Last Sunday I went to a tennis tournament to watch two of my students play. Unlike the recent volleyball tournament at Ariake Junior High, this event was all the way in Kumamoto. In fact, it was the All Kumamoto Tournament for third grade junior high girls. Kanna and Yurika, the team captain, had qualified for pairs and I made the trip working under the assumption that they would be the only two going. I was pleasantly surprised to find that all of my third grade tennis girls were there and even got the chance to meet some of their parents.
The tournament began at 9:00, meaning I had to leave the house around 7:00 to make it on time. The drive wasn’t too bad and it turns out the tennis courts are pretty close to the Kumamoto Driving Center, a place I’ve become intimately familiar with by now. I arrived with about 10 minutes to spare and found our team without too much trouble. I had told Kanna and Yurika on several occasions that I would be trying to make it to their game and that I was excited to watch them play, but I’m not sure if the other girls expected me to be there. Truth be told, I was quite possibly the only foreigner there and I don’t think too many ALTs make appearances at events so far away from their home towns. I got several nervous giggles as I said hello to the gawking passerbyes.
I’ve already spoken at length about my third grade tennis girls’ English ability. As a group, they were really impressive. Tsukasa was able to explain how the games worked without relying too much on Japanese and Ayumi, Kanna, and Karumi told me how everyone came to the tournament. Naturally, I tried to speak to them as much as I could in English, but had to switch to Japanese a few times to help them. I think the parents were really impressed, asking the kids if they understood what I said to them. I spoke to the parents a little too, though I used Japanese wherever I could. They were all really nice and I was able to ask Tsukasa’s mother which kid belonged to which parent.
Kanna and Yurika were amazing! I wasn’t sure what to expect from them since I’ve spent most of my time with the first graders, who are still learning how to play. They won the first game and only had about half an hour to rest before the second. Yurika had to get bandaids put on her arm because she had dove for a low ball early in the first set. It looked pretty bad, but I don’t think it was bleeding. Though they won the first set in the second game, they ended up losing overall. I could tell that they were both pretty upset about it, but they took it really well. I think it really helped to have all their teammates there to cheer them up, too.
I asked Ayumi what they would do now, and she said they would eat and then go home. Usually this is when I would leave, but I was given a bento by Tsukasa’s mother, who told me to eat it. As far as bentos go, it was pretty good and I enjoyed the extra time I got to spend with everyone. The kids had all packed small food like onigiri in their sports bags and ate alongside me on the bleachers or nearby in the grass. After we ate, the parents told all the kids to line up for a picture together. I had tried to get a group shot earlier, but some of the kids seemed really shy, so it hadn’t turned out great. I’m really glad the parents encouraged them because I got an excellent picture of everyone with big smiles on their faces.
One final thing to note was that Asami, a girl I had never seen before, was at the tournament. I didn’t feel comfortable asking about it at the time, but found out later that she is what’s called a hikikomori, a person who chooses to stay at home most, if not all, of the time. When I talked to my JTE about her the next day at work, she typed it into her translator, which gave the nearest English word: recluse. My JTE asked if we had that in America and I told her no, and that students who tried to stay home from school too often got the attention of their truant officers. She found this really interesting.
I’ve often wondered if we had any students like this and now am even more curious as to why Asami chooses not to come to school. I know a lot of the time it has to do with bullying or an illness. Whatever the reason, I am somewhat saddened that there is a student in my area I won’t get a chance to know. During the game, she was really quiet around me and would turn her head whenever I took a picture but was smiling and talking with the other girls. She seemed like a good kid.
Even though it’s essentially more “work” for me to go to things like this, I always have a really good time. I probably won’t make such long trips a habit, but I could definitely see going again and I know that this one was a special case. More often than not my kids play their games in and around Amakusa. At the moment, I don’t have any plans to attend another tournament, but I have heard that the first grade tennis team’s first game is happening soon and that’s definitely something I’m excited about.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Photo Friday: Bathroom Poster
Enjoy this informational poster describing how your poop should look and smell. Just be glad they didn't include all five senses.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Japanese License Adventure Part II: Legality!
It occurred to me after my last post that I never explained exactly why I needed to get a Japanese license in the first place. After all, I already have a license and have been using it in Japan for just under a year now. This is actually a really important issue if you ever intend on working, and driving, in Japan, so I’ll do my best to explain what I know about it.
The Geneva Convention established, among other things, a list of countries which all agreed to honor one another’s licenses for a period of a year from the date of issue of an international driver’s permit. In America, these permits can only be received from a few authorized places. I’ve heard there are several other unauthorized groups that attempt to scam people, too, so be cautious. I got mine from AAA just before leaving for Japan. They were kind enough to post-date my permit by a few days, as I wouldn’t have to start driving immediately and wanted as much time as possible to use it. My last day would be July 29th, 2010. It’s like a time bomb, only much more boring.
The way the permit works is basically by vouching for your American license, meaning that the two have to be together at all times. This may prove troublesome if, say, you usually leave the permit in your glove box and then drive your friend’s car on a trip from a village three hours away. The size of the permit doesn’t help either, as it won’t easily fir into a pocket or wallet.
