An Interview With Mr. Michal Lee

Mr. Michael Lee has been in Istanbul since last August, starting the school year as the Secondary Principal of I--. Already there seems to be a change in the school atmosphere, as his motto "As you have opportunity, serve one another in love".

With his inspirational speech starting off the year, I-- has provided many opportunities for the students to serve, such as the Spring Service Project going to both Romania and Bulgaria.

Mr. Lee was born in Korea, moving to the United States at a very young age. He grew up in the African American neighborhood of downtown Los Angeles. He grew up with African American people and enjoys "different" foods such as Chicken with Maple syrup. It was interesting to see how his highschool experience differed from ours. He went to one of the top highschool in the US, that ranked 6th best high school in 2009. However, he explained to us that there were a lot of problems at the school, especially with abuse and crime.

Today, he roams the I-- school grounds, becoming the most omnipresent and student-interactive principal in the history of I--. Yes, he is everywhere. Mr. Lee can be seen at lunch, during breaks, and just about everywhere else, at any random moment in time.

The story of how Mr. Lee got to I-- is interesting. He originally meant to go to a school in Nepal. However, that didn't work out, and he was offered a job here. So far, he has really enjoyed his time in Istanbul, and plans to stay for another two years.

Mr. Lee does not have a huge project for the future, but says that he would like to see a student council be formed. "It would be nice to see the students have input into what goes on at school", he says. "It would be like them taking the school back".

He might have a certain effect on people by the fact that he is the tall Korean-American Secondary Principle of I--, but he's certainly more than that. Some words that come to mind that describe him are: omnipresent, kind, caring, generous, loving. He also is very humble, as he thinks a lot about the school's future and learning from his experience here, rather than "giving" new ideas to I--.

He is a great seconday principal, and an even greater man, who hopes to see what changes God has in store for us, here at I--.

"Ultimaate!!!" And the Games Begin...

Ultimate Frisbee is a sport different than any: it has no referee or coach that shouts orders from the sidelines. It is a game for the players, by the players, and depends greatly on the ability of the team to perform. Ultimate Frisbee is misunderstood a lot. Upon hearing “Ultimate Frisbee”, most people think about throwing a plastic disk to their dog, which then will proceed to bring it back. Others are just plain confused, not knowing what it is at all, especially in the case of the local Turkish people here in Istanbul. So I decided to interview a man, a great player, and the co-starter of Ultimate Frisbee in Turkey: Coach Ken Jacobs.

Most coaches give you a very thrilling story of how someone he looked up to introduced him to the sport, and how he felt destined to play, nothing short of a “wow” effect. However, Coach’s story wasn’t full of thrill; it was a rather straight-forward story about how he was introduced, and although it wasn’t the type of story that gave me an adrenaline rush, I could see that he loved the sport. He first started playing in high school and went on to play in college, coaching at workshops and playing in clubs around New England after graduating. “I liked how the sport was player-driven”, he says, “It had great overarching values such as fair play that help improve a player’s sportsmanship”.

Ultimate Frisbee was first introduced in 2006, started by Andrew H--------, and I-- alum. “He asked me to help him coach, and I started helping him out”, says Coach Jacobs. The first team, Turk Kasi (meaning Muscle of Turkey), was formed. They have been to 3 international tournaments since, two in Switzerland and one in Germany. The results of Ultimate Frisbee on the players’ can be shown towards the attitude that they have towards each other. While playing against them in a friendly game (Turk Kasi vs. I-- Frisbee Team), I saw that they supported one another, and, although we lost, they showed the good sportsmanship that is key to being a good Ultimate Frisbee player.

Coach Jacobs has left Turk Kasi, and has started recruiting another team in Caddebostan, where he frequently meets to practice Ultimate Frisbee. However, he faces a challenge that any growing sport faces: not being known. The biggest challenges are getting people to understand the athleticism that is required for the game. Ultimate Frisbee is a very pushing game that requires the highest level of sportsmanship, especially as the game has no referee to call fouls. Another challenge he faces is finding a place to play, as large open spaces are hard to find in Istanbul. “All we need is a Frisbee, some cones, and some land. Then we’re set to go.”

