Lesson of Icarus = Wear Sunscreen & Good QC

I have exactly less than 1 month left as a teacher, here at Dong Thap Community College. My final obligation as a teacher is the final meeting to review my placement on Friday, May 24^th. Where has the past nine months gone?

So in this fresh vigor and verve sparked by the successful conference and a desire to shake things up before I leave I borrowed an idea from a fellow ETA for this month’s English Speaking Club (ESC) on Fashion. For those of you who have read this blog you may recall that I am somewhat bipolar when dealing with the ESCs. Sometimes they rock (like the Halloween club and bobbing for guava), other times they are cancelled (3 out of 8 were cancelled), and then there were the clubs with nearly 100 students. Thus I have largely dreaded my monthly obligation because planning it was stressful and there was no telling if all my work would be for naught.

Well last night was one of the most successful nights ever! We had 40 students – the perfect number and the activity, well let’s just say I wish I could take credit.

The topic was fashion and with all the creativity I saw on display at the conference I decided that our last club should be in a similar vein. At the Fulbright Mid-year Retreat in Da Lat back in December Miss Amanda Reid – the ETA in Vinh City who I visited at one of my lower stage 2 moments and with her humor, kindness and our mutual love of cooking pulled me from my emotional landslide – discussed how she used art in her classroom. Let’s just say I am in awe of this entire cohort of ETAs but Amanda’s passion and creativity is outstanding and beguiling. Watching her present really made me consider how to work creativity into my time here at DTCC. For most of my time their book hemmed me in and my classes wouldn’t really handle it, but I saw an opportunity with this final ESC to really set the students loose.

Following Amanda’s lesson plan we started by reviewing some articles of clothing (sweater, dress, gown, gloves, blouse, etc.) and then did some work associations and mapping with positive ways to describe fashion (sexy, fierce, gorgeous, etc.) and some not so nice things to say (dowdy, old, frumpy, etc.). Then the big moment arrived and was Project Runway. We broke them up in teams and from scrapes of fabric, ribbons, paper, staples, tape and other found materials each team had to make an outfit and write a description of it in English. Then we had a fashion show. It was awesome and once again their creativity blew me out of the water.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU Miss Amanda Reid! I bow down before you!

When we started the clock there was a flurry of activity to the materials and I just got out of the way. Then they were off. At first I was concerned because everybody started with a Grecian drape, then everybody tried a toga followed by a Gandhi like wrap – and I was wondering how to judge 5 Indian sarongs. But not to sweat after enough time the groups began to differentiate themselves.

One group in particular had a very clear inspiration. Superman. I’m not kidding, Superman. I thought it was a muse until I realized they were working to recreate Superman. It started off with the cape, which was then replaced by a paper cape and collar deal that looked more the Matrix than the Man of Steel. After the Matrix coat was added, they gave “Superman” a mask which reminded me of Robin – though to be honest I am not a superhero comic book person (my favorite comics were Dilbert and Garfield) so at first I thought it was a Venetian Carnival Mask. I can be so bougie at times. At some point a helmet, flowers and fringes sash were added then removed. And since they had their superhero’s confused they gave their Matrix/Robin/Superman wings – like Icarus. At this point I needed to clarify what the hell it was since now we had massive superhero and inter-cultural ancient Greek mythology conundrum going on…they told me it was Superman. Okay…sure whatever you say “Superman”(/Matrix/Robin/Icarus). When they asked me how to describe their outfit I told them accessorize with sunscreen – they were miffed but I got a kick out of it. After all the real moral of Icarus is the pitfalls of no quality control and sun protection, with sunscreen and shades he would’ve been just fine, hubris be damned. Yep the downfall of nonexistant QC – I am so my mother’s child! The other groups made outfits that you could wear. Well, one other group made a Queen/fairy thing with a crown and scepter.

Regardless, the creativity was overflowing, their teamwork was beyond impressive and everybody had a raucous good time. Plus some English was spoken! Like the ETA Conference this just showed me how far we – me and the students – have come since the first ESC disaster with just me dancing to Whitney’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody as they all swayed and clapped.

Anna – the ETA in Hue said that “sometimes good teaching is borrowing”. If that’s the case I am so glad that Amanda proved to be my inspiration and I borrowed some her “art in English” approach. With less than a month left I am stunned by how far we all have come, and I will miss these student’s energy and tenacity when I return home.

For your own enjoyment pictures from DTCC’s Project Runway are below. Queen/Fairy and Superman/Matrix/Robin/Icarus included!

Next week is a holiday (Liberation/Reunification Day, Labor Day and May Day) so I will be traveling with my ETA soul mate Michelle around central Vietnam, we plan to hit Hue, Da Nang and Hoi An. I will post some pictures when I get back the week after next.

Superman's Matrix coat.

Roll down the collar, add the cape, sash, flower and helmet...Superman?

Look #1: The Queen/Fairy look. They accessorized with a paper watch and clutch.

Look #2: A halter bohemian look. Very easy and breezy. They even accessorized the model's hair and made a purse out of remnant fabric.

Look #3: An Indian Sari/Roman Toga look with a veil.

Here it is! Superman/Matrix/Robin/Icarus. His wings couldn't quite deal with the fan. So if I get this straight his weakness (as a super hero) would be: kryptonite, the sun, hubris, poor QC and no sunscreen and falling from large heights. Must be one hell of a life insurance policy!

Look #5: A pleated skirt, asymmetrical bodice, Bolero jacket (kinda) and a scraf. It's gotta a French avant-garde throwback thing goin' on.