So, after one year, everyone who drives using an international permit has to acquire a Japanese one. But not everyone has to go through the same process. Actually, America is one of the few countries that has to take the driving test. Foreigners from other places, like Canada and England, only go in for an eye exam and switch over their licenses. This is because either a) they have a national driving test system that meets with Japan’s approval or b) they completed a survey of their various driving test requirements and that met with Japan’s approval. America could conduct a similar survey of all 50 states’ driving test requirements and spare those living abroad the burdensome task of having to prove to the Japanese driving instructors that they can indeed drive safely. Unfortunately, I think there are too few Americans living in this country for the government to bother with it. In addition, one of the stipulations of the survey is reciprocity, meaning allowing the Japanese living in America to switch over their licenses in the same way. Though this is only fair and logical, I fear there are less progressive areas of the nation in which the stereotype of the foreigner who doesn’t know how to drive is still alive and well.
It took me four tries. FOUR TRIES! That’s four two hour trips into the city, four lectures in Japanese and broken English about every mistake I’d made (and yes, they did this even on the time I passed), and four days completely devoid of my kids or teaching, but I finally did it. This little piece of plastic represents an investment of well over $100 and a lot of hard work and guts. I’m just glad it’s over.
The Geneva Convention established, among other things, a list of countries which all agreed to honor one another’s licenses for a period of a year from the date of issue of an international driver’s permit. In America, these permits can only be received from a few authorized places. I’ve heard there are several other unauthorized groups that attempt to scam people, too, so be cautious. I got mine from AAA just before leaving for Japan. They were kind enough to post-date my permit by a few days, as I wouldn’t have to start driving immediately and wanted as much time as possible to use it. My last day would be July 29th, 2010. It’s like a time bomb, only much more boring.
The way the permit works is basically by vouching for your American license, meaning that the two have to be together at all times. This may prove troublesome if, say, you usually leave the permit in your glove box and then drive your friend’s car on a trip from a village three hours away. The size of the permit doesn’t help either, as it won’t easily fir into a pocket or wallet.
So, after one year, everyone who drives using an international permit has to acquire a Japanese one. But not everyone has to go through the same process. Actually, America is one of the few countries that has to take the driving test. Foreigners from other places, like Canada and England, only go in for an eye exam and switch over their licenses. This is because either a) they have a national driving test system that meets with Japan’s approval or b) they completed a survey of their various driving test requirements and that met with Japan’s approval. America could conduct a similar survey of all 50 states’ driving test requirements and spare those living abroad the burdensome task of having to prove to the Japanese driving instructors that they can indeed drive safely. Unfortunately, I think there are too few Americans living in this country for the government to bother with it. In addition, one of the stipulations of the survey is reciprocity, meaning allowing the Japanese living in America to switch over their licenses in the same way. Though this is only fair and logical, I fear there are less progressive areas of the nation in which the stereotype of the foreigner who doesn’t know how to drive is still alive and well.
It took me four tries. FOUR TRIES! That’s four two hour trips into the city, four lectures in Japanese and broken English about every mistake I’d made (and yes, they did this even on the time I passed), and four days completely devoid of my kids or teaching, but I finally did it. This little piece of plastic represents an investment of well over $100 and a lot of hard work and guts. I’m just glad it’s over.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Photo Friday: One Piece Display
In lieu of an actual entry, please enjoy this picture of the Going Merry display at our local Tsutaya.
In Japan, One Piece is being re-released in season box sets. For those who complain of high prices for anime DVDs in America, you should know that these box sets retail for about $150 each ($120 if you pre-order) and contain around 11 episodes.
In Japan, One Piece is being re-released in season box sets. For those who complain of high prices for anime DVDs in America, you should know that these box sets retail for about $150 each ($120 if you pre-order) and contain around 11 episodes.
Cheers
It’s nice to know that what you do on a day-to-day basis means something to someone. Recently, I’ve had a series of interactions with my kids that truly make me feel like I make an impact in their lives. I thought I’d share and maybe this can serve as a bit of a pick me up from my rather disheartening introspection entry.
It all began with cleaning time at the middle school last Friday. I chose to help class 2-A and was very surprised when one of the girls, Kyoka, said, “Eric-sensei, I’m going to play a volleyball game tomorrow.” I was shocked not only because she told me this completely unprompted but because it was really good English. I asked her where and when her tournament was. Turns out it was at the school starting at 9, though I had to ask the volleyball coach about the time and the schedule. The schedule said it was a tournament for girls age 14 or younger, so only first and second grade students would be playing. I decided rather quickly that I would go. It was clear that Kyoka was excited and I had a feeling she may have told me because she wanted me to come.
Going to the tournament was a lot of fun and a really great experience for me. It gave me the opportunity to see my kids outside of class and even meet their parents, though I was a bit too nervous to say anything to them. Sadly, neither of my schools two teams managed to win a set and I had to stand by awkwardly as Sayuri cried after the first game, not knowing what I could do to console her. Fortunately, Kyoka managed to stay positive and cheer her up a bit. I got a lot of great pictures including a group shot of one of the teams that has quickly become one of my favorites.
