What I find so interesting about car usage here in Hangzhou is that there is so little regard for others; for example, cars have the right of way, they find ANY place to park, and drivers honk crazily even when it's clear that the next person needs to wait for traffic to move on ahead. Ok, others may tell me to chill out and proceed to bring up issues in India - I need to witness it for myself someday, but at the very least, here are some pictures of (parked) cars I've seen around Hangzhou along with sardonic/exasperated captions:
Yes, it's parked!
Nice parking job.
You kinda just have to scoot around these two.
Look closely - this is a one way street...
That's pretty smart, actually. (This guy's fine)
The roads are already narrow in this neighborhood - thanks for making it even narrower!
This can't be good for either car (*cringe)...but I guess they're trying to be polite.
According to my aunt from Hangzhou, these people are usually ticketed (when police officers are actually doing their job) but the fines are so low that people usually don't care about it and end up "facing the consequences." It's like paying for parking, I guess.
Now, I'm thinking about how justice/security/fines are dealt with in the United States: I know some people easily and readily despise police officers, but, when fines are so high and when officers are so strict, does it not communicate to people that they ought to stay in line and regulate themselves in order to create a safe environment for others? Does it not feel...safer, in most parts of the US, or at least less chaotic?
Could this be carried into the classroom? Absolutely: clear structures and rules are necessary, while not letting anything slide by; when the teacher (leader/officer) is strict and CONSISTENTLY addresses issues as they come up, it allows students (community members) to know what the expectations are. It changes their ATTITUDE, thus affecting how they function in the classroom (neighborhood).
Essentially, teachers design and dictate the functionality/flow of the classroom environment. It could be one that's chaotic: a "world" filled with empty threats and inconsistent standards leading to what I've witnessed here in Hangzhou with these cars. Or it could be secure: even if people own guns and could be nasty to each other, the general laws/rules (and how they're carried out) in many cities in the US allow community members to stay safe while going about their everyday lives. I imagine there are many other kinds of "communities" out there, led by all sorts of different leaders with different motivations. Ok, I'm not saying that the US is perfect - it's far from it. But for the sake of this conversation, I think you get what I mean.
So let's create safe spaces for our students (or kids, or followers, or whatever)! Be stricter, hold higher expectations, and don't be a tyrant, all while holding positive intentions :)
Now, I'm thinking about how justice/security/fines are dealt with in the United States: I know some people easily and readily despise police officers, but, when fines are so high and when officers are so strict, does it not communicate to people that they ought to stay in line and regulate themselves in order to create a safe environment for others? Does it not feel...safer, in most parts of the US, or at least less chaotic?
Could this be carried into the classroom? Absolutely: clear structures and rules are necessary, while not letting anything slide by; when the teacher (leader/officer) is strict and CONSISTENTLY addresses issues as they come up, it allows students (community members) to know what the expectations are. It changes their ATTITUDE, thus affecting how they function in the classroom (neighborhood).
Essentially, teachers design and dictate the functionality/flow of the classroom environment. It could be one that's chaotic: a "world" filled with empty threats and inconsistent standards leading to what I've witnessed here in Hangzhou with these cars. Or it could be secure: even if people own guns and could be nasty to each other, the general laws/rules (and how they're carried out) in many cities in the US allow community members to stay safe while going about their everyday lives. I imagine there are many other kinds of "communities" out there, led by all sorts of different leaders with different motivations. Ok, I'm not saying that the US is perfect - it's far from it. But for the sake of this conversation, I think you get what I mean.
So let's create safe spaces for our students (or kids, or followers, or whatever)! Be stricter, hold higher expectations, and don't be a tyrant, all while holding positive intentions :)
