Graphic Novels...

I am thinking of teaching a graphic novel unit sometime this year, perhaps even next term, but it is finding one that the students are really going to get into and enjoy. I am currently reading "Chew, Volume 1: Taster's Choice" by John Layman and Rob Guillory. I am enjoying it much more than I thought I would.

I am not resistant or reluctant to new methods of getting the students to learn the knowledge that they need to be successful in their post-school endeavours. However, I do envisage that there may be some interesting discussions about the value of using "comics" to teach English and literacy.

I used a graphic novel version of Macbeth once to teach a Year 9 English class where there was a variety of literacy skills presented. The key to teaching a graphic novel is very much ensuring that everyone is involved and providing extension activities for those who find the graphic novel format an easy alternative to the classic "here's a novel, now read it" method. Yet, my experience tells me to date that no matter what one chooses there is always going to be myriad of learning styles. Thus some are going to love the graphic novel and others are going to hate it.

Any suggestions on how to teach the graphic novel as a unit of work for years 9 or 10 will be gladly received. I will be sure to post updates on how the unit unravels (in both the positive and negative senses or the word).

Teaching for a Living...

Well, my final practicum is finished. The five weeks went pretty quickly, I guess being busy makes time seem like it passes by a little faster than it really does. I have also been lucky to have a couple of really good practitioners as supervising teachers.

This current practicum was much easier than the others. I think this might have something to do with me feeling a little more comfortable with my ability to actually do what needed to be done and do it well.

Having taught 7 - 10 and now 11 - 12, I reckon my strengths are definitely going to be in the senior subjects, and particularly the advanced and extension courses. However, the reality is going to be as a new graduate I will be teaching whatever comes my way. This is not likely to be advanced or extension courses. Now, that said, I definitely will not mind teaching 7 - 10. I enjoy the content in those courses as well. With a bit of luck I will get recognition for my Indonesian and get the opportunity to teach a little LOTE as well.

Now, that my final practicum is finished I have faxed off my prac report with a view to getting approval for an interim casual teaching number. With a bit of luck this should be emailed on Monday. Once I have a casual teaching number I can start to look for some casual work and get paid for teaching.

The final piece of the puzzle is getting all my university results finalised.

English to Indonesian...

This post is for all you translators and interpreters out there who sometimes struggle to find the right word or context when moving between English and Indonesian. I received this from a good friend of mine, who in turn received it from a good friend of hers. I figured that I would post it here in my blog because some 24 hours later it still makes me laugh!

To all you non-Indonesian speakers out there, my apologies! But, let me assure you the things said in Indonesian are truly funny. Maybe you should all learn a little! Indonesians are great people and they live in a very beautiful country (kind of like all of us really).

Translation work is always fun. I kind of miss it, kind of.

To all my Indonesian friends, colleagues, acquaintances, or passers by....Enjoy!

And to those who created this fine piece, if you want me to add your names to give you proper credit for this then let me know. On that note, I have just realised that a great deal of these come from the Twitter timeline of Daniel Ziv (@DanielZiv). There are a lot more there so feel free to check them out.


Some say that Indonesian tends to be long winded and not concise. The example below proves otherwise ;)

Ternyata Bhs Indonesia jauh lbh simple dibanding Bhs Inggris.

In English: "Would you care to validate your previous statement?" In Indonesian: "SUMPE LO?!

In English: "Sorry, I think you miscalculated your own capabilities to handle the task at hand." In Indonesian: "Nenek lu kiper!

In English: "Would you care to elaborate on that statement?" In Indonesian: "MAKSUD LOH?!"

In English: "There's a 75% chance I won't make it, I'm far too busy for ur stupid event." In Indonesian: "Insya'allah gw dateng!"

In English: "The meeting will start at 9:15 AM. Please be there 15 minutes beforehand." In Indonesian: "Rapatnya jam 8!"

In English:"Let's try this new scam and see if those carbo-ladden brains buy it" In Indonesian: "Mama minta pulsa"

English: "Please stop by our outlet. There might be stuff you'll find interesting." Indonesian: "Giordanonya, Kakaaak!"

English: "I've stumbled upon something that might be of interest to you. You might find it useful." Indonesian: "CEKIDOT GAN!"