The first two games ended around noon and there was a timeslot where neither of the teams was playing, so I excused myself to go and get Amanda so she could watch the last game with me. We arrived with plenty of time and Amanda introduced herself to my kids. This was the first time she had ever been at my school and naturally she was a big hit with my kids. I think they felt really special to be the first ones to meet her. We sat with my kids and clapped our hands along with their cheers. I even attempted to join in at the few parts I knew to the delight of Shoko, who was sitting next to me. After the game, the students all gathered outside to eat their bentos (box lunches) and Amanda and I excused ourselves and said our goodbyes. Honestly, at the time I didn’t think our appearance at the tournament had made that big of an impression, but I would soon discover how wrong I was.
Monday rolled around and for the first time in a while I was at the middle school for the whole day (curse you driving test!) In the afternoon, I was asked to help my JTE enter grades into journals for each student in her class, 2-A. We talked about the volleyball tournament and I asked some questions about the girls. I learned about a few of the disagreements between them, but learned a lot of nice things too, like the fact that Shoko is incredibly bright and wants to be a doctor. I mentioned it would be nice to have a doctor who could speak English well.
After we were finished, I went with my JTE to her homeroom class. I had been debating whether or not to talk to one of my students about the cheers they had done during the game. I decided that Shoko was probably my best bet, as she seemed the most comfortable speaking and listening to English. After class, I talked to her, and tried to explain that I had felt a little left out on Saturday during the cheers and that I wanted to learn them. I didn’t have anything to write on at the time, but she tried to explain one to me, writing letters on her desk with her finger as she talked. I was surprised to find the cheer was in English and wrote it down after class.
Tuesday was filled with even more surprises for me. I arrived, as I always do, at cleaning time and headed up to 2-A again. Normally I would try to spread out my appearances in the same classroom, but I really wanted to talk to Shoko and ask her if I had written the cheer correctly. While I wasn’t able to talk to her at that time, I did run into a number of the volleyball girls, who gathered around me with big smiles on their faces. Riru and Reimi tried to say what they were all thinking, “Eric-sensei…last Saturday…fiancee Amanda…volleyball look.” I nodded and gently corrected their English. Riru continued, “Amanda is beautiful.” It was really sweet. I told them that Amanda had said I had adorable children. They all repeated “Adorable, adorable,” trying to figure out what it could mean, so I took out my phone, which has an English to Japanese dictionary and showed them. They all nodded and said thank you. It was a really great moment.
Turns out our little appearance at the tournament was the topic of conversation for a number of the students, several of them writing about it in their daily journals. I also learned that Shoko had written about teaching me cheers, in English no less. These girls could have written about anything they wanted and they chose to write about my involvement in their lives. Knowing this made me feel really happy. I was able to talk to Shoko briefly after school and confirm that I had written the cheer correctly. Her smile upon seeing that I had it written in my notebook was priceless. It’s a moment I don’t think I’ll ever forget. For those who are interested:
A-R-I-A-K-E
Go, go
Let’s go, Ari-chu
It all began with cleaning time at the middle school last Friday. I chose to help class 2-A and was very surprised when one of the girls, Kyoka, said, “Eric-sensei, I’m going to play a volleyball game tomorrow.” I was shocked not only because she told me this completely unprompted but because it was really good English. I asked her where and when her tournament was. Turns out it was at the school starting at 9, though I had to ask the volleyball coach about the time and the schedule. The schedule said it was a tournament for girls age 14 or younger, so only first and second grade students would be playing. I decided rather quickly that I would go. It was clear that Kyoka was excited and I had a feeling she may have told me because she wanted me to come.
Going to the tournament was a lot of fun and a really great experience for me. It gave me the opportunity to see my kids outside of class and even meet their parents, though I was a bit too nervous to say anything to them. Sadly, neither of my schools two teams managed to win a set and I had to stand by awkwardly as Sayuri cried after the first game, not knowing what I could do to console her. Fortunately, Kyoka managed to stay positive and cheer her up a bit. I got a lot of great pictures including a group shot of one of the teams that has quickly become one of my favorites.
The first two games ended around noon and there was a timeslot where neither of the teams was playing, so I excused myself to go and get Amanda so she could watch the last game with me. We arrived with plenty of time and Amanda introduced herself to my kids. This was the first time she had ever been at my school and naturally she was a big hit with my kids. I think they felt really special to be the first ones to meet her. We sat with my kids and clapped our hands along with their cheers. I even attempted to join in at the few parts I knew to the delight of Shoko, who was sitting next to me. After the game, the students all gathered outside to eat their bentos (box lunches) and Amanda and I excused ourselves and said our goodbyes. Honestly, at the time I didn’t think our appearance at the tournament had made that big of an impression, but I would soon discover how wrong I was.
