Beautiful Skin

Every magazine, every drugstore, every Sephora in the United States have lotions, powders, and creams that will darken, bronze or give you the appearance of sun-kissed skin. I have also tried the self-tanner lotions (similar to exskindiver) with little success. Usually the result is streaked legs and blotchy feet because I did not put the lotion on evenly. I have even contemplated the spray-on tan offered at most spas in the States just so I won’t look so translucent. I found this link when looking for images that demonstrates the motivation to look tan...click here

Now, fast forward in time (literally) and travel to Asia, where the exact opposite is true. The goal here is to look whiter, with all the same lotions, powders and creams mentioned above but these devices will whiten, take away pigment (I am a little skeptical about this one) of the skin, to get the white glow you desire. While people-watching here in the Philippines, I notice girls plastering white powder on their faces to look ghostly (since some of their darker pigment comes through). One girl made a point of showing me her “white”powder, as she caked it on her face. At this girl's display progresses, I think of my students in the States doing the same thing, plastering on makeup, but they are putting on bronzers and brown powder to look more tan.

Even the reasoning behind this phenomenon is interesting. Asian women are seeking to look whiter to show they do not need to work outside, illustrating the levels of status they have achieved which allows them to stay indoors most of the day. Western women are seeking to look darker to show they are more earthy and athletic, confirming their status level of having time to be outside, sun-bathing or exercising, while most of us are stuck indoors working under fluorescent light.

So, the clash of cultures met my first night here when I was looking for sunscreen since I want a darker glow with limited sun damage (I have already tempted the skin cancer gods in my youth). I stumbled upon this obstacle of the lotions wanting me to look WHITER…????? What??? So, here is the cultural conflict—my instinct is to shun the whiter skin, but maybe it is beautiful after all?

End of the Year Reflection

As tomorrow’s graduation approaches and I wrap up another school year with my students, I reflect on the accomplishments, observations and improvements of the year.

One observation I gathered during this week of finals was my students’ motivation to show me what they understood. Today, for example, I watched ALL my students pore over their final examination even if some of them knew they will fail the class even if they score well on the final. I expected them to come in and bubble in “c” for all the answers and write jibberish in the short answer responses; however, I watched as each of these “failing” students put in the effort to show me what they know.

So my question is…did they fail? Did I fail in teaching them? At this moment, watching them pore over their answers, I say no, since my goal with students is to inspire them to learn, to express their understandings and learn from their mistakes. All of these students know why they failed—laziness to turn in work, not completing homework and projects on time, not arriving to class on time (or at all)—and they stated to me how they will fix these issues next year, so to me they did not fail. They learned from their mistakes. Yes, they did not score as well as others on this test or in this course, but they tried.

One area I need to work on is developing skills. I try to teach the students every skill instead of perfecting a few key ones. One major skill most students lack is critical thinking. When asked how sun exposure affects each of the students personally, one student responded, “Understanding sun exposure is important to me because I am white.” That was the beginning and end of the response. Hmmmm…I am white, but don’t understand how this sun exposure affects you.

I have some new ideas to work into my curriculum. Usually this time of the year always tricks me into going back next year with new ideas, new innovations, and new connections. I will probably curse myself this coming November when I wonder why I picked this profession as I deal with another 170 students. However, watching students mature, makes sense of the world, and find science “sic” make me coming back.

I Drove All Night

In response to my SIL's tagged request.