English: "I'm so overwhelmed by this turn of event that I'm speechless and in awe." | Indonesian: "ANJRIT!"

English: "This is a very interesting topic that everybody should stay updated about this." Indonesian: "Sundul, Gan!"

English: "I definitely won't make it. You guys go and have fun without me." | Indonesian: "Ntar gue nyusul."

English: "You're absolutely, positively 100% correct. But I knew that already." | Indonesian: "EMBEER!"

English: "That's so profound. I can't contribute anything further but I need to say something to sound equally smart." Indonesian: "Daleeem."

In english " I'm trying to find the right word for you to understand" In indonesian: " Capeekk deeehhh"

Distinctive Voices...

I am currently trying to craft a unit of work for English based on the idea of "Distinctive Voices". The distinctive voices that the students are required to study are prescribed by the New South Wales Board of Studies. However, teachers do have some flexibility in terms of the specific / actual activities that they use to teach the material.

The "I Have A Dream" speech by Martin Luther King is an excellent speech to study. This excellence derives as much from the content of the speech as it does from the structure and techniques that Dr. King uses in conveying that content. I have always enjoyed the images that this speech allows us to create in our own heads (note to self: critical literacy).

In a sense we have come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 


It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds.’ But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check – a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilising drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God’s children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.

I attach the speech for your viewing pleasure. Any one with ideas for lesson plans or activities, then feel free to share! I am currently focusing on this little section of the speech below looking at things like alliteration, lists, tone, repetition and anaphora.

I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. 


I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’ 


I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. 


I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. 


I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

Pluperfect Tense...

I recently bought a copy of Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad. Angus & Robertson was having a sale of "5 books for $25" on their Wordsworth Classics editions. I have read Lord Jim before, more accurately I was forced to read it in high school.

I could not find a copy in my collection of books, and I am keen to read it again on my own terms. As one gets older, I find myself thinking more about the dilemmas of conscience, honour and loyalty.

However, this is not a book review.

I figured that I would start at the beginning and just read the whole book from page 1 through to the last page. This edition starts with a "General Introduction" by the general adviser to the classic series. This is then followed by an introduction by a selected expert or teacher.

Now, here is the funny part, and the part that gives rise to the title of this post. The general introduction states that the purpose of the introduction is to assist readers in gaining a deeper understanding of the work by not attempting to provide any analyse or allude to a dominant reading. The idea being that readers can read it any way that they want and make of it as they will. This, we are reliably informed is going to be done through getting rid of all the jargon.

Well, this little gem from the introduction puts paid to that idea (and I quote):

The grammatical construction of Jim's confession is significant. It suggests a dislocation of consciousness at the very moment of action. He describes his action - 'the leap' - in the pluperfect tense, located in the distant past of his memory, while the use of the intransitive '"seems"' introduces present equivocation, suggesting a sense of ambiguity about his knowledge of, responsibility for, and reluctance to 'own', his deed.

Hopefully, that jargon free introduction to one of the main themes of Lord Jim enlightened you somewhat.

And Death Shall Have No Dominion...

I like the poetry of Dylan Thomas. Maybe it is simply because the poetry is good, or it might be because of a shared Welsh heritage, or it could be something that I am yet to realise. However, there was some discussion before Will was born about names that he might be given before we decided on Will. Among these was Dylan.

Anyways, I have been going through all my books in order to sort them out into some kind of order in readiness for packing them into specifically labelled boxes so that I can find them again. Whilst on this mission I came across some Dylan Thomas poetry, including one of my favourites; "And Death Shall Have No Dominion".

The beauty of poetry is that a poem is really anything anyone cares to label as such. There is, obviously, good poetry and not-so-good poetry, but it is all poetry at the end of the day. I am not going to analyse this poem for you. Rather, I would encourage you to read it, and bring to it your own life experiences and views. My biggest enjoyment in reading poetry is imagining that the poet was writing this poem for you to read and interpret it as you will.

This poem has even been interpreted as being a commentary on the inevitable socialist underpinnings of our existence.

So, it is within this framework that I post "And Death Shall Have No Dominion".

Enjoy...


And death shall have no dominion. 
Dead men naked they shall be one 
With the man in the wind and the west moon; 
When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone, 
They shall have stars at elbow and foot; 
Though they go mad they shall be sane, 
Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again; 
Though lovers be lost love shall not; 
And death shall have no dominion. 