Monday rolled around and for the first time in a while I was at the middle school for the whole day (curse you driving test!) In the afternoon, I was asked to help my JTE enter grades into journals for each student in her class, 2-A. We talked about the volleyball tournament and I asked some questions about the girls. I learned about a few of the disagreements between them, but learned a lot of nice things too, like the fact that Shoko is incredibly bright and wants to be a doctor. I mentioned it would be nice to have a doctor who could speak English well.
After we were finished, I went with my JTE to her homeroom class. I had been debating whether or not to talk to one of my students about the cheers they had done during the game. I decided that Shoko was probably my best bet, as she seemed the most comfortable speaking and listening to English. After class, I talked to her, and tried to explain that I had felt a little left out on Saturday during the cheers and that I wanted to learn them. I didn’t have anything to write on at the time, but she tried to explain one to me, writing letters on her desk with her finger as she talked. I was surprised to find the cheer was in English and wrote it down after class.
Tuesday was filled with even more surprises for me. I arrived, as I always do, at cleaning time and headed up to 2-A again. Normally I would try to spread out my appearances in the same classroom, but I really wanted to talk to Shoko and ask her if I had written the cheer correctly. While I wasn’t able to talk to her at that time, I did run into a number of the volleyball girls, who gathered around me with big smiles on their faces. Riru and Reimi tried to say what they were all thinking, “Eric-sensei…last Saturday…fiancee Amanda…volleyball look.” I nodded and gently corrected their English. Riru continued, “Amanda is beautiful.” It was really sweet. I told them that Amanda had said I had adorable children. They all repeated “Adorable, adorable,” trying to figure out what it could mean, so I took out my phone, which has an English to Japanese dictionary and showed them. They all nodded and said thank you. It was a really great moment.
Turns out our little appearance at the tournament was the topic of conversation for a number of the students, several of them writing about it in their daily journals. I also learned that Shoko had written about teaching me cheers, in English no less. These girls could have written about anything they wanted and they chose to write about my involvement in their lives. Knowing this made me feel really happy. I was able to talk to Shoko briefly after school and confirm that I had written the cheer correctly. Her smile upon seeing that I had it written in my notebook was priceless. It’s a moment I don’t think I’ll ever forget. For those who are interested:
A-R-I-A-K-E
Go, go
Let’s go, Ari-chu
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Class Report: How many (Part 3)
Due to last week’s soyokaze entry, I’ll be skipping a week in regard to my fifth graders, but most of the lesson was a game from the previous week anyway, so really you aren’t missing much. Both Rino and another absent student were able to pick up on eleven through twenty pretty quickly. It may be the case that they are just fast learners, or they may be going to juku, a kind of cram school students go to at night. So everyone was up to speed for this lesson. I should also mention that my homeroom teacher wasn’t at school last week. As I may have mentioned elsewhere, this is her first year teaching, so apparently there are days when she will be studying rather than teaching. As a result, I was working with another teacher during this class who wasn’t familiar with the lessons up to this point, giving me even more control and responsibility than usual.
We started with the snakes and ladders game, which we had played the previous week. The rules were rather complicated and involved playing rock, paper, scissors and advancing a number of places depending on what you won with. If the student lost, they didn’t move, and the second player played against the third, etc. If they landed on the bottom of a ladder, they could move up to the top, but the head of a snake made them move down to its tail. Just like the game I used to play as a kid, though a bit simplified. I think the kids had a lot of fun playing, though we were only able to play one game before having to move on to the next activity.
The next activity was also fairly confusing for my kids, especially since their teacher wasn’t there to help explain it, though the substitute tried her best to help. The students chose their favorite kanji and wrote it in a square in their books. Next, they wrote the stroke count for the kanji. Each kanji, or pictograph, in Japanese has a certain way in which you’re supposed to draw it. For instance 犬 is a four stroke kanji while 右 is five strokes. We asked that the kids chose kanji that had six strokes or less. They then went around the classroom asking everyone “How many?” meaning how many strokes their kanji was. Students with the same number wrote each other’s kanji in a third box. When everyone was finished, I asked how many kanji they had written in the last box, giving them a little more counting practice.
All in all, this wasn’t my favorite lesson, but I think the main point for the day was learning the question sentence, which my kids did. I told them that from that day on if I ever needed to pass papers to them, I would ask the first student how many they needed for their row. This took a few tries before a few students understood enough and translated it into Japanese for the rest. I really hope they understood, because it’s one of the easiest ways to reinforce the concepts in this chapter in future lessons.
We started with the snakes and ladders game, which we had played the previous week. The rules were rather complicated and involved playing rock, paper, scissors and advancing a number of places depending on what you won with. If the student lost, they didn’t move, and the second player played against the third, etc. If they landed on the bottom of a ladder, they could move up to the top, but the head of a snake made them move down to its tail. Just like the game I used to play as a kid, though a bit simplified. I think the kids had a lot of fun playing, though we were only able to play one game before having to move on to the next activity.
