
I couldn’t get through to my sister on the phone because of the heavy snow. I think probably the lines were down.
One of my students is a little slow understanding stuff. So I have to take extra time to explain it to him until it gets through to him.
To keep your word – to keep a promise X to break your word
To be in over your head – Before, I never exercised. So, I decided to join his mountain hiking club, but it was a big mistake, because it quickly became obvious I was in over my head.
To ask for (it) – The student was crying after class, because he had failed the big test. But, when I asked him if he had studied, he said, “No.” So I did not feel sorry for him, because he was asking for an F.
to be begging for (it) — to be begging for trouble
to be a far cry from –
Q: Did you always want to be a teacher?
A: No. Teaching is a far cry from what my childhood dream was: I always wanted to be a world famous rock star.
to give someone a hand = to clap for someone or to help out someone
to throw someone a curve
I don’t like personal questions. So, the freshman student threw me a curve when he asked so many questions about my wife.
To make waves – I hate my wife’s new friend, but I can’t tell her about it, because I don’t like to make waves.
To carry on – I had to step out of my classroom for just a minute. When I got back, the students were really carrying on. So, I had to punish the whole class.
To cover ground – We covered a lot of ground in Classroom English today. We covered a lot of idioms.
Last year, we took a short vacation in Canada. We rented a car and covered a lot of ground every day.
To throw the book at – to punish severally
The judge threw the book at the man who robbed the bank.
One of my students got in a fight in the hallway. He was a good student, but he was angry that day and got in a fight. I was surprised later when the principle threw the book at him. He kicked him out forever.
She talks about me behind my back.
Oh!! I love your new hairstyle. That look is in these days.
I let my students bring bottled water to my class, but I draw the line at soft drinks or other drinks.
I know we have a big school. So, some students might come to class a little late. But, I draw the line at more than 5 minutes.
I’m very, very strict with my children. If they get out of line, I beat them terribly.
If I have a big speech to give, I like to give it a dry run in front of my family.
My wife always keeps after me about saving money.
She is angry at me. I fixed her up with a friend of mine, but she said he was very fat, ugly, and rude.
I bought the Brooklyn Bridge once, but I was had. The seller was a conman, and I lost all my money.
His business went bankrupt, but I’m not worried. He’s very smart. He always lands on his feet.
He’s very critical of other people, but he’s hyper-sensitive when somebody criticizes him. He can dish it out, but he can’t take it.
I had something important to tell her, but I couldn’t get through to her for three weeks. Then, I got through to her by email.
My husband didn’t know I was very serious about him putting the toilet lid down after he finishing using it. But, I got through to him about how serious I was when I threw freezing water on him while he slept.
I thought I knew English very well. So, when I went to Canada to take some ESL classes, I went to the highest level but quickly realized I was in over my head. So, I dropped down to the next highest level.
My friend’s girlfriend slapped him in the face. He looked at me like she was crazy, but I told him he was asking for it by telling her she looked plump in those new bluejeans.
She told me she thought she looked like Lee Young-Ae, but she was a far cry from that!! She looked more like Chun Won-Ju.
I gamble too much. So, I had to go to a loan shark to pay off the bookies. I was in debt for a long, long time, but I finally paid them off and got out from under the debt.
To take the bull by the horns.
He was very reluctant to get married, but after a few years, I told him to just take the bull by the horns and do it.
I don’t like her anymore, because she went out with my boyfriend behind my back.
I sent the student out into the hall, because he talked back to me when I got onto him for chewing gum in class.
I love that new jacket of yours. It’s in this season.
My husband likes to go out late with his friends, but I draw the line at staying out past 1 AM.
If he stays out past 1 AM, I make him wash the dishes for a week so he will learn not to get out of line with me.
My friend is very sad, because he lost all his money to a conman. He was had.
My husband gets upset if I keep after him too much about wasting money.
We had a lot of financial trouble after our house burnt down, but we eventually landed on our feet.
The little bully started crying when the little girl called him fat. He can dish it out, but he can’t take it.
Q: Did you ever get in touch with her?
A: Yes. I got through to her on the phone last night.
The student did not understand what I was trying to teach, so I kept trying and trying. Finally, I got through to him.
I went skiing this weekend. I decided to try the advanced slope first, but it quickly became clear I was in over my head.
The little boy in the supermarket kept throwing food on the floor even though his mother told him many times not to. Finally, she spanked him hard on his bottom. He was really asking for it.
I’m a shutterman. That is a far cry from what I dreamed of doing when I was a little boy. I planned to be an astronaut.
(On the subway): 1: May I read that newspaper you have? 2: By all means.
to get out from under —
In America, college is very expensive, and the government will help you get loans from the bank. But, it is very difficult to get out from under debt.
I was always afraid of taking the TOEFL test, but I finally decided to take the bull by the horns and study a lot and finally do it!!
The teacher threw the students a curve when he suddenly gave them a pop quiz.
He threw me a curve when he ask me to marry him on the first date.
That other teacher was bothering me in the teacher’s meeting, but I don’t like to make waves. So, I didn’t say anything.
I broke my leg, but I carried on (with) my teaching duties.
I tried to be a small businessman. I carried on for about 5 years but eventually gave up.
He annoys me, because he is 40 years old, but he always carries on like a middle schooler.
I am teaching him about fixing up cars. Today, we had a good lesson. We covered a lot of good ground.
He stole a car. It was his first crime, but the judge threw the book at him. He gave him 25 years in prison.
The teacher threw the book at the student when she broke the window. She made her come after school for 1 hour for two months.
My best friend cheats on his wife. I accidently put my foot in my mouth when I mentioned the girlfriend while I was eating dinner at their house.
Our school has a class president for each grade level. The student ask me if he could possibly win or was it a waste of his time. I told him to go for it. I told him it was up for grabs.
It is difficult to learn the ropes of teaching without actually getting into a classroom and teaching.
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