The future holds a lot for Ultimate Frisbee, as the first International Hat Tournament, a friendly gathering on teams to play Frisbee, will begin this spring, accompanied by the start of a Ultimate Players Association (UPA) office opening in Turkey. “I wish that Ultimate Frisbee would grow in Turkey”, Coach Jacobs says, “Especially among the youth”. He really enjoys playing, and getting to know the players better. “Ultimate's been a real part of my life; a great way to make friends and become a part of the community. It's been neat to go overseas and find that it's grown to basically anywhere, but it's nice to find acceptance by other players, forming a global community."

Public Schools... Evolution or Creation?

From the beginning of Time, people have believed in gods. Starting from the Tribal Stages of Human life, all the way through the Romans, people have believed in gods, and that never interfered with the study of the sciences. However, today, to put it simply, “God is dead”. People went beyond theism, and, under the assumption that there is no God, tried to figure out how the world began.

This is an every-growing controversy, as the once popular Darwinism has failed to show any proof of the slow, gradual evolution of life. There have been no fossils found to prove the “slow change” that supposedly happened. There have been other ideas about evolution, like punctuated evolution, which states that evolution happened quickly, in shorts “bursts” that caused nothing to die, explaining the fact that no fossils have been found proving evolution. To counter-argument this argument, people have asked them “what is the probability that two organisms, both with no calculated direction of evolution, changed into the same species and reproduced? Since there was no direction of evolution, the chance that any random organism evolved into a complex one, and two of them met to reproduce, is very low.

The main question is “what should be taught in public schools?” A study shows that 61 percent of all US schools teach evolution, while only 12% of all US schools teach creationism. I believe that both should be taught I public schools. My main reason for thinking this is because otherwise it would be bigotry: choosing to only tell one side of a story. It would better prepare the students to face the world if they learn both sides of the argument, and are allowed to choose for themselves.

Public schools are legally obliged to give a “liberal education”. This, by definition, means education with an open or broad background. Creationism was held as “unconstitutional” in court when only creationism was taught. However, times have changed, and evolution is the only theory taught in public schools. This should also be labeled as “unconstitutional”.

Also in the case of US schools, evolution goes against the constitution formed by the “founding fathers” as they stated that “all men were created equal”. However, evolution states that the strongest survive to become better.

I think that it is crucial that the students learn all they can, and in time, choose what they want to stand by, rather than being forced into believing that evolution is the only way to describe the origins of life.

Dear Uncle Eungho...

"Dear Uncle Eungho,

I complained about the way my SAT Prep teacher grades our homework and tests. Somehow, the teacher found out it was me who complained and she treats me very coolly and angrily. What can I do to get in her good graces again—without “sucking up to her” or being a “brown-noser”?"

--Sad in Selimiye

Dear Sad,

The fact that your SAT Prep teacher's grading annoys you is very unfortunate. It's never nice to talk badly about someone that's really close to you, especially if they can fail you for a class. However, since you need to get back in her good graces, I advise you to use two things: First, a simple apology, and second, showing that you are sorry through your actions.

The things that appeal to people, especially teachers, are hardworking students. I advise you to, instead of complaining about the way she grades, change yourself. Make yourself an excellent student, be active in class discussions, and improve on your work, which will lead eventually lead your teacher to think better of you.

Sincerely,

Uncle Eungho

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

" Dear uncle Eungho,

I have a lot of homework every night. At the same time, I want to spend time with my friends, participate in extra-curricular activities, and use Facebook. If I don’t get on Facebook every night, I feel left out. At the same time, I think I’m wasting a lot of time and it is one way I could make better use of my time. What do you suggest?"

-- Lonely in Libadiye

Dear Lonely,

Time management is never easy. It's just one of those things that we have to do. I suggest that you not make Facebook your priority. Although it may be nice to use Facebook, it can very easily become annoying. It's hard to stop once you start, and can consume a huge part of your day. So the best thing to do, is set a limit. TIme yourself, and see how much you spend of Facebook. Then you can set a limit, spending only the amount of time necessary to use Facebook.