The next activity was also fairly confusing for my kids, especially since their teacher wasn’t there to help explain it, though the substitute tried her best to help. The students chose their favorite kanji and wrote it in a square in their books. Next, they wrote the stroke count for the kanji. Each kanji, or pictograph, in Japanese has a certain way in which you’re supposed to draw it. For instance 犬 is a four stroke kanji while 右 is five strokes. We asked that the kids chose kanji that had six strokes or less. They then went around the classroom asking everyone “How many?” meaning how many strokes their kanji was. Students with the same number wrote each other’s kanji in a third box. When everyone was finished, I asked how many kanji they had written in the last box, giving them a little more counting practice.
All in all, this wasn’t my favorite lesson, but I think the main point for the day was learning the question sentence, which my kids did. I told them that from that day on if I ever needed to pass papers to them, I would ask the first student how many they needed for their row. This took a few tries before a few students understood enough and translated it into Japanese for the rest. I really hope they understood, because it’s one of the easiest ways to reinforce the concepts in this chapter in future lessons.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
One Year Later
Almost a year has past since I arrived in Japan. With another year ahead of me, I think it’s time for a little introspection on what I’ve accomplished over the last year and what I want to accomplish this year. This entry is less about the JET experience than it is about my personal experience, though I imagine a good number of people living and teaching over here have gone through similar things.
When I arrived in Japan, I had never taught a day in my life. Well, not really. I put my experience with vacation bible school down on my application, but during that time I was only an assistant to the arts and crafts teacher. I had never planned or run an English lesson nor did I have any idea what exactly would be expected of me as an ALT by my specific schools. For their part, CLAIR and AJET had some useful panels at the Tokyo Orientation all about teaching English abroad. Teaching experience is not a requirement for this position, and I think they understand there are several applicants like me who need the extra help. Despite this, I still felt woefully unprepared for my first classes and was incredibly nervous around my students, of whom I knew nothing.
This first year has been as much about my learning how to teach and live in Japan as it has teaching students English. I feel this has come at a high cost. I look back over the pictures of last year’s graduation ceremony for Ariake Junior High and am upset to find that I cannot name even a single graduating student. I feel I’d made no real connections to any student at that time. However, I have learned how to teach, at least enough that running a class alone or planning a lesson in as little as five minutes is not nearly as daunting as it once was. I have confidence now when standing in front of the students, and can approach and speak to almost any of them, now that I know, in a general sense, what level of English they can understand.
If my first year was learning how to teach English, I want this next year to be about how to teach my students. I want to get to know all my kids: their names, their interests, and their language ability. I want to be able to give more personalized attention to students who may need extra help in order to understand the lesson and when I run into their parents, which has happened on occasion, I want to be able to smile knowingly and give some genuine praise of their son or daughter. Is this an achievable goal? I certainly think so and I know several ALTs who have done the same. But it is going to be difficult. I teach upwards of 250 students at varying degrees of frequency and even with all extra time I’ve been spending with various clubs and activities I would guess I barely know a third of their names, if that.
Naturally, getting to know my students comes with its own drawbacks. I’ve already been made aware of several cases of in fighting among students, which makes it difficult as I want everyone to be happy. Of course my school is filled with the same problems as any comparable school in America, but at least before I started to delve into my students’ lives outside English class I didn’t have to worry about it. Also weighing on my mind is the thought that I‘ll eventually have to leave my students or, as is the case with the 3rd graders at junior high, that they’ll leave me. I think it’s one of the hardest tings about this job. Add that to the fact that I’ll never really know what kind of impact I had here. Even if I did do something remarkable and helped a student in a significant way, I’ll never know, because in a year I’ll be gone and I’ll never see any of my kids again.
So that’s basically where I’m at right now. I keep telling myself there’s no reason to be thinking about things that are still a year away and that it’s better to concentrate on the present. And for what it’s worth, the present is pretty awesome. I’m enjoying spending as much time with my kids as I can in spite of the occasional rough moments.
When I arrived in Japan, I had never taught a day in my life. Well, not really. I put my experience with vacation bible school down on my application, but during that time I was only an assistant to the arts and crafts teacher. I had never planned or run an English lesson nor did I have any idea what exactly would be expected of me as an ALT by my specific schools. For their part, CLAIR and AJET had some useful panels at the Tokyo Orientation all about teaching English abroad. Teaching experience is not a requirement for this position, and I think they understand there are several applicants like me who need the extra help. Despite this, I still felt woefully unprepared for my first classes and was incredibly nervous around my students, of whom I knew nothing.
This first year has been as much about my learning how to teach and live in Japan as it has teaching students English. I feel this has come at a high cost. I look back over the pictures of last year’s graduation ceremony for Ariake Junior High and am upset to find that I cannot name even a single graduating student. I feel I’d made no real connections to any student at that time. However, I have learned how to teach, at least enough that running a class alone or planning a lesson in as little as five minutes is not nearly as daunting as it once was. I have confidence now when standing in front of the students, and can approach and speak to almost any of them, now that I know, in a general sense, what level of English they can understand.