And death shall have no dominion. 
Under the windings of the sea 
They lying long shall not die windily; 
Twisting on racks when sinews give way, 
Strapped to a wheel, yet they shall not break; 
Faith in their hands shall snap in two, 
And the unicorn evils run them through; 
Split all ends up they shan't crack; 
And death shall have no dominion. 


And death shall have no dominion. 
No more may gulls cry at their ears 
Or waves break loud on the seashores; 
Where blew a flower may a flower no more 
Lift its head to the blows of the rain; 
Though they be mad and dead as nails, 
Heads of the characters hammer through daisies; 
Break in the sun till the sun breaks down, 
And death shall have no dominion.

Flag, Language, Emblem, and Anthem -- Indonesian Laws and Regulations...

This is something that I wrote for somewhere else. The original can be found at http://en.hukumonline.com.

In order to ensure that the things that make Indonesians, well Indonesians, are protected from misuse and abuse, the government has enacted Law No. 24 of 2009 on The Flag, the Language, the National Emblem, and the National Anthem. The law is comprehensive and extends over 74 articles and 29 pages. Each of the substantive areas are covered in detail and set out what is and what is not permissible with each of the national symbols.

The law contains all the expected provisions with respect to the flag. Generally, there are prohibitions against abusing the flag, for example by burning it, and against misusing it, for example by exploiting it commercially. Similarly, the national anthem is not to be exploited commercially either.

Also, the national anthem is not to be rearranged to different music. However, the intent here seems to be if the rearrangement is intended to belittle the national anthem or to make fun of Indonesia. This is interesting as recently an Indonesian musician sang a version of the national anthem that had been arranged to a different tune although he maintained the original words. This caused a stir for a while, but it seems to have died down now.

On the language front it is clear that there is an intention to raise the profile of Indonesian to a level that sees Indonesian operating as an international language. This is to be done in a phased, systematic, and ongoing manner, and is to be coordinated by the relevant language agency. All further regulations with respect to this plan are to be in the form of government regulations.

Nevertheless, the law is also explicit in stating that the government may facilitate Indonesians in the learning of foreign languages. The condition here is that there is an element of increasing Indonesia’s international competitiveness with the learning of any foreign language.

Generally, all education institutions are to use Indonesian as a medium of instruction. However, there are exceptions to this rule. Primarily, these exceptions are for international schools or education facilities where there are foreign students enrolled. Foreign languages can be taught in Indonesian schools. However, it would seem that Indonesian would still play a significant part in how the foreign language material is to be delivered.

Similarly to the discussion on the Bill on Language, which is still bouncing around the parliament, all speeches and presentations in international forums, whether here or abroad, when delivered by Indonesian official, must be in Indonesian. This would not conceivably prevent an English translation being provided to those in attendance.

The law provides for criminal sanctions of up to five years imprisonment and fines of up to IDR 500 million.

The implementing regulations required to give force to this law must be enacted within two years of the law being enacted.

The law has been in force since 9 July 2009.

Miss Tourism Queen 2009 -- Miss Bali Wins

Miss Bali, Yoke Paramita Djati Walujo, has won the Bikini Contest of the Miss Tourism Queen 2009 held in Xinyang, Henan Province in China.

The contest included 120 participants form all parts of the globe. The runners-up came from Russia and Ukraine.

The competition concluded on 17 August 2009.

Congratulations to Miss Bali.

One For the Lawyers...

A lawyer, instead of saying that two plus two make four, would say:

"If by that particular arithmetical rule known as addition, we desired to arrive at the sum of two integers added to two integers, we should find - and I assert this boldly, ans without fear of successful contradiction - we, I repeat, should find by the particular arithmetical formula before mentioned - and I hold myself perfectly responsible for the assertion that I am about to make - we should find that the sum of the two integers added to the two other integers would be four."

from Jokes, Quotes, and One Liners - Volume 2 by Herbert V Prochnow and Herbert V Prochnow Jr.

The Night Before Christmas – Legally Speaking

To keep you all amused.

Whereas, on or about the night prior to Christmas, there did occur at a certain improved piece of real property (hereinafter "the House") a general lack of stirring by all creatures therein, including, but not limited to a mouse.

