Chubu Elementry
lunch time with the kids
Today I spent the afternoon at Chubu Elementary introducing myself to all 420 students grades 1-6. Everywhere I went I was flooded with small children shouting incomprehensible Japanese questions at me and trying to touch me. During cleaning time I started teaching a few kids "Hello, nice to meet you" along with the handshake. Within minutes I was surrounded by dozens of kids all trying to shake my hand at once. Two teachers had to come out and herd them back towards their cleaning duties.
After introducing myself 13 times I got to sit in on an actual 1st grade class where the students were suppose to make one thing they saw during summer vacation out of play-doh. The kids spent most the class period trying to talk to me or just starring instead of actually making anything. I started telling them what they were making in English- four kids made a "kabutomushi" which is a super popular insect among Japanese children, but in English it translates to "Stag Beetle." So now all my kids can say stag beetle but not "how are you..."
By the end of the class it had turned more into an English lesson with the new ALT than what the teacher had planned out. She didn't mind though. Once they had "good-bye" down they all ran to the window and started screaming "GOODBYE!!! GOODBYE!!!" to the 4th graders going home.
I wish I could teach at elementary more than just a couple days a week- work is more fun and goes by faster when your students are enthusiastic about learning English. Some of the JHS students want to learn, but many couldn't care less....
Earlier this morning I met the mayor of Nanto City along with my fellow Nanto ALTs. They were taking tons of pictures for the newspaper. Immediately following that was a really dumb mandatory driving workshop that was basically just reiterating what we've been told a million times already- don't drink and drive, wear your seatbelt, yada yada. Seriously, just because most of us are used to driving on the right side doesn't mean we have to relearn everything regarding traffic safety. I know what a red light means thank you. And I don't think I've ever hit any old ladies in my 6 years of driving, or anyone for that matter. I was also kinda irritated by the TV cameras constantly filming us at the workshop- I can only imagine what they'll say about us gaijin taking a driving workshop on the news...
Yesterday amanda, ivy, danielle and I went to this lady named Kiomi's house to make dinner. Apparently she's well known among the Nanto JETs for seeking out all the ALTs in the area and employing them into random English-speaking events (whether they like it or not) I figure I may as well meet her and I can just be firm and decline future activities if I decide later I'm not interested. In any case, it was free food and good fun.
Once dinner was on the table we were joined by the boys (typical!..j/k hehe)
francois, me, tim, kiomi in blue, danielle, amanda, ivy, and kiomi's husband
Yesterday I taught my 2nd year JHS students "If we hold on together" by Diana Ross. I didn't even know the song myself, but my JTE was set on it. They seemed pretty bored. Next time I'll try suggesting something like "Funky Town" or Queen.
Today I spent the afternoon at Chubu Elementary introducing myself to all 420 students grades 1-6. Everywhere I went I was flooded with small children shouting incomprehensible Japanese questions at me and trying to touch me. During cleaning time I started teaching a few kids "Hello, nice to meet you" along with the handshake. Within minutes I was surrounded by dozens of kids all trying to shake my hand at once. Two teachers had to come out and herd them back towards their cleaning duties.
After introducing myself 13 times I got to sit in on an actual 1st grade class where the students were suppose to make one thing they saw during summer vacation out of play-doh. The kids spent most the class period trying to talk to me or just starring instead of actually making anything. I started telling them what they were making in English- four kids made a "kabutomushi" which is a super popular insect among Japanese children, but in English it translates to "Stag Beetle." So now all my kids can say stag beetle but not "how are you..."
By the end of the class it had turned more into an English lesson with the new ALT than what the teacher had planned out. She didn't mind though. Once they had "good-bye" down they all ran to the window and started screaming "GOODBYE!!! GOODBYE!!!" to the 4th graders going home.
I wish I could teach at elementary more than just a couple days a week- work is more fun and goes by faster when your students are enthusiastic about learning English. Some of the JHS students want to learn, but many couldn't care less....
Earlier this morning I met the mayor of Nanto City along with my fellow Nanto ALTs. They were taking tons of pictures for the newspaper. Immediately following that was a really dumb mandatory driving workshop that was basically just reiterating what we've been told a million times already- don't drink and drive, wear your seatbelt, yada yada. Seriously, just because most of us are used to driving on the right side doesn't mean we have to relearn everything regarding traffic safety. I know what a red light means thank you. And I don't think I've ever hit any old ladies in my 6 years of driving, or anyone for that matter. I was also kinda irritated by the TV cameras constantly filming us at the workshop- I can only imagine what they'll say about us gaijin taking a driving workshop on the news...
Yesterday amanda, ivy, danielle and I went to this lady named Kiomi's house to make dinner. Apparently she's well known among the Nanto JETs for seeking out all the ALTs in the area and employing them into random English-speaking events (whether they like it or not) I figure I may as well meet her and I can just be firm and decline future activities if I decide later I'm not interested. In any case, it was free food and good fun.
Once dinner was on the table we were joined by the boys (typical!..j/k hehe)
francois, me, tim, kiomi in blue, danielle, amanda, ivy, and kiomi's husband
Yesterday I taught my 2nd year JHS students "If we hold on together" by Diana Ross. I didn't even know the song myself, but my JTE was set on it. They seemed pretty bored. Next time I'll try suggesting something like "Funky Town" or Queen.
Comments
I just read a book that made me think of you. It was 'Burton on Burton' and as you can probably tell from the title, it was a series of interviews with Tim Burton on each of his movies and his thought process on directing each one. I thought it was pretty fascinating; you might want to check it out sometime if you haven't already. The beginning in particular is amazingly weird, as it focuses on his childhood. There's one classic part where he mentions that his parents came into his room and boarded up his windows with wooden planks when he was six, and from then on he had to stand up on a chair and stare through a hole in the wood in order to see outside. In response to that, Burton just says, "That was kinda weird now that I think about it. I should ask them why they did that." Yeah no kidding man! I think if my parents suddenly turned my room into a solitary confinement cell I'd be a bit more questioning.
The pictures of Mount Fuji were awesome. I'm glad someone teaching English in Japan is keeping a detailed blog so that I can vicariously live through you.
Take care,
Jack