If my first year was learning how to teach English, I want this next year to be about how to teach my students. I want to get to know all my kids: their names, their interests, and their language ability. I want to be able to give more personalized attention to students who may need extra help in order to understand the lesson and when I run into their parents, which has happened on occasion, I want to be able to smile knowingly and give some genuine praise of their son or daughter. Is this an achievable goal? I certainly think so and I know several ALTs who have done the same. But it is going to be difficult. I teach upwards of 250 students at varying degrees of frequency and even with all extra time I’ve been spending with various clubs and activities I would guess I barely know a third of their names, if that.
Naturally, getting to know my students comes with its own drawbacks. I’ve already been made aware of several cases of in fighting among students, which makes it difficult as I want everyone to be happy. Of course my school is filled with the same problems as any comparable school in America, but at least before I started to delve into my students’ lives outside English class I didn’t have to worry about it. Also weighing on my mind is the thought that I‘ll eventually have to leave my students or, as is the case with the 3rd graders at junior high, that they’ll leave me. I think it’s one of the hardest tings about this job. Add that to the fact that I’ll never really know what kind of impact I had here. Even if I did do something remarkable and helped a student in a significant way, I’ll never know, because in a year I’ll be gone and I’ll never see any of my kids again.
So that’s basically where I’m at right now. I keep telling myself there’s no reason to be thinking about things that are still a year away and that it’s better to concentrate on the present. And for what it’s worth, the present is pretty awesome. I’m enjoying spending as much time with my kids as I can in spite of the occasional rough moments.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Class Report: Soyokaze Special
Last Tuesday was Tanabata here in Japan. It also happened to be the day I was scheduled to teach the soyokaze (special needs) kids. I was told just before class started that we would be having a short culture time before my lesson by helping decorate the kids’ tanabata bamboo. After our introductions, the kids brought out the bamboo and several decorations including little pieces of colored paper with their wishes written on them. I’m pretty sure that Shiori wished for many DS games and Risa wanted to make lots of friends. After everything was gathered on their desk, we started to decorate.
The whole thing reminded me a bit of Christmas. Everyone gathered around the bamboo and started putting on decorations. All the decorations were brightly colored and it made for a really vibrant and festive piece. I kept asking my kids where I should place the decorations. Since they’re young and small, they wanted me to put the decorations on the top of the bamboo and squealed with delight when I tied one to the upper most branch. Shiori eventually brought out a chair to stand on so she could place one of her wishes a bit higher up. When we were all finished, we took a picture together in front of the bamboo. Shiori and Risa were both a bit hesitant to stand near me, so I had to pull them in a bit closer. It made me really happy that I could share that experience with them.
The rest of class was spent learning how to ask and answer the question, “What’s this?” As I’ve said, I tend to run the soyokaze class like an elementary class. I brought in my black box, a box with one side cut out and a hole on the top. One student stood behind the box and closed their eyes while the other put something small, like a pencil or pen, into the box. The first student reached into the hole on top of the box and tried to guess what was inside. Both of them did really well, though ruler is a really hard word for them.
Next, I gave everyone, including the teacher, a piece of paper. I told them they could draw a picture of anything whose English word they knew, but that it was a secret to everyone else. We all went off to different parts of the room to draw our pictures. When we were done, we held up our pictures with most of the paper folded over, hiding it. We gradually revealed our picture in increments, each time asking “What’s this” and having the others guess. It was a lot of fun, and a good indication for me of what vocabulary they remembered. I drew grapes that, rather surprisingly, Risa got very quickly. Shiori drew a cat, her favorite animal. The teacher drew a car, which I wasn’t aware my kids knew. Lastly, Risa drew a panda, which the teacher actually guessed correctly on accident. This class was a lot of fun and I look forward to the next time I get the opportunity to teach it.
The whole thing reminded me a bit of Christmas. Everyone gathered around the bamboo and started putting on decorations. All the decorations were brightly colored and it made for a really vibrant and festive piece. I kept asking my kids where I should place the decorations. Since they’re young and small, they wanted me to put the decorations on the top of the bamboo and squealed with delight when I tied one to the upper most branch. Shiori eventually brought out a chair to stand on so she could place one of her wishes a bit higher up. When we were all finished, we took a picture together in front of the bamboo. Shiori and Risa were both a bit hesitant to stand near me, so I had to pull them in a bit closer. It made me really happy that I could share that experience with them.
The rest of class was spent learning how to ask and answer the question, “What’s this?” As I’ve said, I tend to run the soyokaze class like an elementary class. I brought in my black box, a box with one side cut out and a hole on the top. One student stood behind the box and closed their eyes while the other put something small, like a pencil or pen, into the box. The first student reached into the hole on top of the box and tried to guess what was inside. Both of them did really well, though ruler is a really hard word for them.