Another thing to consider is dropping your extra-curricular activities, or split them up, so that you can use your time wisely. You need to remember that you don't have to do ALL the extra-curricular activities; you have a choice.

Sincerely,

Uncle Eungho

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Dear Uncle Eungho,

I recently moved to Turkey. I feel isolated because there are few American families here, and I do not speak Turkish. I home-school my kids, so we don’t have many opportunities to meet other foreigners. It has been five months, and I still can't get over the culture shock. I spend my days cooped up with my kids, unable to do the simplest things. I can't seem to live up to my husband's expectations, and he has become quite critical. This is hurting our marriage. Please help me before I go crazy.”

— Agonizing in Ankara

Dear Agonizing,

I’m sorry that you’re feeling so stressed out. It’s never easy to move, especially into a different culture, where you get culture shock, and can’t speak the language well either. Don’t fret though, there are many ways to solve this.

First, you could speek to your husband about this. You need to remember that he is there to support you. Talk to him, especially think about sending kids to school, instead of homeschooling them (there’s an international school in Ankara called Oasis).

Take a few days off to relax. You probably feel overwhelmed because you need to do the housework and teach the kids. Go relax. A hotel is probably a good idea, just to have someone else cook for you for a day, clean for you. You can even hire a maid to help you around the house.

And finally, find people you can relate to. Being Ankara, I’m sure you’ll find plenty of international people, from the school, from parent groups, or even from church. Get to know them, and let them help you out, especially while you adjust to Turkey.

Sincerely,

Uncle Eungho

"Political Cartoon"

Facebook: Killing Verbal Communication

Facebook, like the popular Nokia ad, “Nokia: Connecting People”, helps you connect with your family and friends quickly and easily. However, does this kill our once very socializing face-to-face communication? Is this a start of a new era where non-verbal communication is “king”?

Facebook is known best for its most commonly used feature, the “wall” (where people can write to others that can be seen by others too), and the photo-sharing experience it creates. People could easily view photos, catch up with people by walling, and game, leading to a sudden outburst of users.

Some would say that “quick and easy” is the future, especially in communication. And that seems true, but this discourages face-to-face contact, or taking time to write letters or emails to loved ones. When more than 80% of the school population has a Facebook account, getting “sucked in” is very easy. A recent survey showed that over 60% of the students/teachers at International Gateway Academy were more likely to write on peoples’ walls rather than call them.

Information can “easily” be shared to everyone who is your “contact” on Facebook. However, it leads to a great security issue, and most people seem unaware of possible measures that can be taken against it.

There is also the problem of “e-personalities” (personalities that are online, on the computer, that differs from the actual personality), that allows people to say things that they could not say in person. A study online shows us that about every 9 of 10 people have such e-personalities, meaning that most of the people are more “talkative” in front of their computers than they are in real-life.

Facebook is just a peace of the picture that future communications will paint. It fixed flaws of previous generation social-networks (e.g. Xanga, Myspace), but it too has many flaws. It demeans the value of taking time to communicate with people, making “quick and easy” the new “social fling”. Although it may be true that Facebook does offer many advantages, and can be used internationally, it “strays us away” from verbal communication. It is important to remember that in the end, verbal communication is the thing that keeps relationships, whether it be with family or friends, continuing.

Facebook. How it Affects You, Life.

Everyone has Facebook, and people spend hours and hours on end, looking at photos, chatting, writing on peoples "walls", and playing games.

We were really interested in the time people spend on Facebook, and how it affects their lives. Our results were quite interesting too:

80% of the School (not including elementary students) had Facebook, and most of them used it to "wall" each other.

Well what kind of impact would this have on students' social lives? We found out that people were more likely to "wall" each other rather than actually calling. This really shows us that Facebook, and most alternatives, kill sociality, and people start having electronic-socialites that are very different from who they are in person.