A variety of foot apparel, e.g., stocking, socks, etc., had been affixed by and around the chimney in said House in the hope and/or belief that St. Nick AKA/St. Nicholas AKA/Santa Claus (hereinafter "Claus") would arrive at sometime thereafter.

The minor residents, i.e., the children, of the aforementioned House were located in their individual beds and were engaged in nocturnal hallucinations, i.e., dreams, wherein visions of confectionery treats, including, but not limited to, candies, nuts and/or sugar plums, did dance, cavort and otherwise appear in said dreams.

Whereupon the party of the first part (sometimes hereinafter referred to as "I"), being the joint-owner in fee simple of the House with the parts of the second part (hereinafter "Mamma"), and said Mamma had retired for a sustained period of sleep. (At such time, the parties were clad in various forms of headgear, e.g., kerchief and cap.)

Suddenly, and without prior notice or warning, there did occur upon the unimproved real property adjacent and appurtenant to said House, i.e., the lawn, a certain disruption of unknown nature, cause and/or circumstance. The party of the first part did immediately rush to a window in the House to investigate the cause of such disturbance.

At that time, the party of the first part did observe, with some degree of wonder and/or disbelief, a miniature sleigh (hereinafter "the Vehicle") being pulled and/or drawn very rapidly through the air by approximately eight (8) reindeer. The driver of the Vehicle appeared to be and in fact was, the previously referenced Claus.

Said Claus was providing specific direction, instruction and guidance to the approximately eight (8) reindeer and specifically identified the animal co-conspirators by name: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen (hereinafter "the Deer"). (Upon information and belief, it is further asserted that an additional coconspirator named "Rudolph" may have been involved.)

The party of the first part witnessed Claus, the Vehicle and the Deer intentionally and willfully trespass upon the roofs of several residences located adjacent to and in the vicinity of the House, and noted that the Vehicle was heavily laden with packages, toys and other items of unknown origin or nature. Suddenly, without prior invitation or permission, either express or implied, the Vehicle arrived at the House, and Claus entered said House via the chimney.

Said Claus was clad in a red fur suit, which was partially covered with residue from the chimney, and he carried a large sack containing a portion of the aforementioned packages, toys, and other unknown items. He was smoking what appeared to be tobacco in a small pipe in blatant violation of local ordinances and health regulations.

Claus did not speak, but immediately began to fill the stocking of the minor children, which hung adjacent to the chimney, with toys and other small gifts. (Said items did not, however, constitute "gifts" to said minors pursuant to the applicable provisions of the US Tax Code.)

Upon completion of such task, Claus touched the side of his nose and flew, rose and/or ascended up the chimney of the House to the roof where the Vehicle and Deer waited and/or served as "lookouts." Claus immediately departed for an unknown destination.

However, prior to the departure of the Vehicle, Deer and Claus from said House, the party of the first part did hear Claus state and/or exclaim: "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!" Or words to that effect.

Fining Lawyers

Now here is a thought!

If any bill, answers, replication, or rejoinder, shall be found of an immoderate length, both the party and the counsel under whose hand it passeth shall be fined.

Sir Francis Bacon (17th Century)

Parody -- Lawyers

Although a parody, this is a good reason why lawyers need to consider seriously adopting a plainer drafting and writing style.

The part of the first part hereinafter known as Jack, and the part of the second part hereinafter known as Jill, ascended or caused to be ascended an elevation of undetermined height and degree of slope, hereinafter referred to as "hill."

Parody from 20th Century

Plain Language

Plain language and the lawyer, a question of compatibility.

Diversionary tactics on the part of lawyers come from their fear that their expertise won't seem very special if they write it down in plain English.

Andy Rooney (1987)

Legal Writing

Are lawyers good writers?

I should apologize, perhaps, for the style of this bill. I dislike the verbose and intricate style of modern English statutes ... You however can easily correct this bill to the taste of my brother lawyers, by making every other word a "said" or "aforesaid" and saying everything over two or three times so as that nobody but we of the craft can untwist the diction, and find out what it means.

Thomas Jefferson (1817)

Real Facts?

The most used letters in the English language are E, T, A, O, I, and N.