Next, I gave everyone, including the teacher, a piece of paper. I told them they could draw a picture of anything whose English word they knew, but that it was a secret to everyone else. We all went off to different parts of the room to draw our pictures. When we were done, we held up our pictures with most of the paper folded over, hiding it. We gradually revealed our picture in increments, each time asking “What’s this” and having the others guess. It was a lot of fun, and a good indication for me of what vocabulary they remembered. I drew grapes that, rather surprisingly, Risa got very quickly. Shiori drew a cat, her favorite animal. The teacher drew a car, which I wasn’t aware my kids knew. Lastly, Risa drew a panda, which the teacher actually guessed correctly on accident. This class was a lot of fun and I look forward to the next time I get the opportunity to teach it.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
I Hate Mukade
I’ve been told that everything is bigger in Texas. Well, that is a lie! Take for instance the various animals that inhabit my area of Japan. Crows here are simply gigantic, I’ve seen spiders larger than my hand, Japanese hornets are notoriously dangerous and huge, and last, but certainly not least, are the mukade. What are mukade, you ask. Why, they’re large centipedes with a poison powerful enough to leave huge welts if your lucky and, I’ve heard, kill small animals or people who are allergic to their venom. I was cursed with a rather unfortunate placement in Japan, for it seems that these things only exist in the lower half of Kyushu. Enjoy some pictures.
I apologize for not having a picture where it's flush against the ruler, but it was suffering the effects of a powerful poison at the time. Still, you can see that it's easily 11cm. This is one of the larger ones that's gotten into my house, but is by no means the largest I've seen. I've read they can grow up to 20cm.
A size comparison I think most of my friends would appreciate. When I showed my kids these pictures, they asked if it was my pet. I have no idea what they were thinking. Mukade are only a problem during the summer months, especially during the rainy season when the poison around my house tends to wash away. I've yet to be bitten by one of these things, but I have found several in my room and a few in my bed, which I check every night before turning in.
I hope you've enjoyed this glimpse into one of the more unpleasant realities of life abroad. In all honesty, if houses here were better insulated, had double pane windows, etc. mukade would be no less trouble than the average house pest. As it is, they get in so frequently that they necessitate an all out war against them. So far, I'm winning and I hope it stays that way.
I apologize for not having a picture where it's flush against the ruler, but it was suffering the effects of a powerful poison at the time. Still, you can see that it's easily 11cm. This is one of the larger ones that's gotten into my house, but is by no means the largest I've seen. I've read they can grow up to 20cm.
A size comparison I think most of my friends would appreciate. When I showed my kids these pictures, they asked if it was my pet. I have no idea what they were thinking. Mukade are only a problem during the summer months, especially during the rainy season when the poison around my house tends to wash away. I've yet to be bitten by one of these things, but I have found several in my room and a few in my bed, which I check every night before turning in.
I hope you've enjoyed this glimpse into one of the more unpleasant realities of life abroad. In all honesty, if houses here were better insulated, had double pane windows, etc. mukade would be no less trouble than the average house pest. As it is, they get in so frequently that they necessitate an all out war against them. So far, I'm winning and I hope it stays that way.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
How To Get Japanese Kids To Say They're Sorry
Recently, I’ve been staying at school well past my clock out time of four in order to practice tennis with my first graders. Those of you who know me may be scratching your heads wondering why I’m putting in so much time to play sports and of all things why I chose tennis, a sport that I literally began playing only a few weeks ago. The short answer is because it’s fun and I like spending time with my kids. The long answer, and the insane amount of practice my kids do, is the subject of this entry.
In Japan, students are responsible for keeping their homerooms, and the school as a whole, clean. It’s part of the moral and societal aspect of the students' education, raising them to be upstanding Japanese citizens. Teachers take part in the cleaning, too, and I am no exception. However, as I have no homeroom to speak of, I try to spend equal amounts of time with all six classes at my junior high school. Cleaning time is a great opportunity to surprise my kids with some unrehearsed English speaking practice. I often announce myself as I come into the room, telling the students that I’m there to help and asking what job I can do. More often than not, I am met with blank stares. In fact, I’ve had some students literally collapse to the ground, muttering how they can’t speak English (in English mind you).
There are some exceptions though; students who will try and talk with me despite their lack of confidence. One such student is Tsukasa, who I first met as a second grader last year. In terms of conversational ability, I’d have to say Tsukasa is one of my strongest students. Not because she knows the most English or because her pronunciation is perfect, but because she doesn’t quit when something unexpected or difficult comes up. She tries gestures or drawings when she can’t explain some concept to me. It also helps that she genuinely loves English and actually enjoys learning and speaking it. Along with Shiori and Risa, my two soyokaze kids, Tsukasa was one of the first students whose name I committed to memory. She also happens to play tennis, so when I had free time during recess, I would go watch her practice.
Then something kind of strange happened. As I became more and more familiar with individual students and their abilities and interests, I started to realize that my really strong English students are all members of the tennis team. Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration. After all, it goes without saying that none of my really good boys are on the all-girl tennis team. Still, if I had to pick out a group of my best students, a good number of them would be tennis players. I have a few theories as to why this may be, but suffice to say I began spending more and more time with those students, even staying after school a few times to watch them practice. Speaking with the tennis team third graders was easy and it was good practice for them. Furthermore, I knew I was interacting with some of the few students who may actually go on to seriously study English in high school.
Another rather fortuitous thing occurred while I was talking to my JTE about practicing with the tennis team. At this point, I had spent an afternoon training with the first graders and was considering going again. As it happens, my JTE was also a rather skilled tennis player during her junior high and high school days (the evidence for some correlation is really mounting here). She not only spoke with the tennis coach to see if I could practice with the first graders, but lent me her racket as well. And with that, I began playing tennis.
A brief aside, if I may, as to the insane nature of exercising with the tennis team. Every day after school, the first graders run ten times around the track at the school. They then do 20 pushups, 30 sit-ups, 30 squats, bear crawls (forward and backward), and several rounds of jumping over small hurdles. It’s also worth noting that, aside from the three-member music club, tennis is the least demanding school activity. Once they've finished all those exercises, they start actually practicing tennis. To date, I have yet to complete this exercise regiment in its entirety, usually having to stop and rest once we start the jumping. I feel bad, not only because I can’t keep up with my kids, but also because I feel like I might be letting them down by not finishing.
Good as the exercise is for me, it’s not the reason I keep going to practice. I just really enjoy interacting with my kids. There have been several really amusing moments during practice where I’ll hear two students discussing how to say something in English. I don’t think they’ve caught on to the fact that I can understand about half of what they say. They really do try and use English around me, which is adorable. They’ve helped count my exercises in English and keep saying they’re sorry when they make a mistake. For those who have never watched Japanese kids practice, they tend to say “gomen” a lot. My kids are no exception. Whatever the error, be it a misplaced serve or a ball lobbed a bit too high I’ll hear an “I’m sorry” every time.
In Japan, students are responsible for keeping their homerooms, and the school as a whole, clean. It’s part of the moral and societal aspect of the students' education, raising them to be upstanding Japanese citizens. Teachers take part in the cleaning, too, and I am no exception. However, as I have no homeroom to speak of, I try to spend equal amounts of time with all six classes at my junior high school. Cleaning time is a great opportunity to surprise my kids with some unrehearsed English speaking practice. I often announce myself as I come into the room, telling the students that I’m there to help and asking what job I can do. More often than not, I am met with blank stares. In fact, I’ve had some students literally collapse to the ground, muttering how they can’t speak English (in English mind you).
There are some exceptions though; students who will try and talk with me despite their lack of confidence. One such student is Tsukasa, who I first met as a second grader last year. In terms of conversational ability, I’d have to say Tsukasa is one of my strongest students. Not because she knows the most English or because her pronunciation is perfect, but because she doesn’t quit when something unexpected or difficult comes up. She tries gestures or drawings when she can’t explain some concept to me. It also helps that she genuinely loves English and actually enjoys learning and speaking it. Along with Shiori and Risa, my two soyokaze kids, Tsukasa was one of the first students whose name I committed to memory. She also happens to play tennis, so when I had free time during recess, I would go watch her practice.
Then something kind of strange happened. As I became more and more familiar with individual students and their abilities and interests, I started to realize that my really strong English students are all members of the tennis team. Okay, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration. After all, it goes without saying that none of my really good boys are on the all-girl tennis team. Still, if I had to pick out a group of my best students, a good number of them would be tennis players. I have a few theories as to why this may be, but suffice to say I began spending more and more time with those students, even staying after school a few times to watch them practice. Speaking with the tennis team third graders was easy and it was good practice for them. Furthermore, I knew I was interacting with some of the few students who may actually go on to seriously study English in high school.
Another rather fortuitous thing occurred while I was talking to my JTE about practicing with the tennis team. At this point, I had spent an afternoon training with the first graders and was considering going again. As it happens, my JTE was also a rather skilled tennis player during her junior high and high school days (the evidence for some correlation is really mounting here). She not only spoke with the tennis coach to see if I could practice with the first graders, but lent me her racket as well. And with that, I began playing tennis.
A brief aside, if I may, as to the insane nature of exercising with the tennis team. Every day after school, the first graders run ten times around the track at the school. They then do 20 pushups, 30 sit-ups, 30 squats, bear crawls (forward and backward), and several rounds of jumping over small hurdles. It’s also worth noting that, aside from the three-member music club, tennis is the least demanding school activity. Once they've finished all those exercises, they start actually practicing tennis. To date, I have yet to complete this exercise regiment in its entirety, usually having to stop and rest once we start the jumping. I feel bad, not only because I can’t keep up with my kids, but also because I feel like I might be letting them down by not finishing.
Good as the exercise is for me, it’s not the reason I keep going to practice. I just really enjoy interacting with my kids. There have been several really amusing moments during practice where I’ll hear two students discussing how to say something in English. I don’t think they’ve caught on to the fact that I can understand about half of what they say. They really do try and use English around me, which is adorable. They’ve helped count my exercises in English and keep saying they’re sorry when they make a mistake. For those who have never watched Japanese kids practice, they tend to say “gomen” a lot. My kids are no exception. Whatever the error, be it a misplaced serve or a ball lobbed a bit too high I’ll hear an “I’m sorry” every time.
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